The Old and New Cathedral of Salamanca

Today, we visited the Old and New Cathedral of Salamanca. The cathedrals are adjoined and are in the process of restoration, but is currently set up to partially be a walkthrough museum. The churches have medieval towers that are visible throughout most of the city of Salamanca.

The outside of the building is intricately detailed. I can only imagine the years of work it must have taken. My eye couldn't focus on one thing for more than five seconds before being distracted by something else. Some of the outside details have been redone, and one part of the newer stonework has an astronaut in it. Anyways, the detailed work covers the entire building up to the highest towers including gargoyles, stone ivy trim, detailed borders, scrolls, angels, saints, the holy family, crosses, etc.





The first stairs we went to took us to a room where we could look into the space of the Old Cathedral. The wall behind the altar was covered in squares painted with the faces of saints. Unfortunately, due to distance and the no-flash policy, I was unable to take a good picture. However, good pictures can easily be googled.

After that, we climbed some stairs to the next level of the cathedral where we were able to walk out on part of the roof and see the more modern part of Salamanca, including the river, as well as get closer to the detailed work on part of the roofs.





We went turned a corner and went inside again into the sanctuary of the New Cathedral. From where I was standing, I could see details of the ceiling, the higher windows, and the size of the sanctuary. The had a star-like pattern where cross points had circles. I don't think the pictures captured it, but each circle actually had a protruding profile of the face of an important religious person.


What came next was absolutely terrifying. Through a little doorway was a spiral staircase. The stairs were very small, but the stairway climbed fast. There was no railing on the staircase except for an old carved one which was not good for holding onto. The other side had no railing or wall at all because the spiral was on itself- not actually around something so if one were to lean too far out, they would fall back down the stairs. I was wearing flip flops (stupidly, but I forgot to change before leaving the house this morning), had my purse (necessary) on one shoulder, and my camera in my other hand (I forgot to put it away before climbing up). So, not only did this completely test my fear of heights but my fear of being uncoordinated as I almost tripped and fell on a couple of normal steps earlier in the day at the cathedrals.

Not only was it difficult to start walking up the staircase, but the guy ahead of me stopped to take pictures mid-climb (not okay!!!!). I was gripping onto the wall as best I could, and kept thinking how I would probably clutch my camera and not myself if I were to fall. After what seemed like forever, I made it to the top of the stairs and took a couple of minutes to gather myself together again. The view from the very top was a view of the older Salamanca. It was worth it, but I doubt that I'll be climbing any stairs like those any time soon. Luckily the staircase to go back down had a legitimate railing and a bit more of a wall on the other side to brace oneself with.




After making it back to solid ground, we went inside the cathedral which I don't think I could do justice in describing. The inside of the cathedral was full of religious relics. Every corner around the church was a different altar- some were obviously older than others. There was art from the renaissance, old statues, etc.

All of the altars:








The organ in the church was really pretty but was too far up to really capture the details. It was being tuned today which sounded really eerie but at the same time was fitting to the feeling of the church.


Also, the most ornate wood carving I've ever seen:

Like I said before, I am now in love with European cathedrals. I'm not even catholic, but this church was so beautiful. Everything was overdone, extra-detailed, extravagant, oversized, and overwhelming. Lindsay A. and I decided that we will try to go to mass at a different church every Sunday until we leave.

More Things Happening

Me, Luiza, and Lindsay A. in the Plaza Mayor


I noticed that I forgot to describe the ice cream I had in the Plaza on our second evening here, which I can't believe I forgot. The place we went to in the Plaza is the most popular ice cream place there- the line backs up for quite a while. I was told that the chocolate ice cream was amazing so of course, that was what I ordered. It was like licking pure liquid chocolate. Unlike chocolate ice cream in America, the flavor was really pure- I couldn't taste extra cream, fat, or sugar. Soooo good. :)

Monday morning was a kind of slow morning. I woke up early and went running with two of the other exchange students. We only ran for twenty minutes, but after this morning, I know that running in Salamanca will be really safe. This morning, the sky was a pinkish orange, and we were running through and around the oldest part of town. Imagine the sunrise shining on old Spanish fort walls and tall cathedral spires- it was beautiful. Although getting up was difficult this morning, it wasn't hard to convince me that getting up early is worth it. However, our host mother was so shocked that someone would get up at 6:30 in the morning.

