Salamanca, the Golden City

After a cup of coffee with Carlos in Santiago I boarded a bus for Salamanca, arriving at around 5pm. During the long but relaxing bus ride I tried to sketch out the remainder of my trip. Due to lack of time, Portugal and Morocco were now out of the question. In the next 7 days I planned a circuit of 7 cities: Ávila, Segovia, Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba, Sevilla and Granada. From Granada, I intend to reach the southern slopes of Sierra Nevada and walk through some ancient villages for 3-4 days. Then, I will go to a Natural Park on the southeastern tip of Spain and walk along remote beaches and semi-desert coastal trails for another 3 days. After that, it will be time to go to Málaga and hop on a flight to Barcelona, and, from there, back to the States on November 5.

Meanwhile, I arrived in Salamanca, where the weather remained cool and rainy. Still, after dropping my pack at a youth hostel, I went to explore the city. Salamanca is home to one of the world´s oldest universities, and teh city´s 30,000 students still make up a quarter of its population. Most of the older buildings in town (including various churches and university buildings) are built of yellow sandstone, which shines like gold in the sunlight (and under nighttime illumination), giving the city its popular nickname.

The next morning the weather turned sunny and did more justice to the city´s features. I admired the majestic Plaza Mayor, supposedly the grandest in Spain, and toured the city´s conjoined cathedrals, built during medieval times and the Renaissance, respectively. The smaller old cathedral was overshadowed by the immense newer structure, but its narrow internal passageways were more interesting to traverse than the vast open spaces of the other.