We met up with the rest of the Seattle University students in the morning in the Plaza. Sadly, our professor from Seattle wasn't there like we were expecting. We were shown our University and a few places of importance. From what I've heard from other students, Lindsay A. and I have it pretty good. Some of the students have to go to Internet Cafes, and I've heard that some of the students from another group don't get a breakfast like we do- I guess the typical thing is crackers and coffee, but Esperanza feeds us very well.

For lunch today, we had a dish that was cooked zucchini kind of hollowed with a mix of beef, tomatoes, and melted mozzarella inside. Also, there was a potato salad that had tuna, tomatoes, and green olives in it that tasted like it was covered in a bit of vinegar. I was kind of wary of it, but it was actually really delicious. On Monday after lunch, we met in the Plaza Mayor again, and the program director took us around to some of the shops in the area that are pretty popular. For dinner, we had grilled sandwiches and soup which felt a lot like home. I found out later that the soup we had was "Carrot Soup" that had onions, potatoes, and cheese in it, but I would have never guessed that the main ingredient was carrots- I couldn't taste them at all.

It was also Esperanza's birthday on Monday- she turned 57 years old, but she looks much, much younger than that. Her son sent her flowers, and she received a lot of phone calls- one from the grandmother of one of her former exchange students from Chile that stayed here for more than a year. Some of the other girls bought a small ice cream cake for after dinner, which Esperanza really enjoyed. Lindsay A. and I gave her our house-guest gifts today- I bought her some Seattle chocolate and an apron- which turned out to be perfect for her. Esperanza used to own a restaurant and was a chef for one of the schools for a while.

On Tuesday morning, our group went to The Old and New Cathedral of Salamanca (I will put all my info about the cathedral in a separate blog-too much to add to this one!), but I will say that I am in love with cathedrals now.

One funny thing- I had to buy larger shampoo and conditioner when I got here. At the store, I didn't bring my dictionary, and of course, all the bottles were only in Spanish. I picked what I thought was ok only to find out later that I had bought shampoo for curly hair. It'll still work though.

Some goodies:


People Dancing in the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca


Lindsay A and I in the Plaza Mayor


Me in the Plaza Mayor


A Pastry Shop in Salamanca


Closer Look at the Pastry Shop Window....


Salamanca (You can see the river in the lower left side)


View of Salamanca in another direction


Plaza Mayor in Salamanca


Plaza Mayor in Day

Sweet Salamanca

After arriving at our host-mother's house (Esperanza), we talked a bit, received a quick tour, and the went to settle in. Her "apartment" is more like a flat- she has many large rooms and lots of space- it just happens to be on one floor instead of a house. The street we live on is practically in the city center.

After our naps, we woke and saw the wedding outside. Men in the wedding party yelled something up to us and got the whole group chanting, but unfortunately I did not understand what they were saying. Later, at 9 pm, we had dinner and all of the other students appeared out of nowhere. Two girls from the UK, two from Singapore, and one from the US. I think there might be another girl who is staying her, but I'm not quite sure. I'm not sure I understood what I was told, but I believe there are two more girls from Ireland coming to stay here as well. The only bad part is that all of us (all girls) have one bathroom to share. Fun… Anyways, the two girls from the UK are here until Thursday, the girl from the US is here for two more weeks, and the two girls from Singapore are here for three more weeks so we will have some people who know what's going on for a while.

Esperanza goes and visits her mother (I think, although my understanding was a little foggy this afternoon) on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings so her friend Inma came and served us dinner and watched the house. She is very nice, but she talks a lot faster than Esperanza. I followed most of the conversation but didn't understand a word she was saying when she was talking about the pictures of people Esperanza has out on a shelf. For dinner we had a vegetable soup, pork, and bread which was perfect to have a kind of hearty meal. Our "dessert" for the end of dinner was yogurt, which our professor from Seattle U raves about all the time. One time in class she just randomly started talking about how bad Yoplait is. Anyways, I had a plain yogurt, but it was very palatable and distinct- I'm definitely looking forward to it again (one of the girls who has been here a while says that we have yogurt every night).

After dinner, Lindsay A. and I wanted to walk to the Plaza Mayor. From the directions we gave us, we turned to the right and walked down the street. As things got quieter, we felt lost and that the Plaza should have been closer so we asked two older women where the Plaza was and they pointed us back in the direction we came from. So, Lindsay A. and I walked back past our house to the Plaza Mayor, which really is two minutes away if you don't walk in the opposite direction first. In the Plaza, all the lights were on and there were a lot of people. They were setting up for a concert (which we didn't stick around for because it was getting late), but from the speakers they were playing these old, scratchy records of Spanish love songs and slow dancing music. Couples in the square were dancing, and a lot of people gathered around to watch them. Typical of Plazas, so I'm learning, the outer rim of the plaza was filled with tables for a lot of restaurants. Lindsay A. and I saw a lot of people walking around with ice cream so we decided to get some as well. I had a waffle cone with chocolate chip mint ice cream- it was nothing amazing, but it fit the scene well. We sat on a bench, ate our ice cream, and watched people dance until we started getting tired.

Lindsay A. and I wanted to go to a Catholic Mass in the morning , which would have been very convenient since there is a church right across the street, but sleeping in was much too tempting for both of us. After breakfast, we met up with Johanna's (Chicago girl) classmates at the Plaza, picked up more of her classmates on our walk, and went to a mercado (market) that happens by the river every Sunday. It was kind of like a farmer's market. There were lots of clothes, pirated DVDs, sunglasses, fake designer purses and sunglasses, shoes, and other stuff. I only ended up buying sunscreen because it seems that I actually managed to forget to pack sunscreen. It was a little overwhelming because there were so many people there, and vendors were yelling at everybody about their cheap prices-some even with megaphones in the middle of the aisles. There was also an old guy wandering up and down the market screaming "La verdad! La verdad! Jesus Cristo es la verdad!" (The truth! The truth! Jesus Christ is the truth!). Lindsay A. and I had some time to burn before meeting up to leave with the group so we sought shade at a little sandwich place in the market and watched people. My only complaint about Spaniards is that they never say "Excuse me!" or move out of the way when walking on sidewalks. They also don't smile but that doesn't matter. It just makes me wonder how Americans have earned the reputation of being rude in Spain.

Inma was here for most of Sunday as well. After lunch, she had Lindsay A. and I sit down with her and listen to her tell us about all the sites in the cities- churches, tennis places, discotecas, churrerías (places that make churros- apparently churros with chocolate are a big thing here), the universities, legends of Salamanca, art, museums. It was a lot to take in, and I think Lindsay A. and I caught most of it, but it was a large workout for my brain. I was mentally exhausted by the time we finished talking.

Esperanza came back later in the afternoon and made dinner of Spanish tortillas which are omelets with onions and potatoes. They are served cold, but are delicious. I accidentally made some beeping noises at the dinner table which turned into a difficult discussion of explaining insulin pumps in Spanish. Two more people showed up today- a girl from Belgium and a girl from Holland, which makes a total of 11 of us here. Afterwards, a group of us from our house went to the Plaza Mayor for ice cream. It was a little rainy, but nothing to deter us from getting ice cream. Also, tonight the United States soccer team was playing the Brazil team, and since the U.S. just beat Spain, all the Spaniards were cheering for the Brazilians. The Brazilians won while we were out, and the entire Plaza erupted into cheers about how great the Brazilians are. Let's just say, I wasn't telling anybody that I was American.

Photos From Madrid

In front of the Palacio Real- Me, Jordan, Lindsay A., Luiza


Palacio Real in Madrid


Plaza Mayor in Madrid



Plaza del Sol Building near where we had dinner in Madrid


Gran Via in Madrid (One of the major roads)

Friday in Madrid and Saturday Travel to Salamanca

I arrived in Madrid at around 7:00 am local time. We caught a cab to downtown Madrid to our hotel. We were all really worn out from traveling and all felt really dirty from being in flight for fourteen hours. We all took showers and took our time getting ready for the day. We stayed in a place called the High Tec Hotel, and we had a suite for five girls. It had two floors- our first floor had a bathroom, chairs, and a computer with a desk. Upstairs were five beds, a tv, an exercise bike, and another bathroom. The staircase was a little sketchy, but for the price, the room was worth it (something like $45 per person between 5 people).

We managed to get out by about 11:30 and had the goal of getting to the Plaza Mayor. Due to lack of sleep and disorientation, we took a while to get adjusted to where we were. We wandered down a lot of side streets and had to stop a lot to check corners for street names. While wandering we saw a lot of pretty chapels, and eventually we wandered to the Palacio Real. The Palacio is really large (of course), and the fountain and gardens were really pretty. We kept running into a group of Spanish tourists throughout the day. One of the weirdest things in Madrid we saw were street performers (?) which were people in complete costume and full on makeup that stand still. I think its for people to pay them money to take pictures with them. In front of the palace there was a guy in a devil costume and a girl with her face and hair painted white in an angel costume. Later in the plaza there was a guy in an old army costume and a guy that was painted like sand. There was also a creepy old Spanish man in a Winnie-the-Pooh costume that kept taking his head off.

Eventually, after what seemed like a long amount of walking, we found the Plaza Mayor. It wasn't quite what I expected. Mostly, the square is filled with tables under umbrellas that are served by restaurants around the square. There was an Arabic music group playing in the middle of the square that we couldn't see but we could hear. I was starving and everybody was exhausted so we found tables by a little café that served ice cream, sandwiches, and salads. I just got a salad and water to settle my stomach and rehydrate. When we sat down in the square, our exhaustion definitely set in more. We realized that we had only been walking around for an hour and a half although it seemed like we had been wandering for two to three hours. Lindsay A. started losing her ability to form sentences because she was so tired, so we all decided to go back to the hotel.

I didn't want to sleep for too long, but the other girls crashed for at least four hours. I took a small hour nap and spent the rest of my time reading and checking email. Our fifth girl finally arrived- she had taken a later flight than us and had gone through Chicago and Heathrow (the rest of us went through Philadelphia and then straight to Madrid). The other girls started waking up and getting put together. We finally headed out for dinner at about 8:30 pm. We found a restaurant in the Plaza del Sol called Lateral. At first we walked around the plaza looking at the menus for all the restaurants, but we ended up going back to Lateral because they had really agreeable prices and the food looked amazing. We were told the wait would be 45 minutes, but the list of people waiting was really long, and people in Madrid love to take their time ordering courses, sitting at their candle-lit tables, drinking their wine under umbrellas outside. We were getting really hungry, but after waiting for so long, we felt that we should stick it out. Finally, at approximately 10:15 pm, we got a table. Some girls who thought they could just sit down and cheat the list got kicked out of their chairs so we could be seated since we had waited. Everybody ordered different things, but the food was amazing. My first course was an meatball appetizer plate. It came with toast and a few meatballs. It looked like meatballs and gravy, but the sauce was not a gravy but something more like a marmalade. The second course I ordered was something called ham croquettes. At first glance, they look like a large version of jalapeno poppers, but the cheese and mix of ham and other things inside was amazing. I had too much and shared with the rest of the group and it was agreed to be the best item of the night. For dessert, I ordered crepes that were custard filled. The crepes were great but it was all about the custard inside. I'm only accustomed to pumpkin custard so this was so completely different. It was a very solid custard that tasted a lot like caramel (not flan though). We enjoyed our time at the table since we earned it after the long wait for the table. We left around 11:45 to walk back to our hotel. It was a quick walk back to our hotel, and some of the girls just crashed. I didn't feel like sleeping right away, but fell asleep right away as soon as I went to bed.

We woke up at a decent hour in the morning and got ready for the day. I packed up before we went out to breakfast. We went to a place called Pan y Company which was on the Gran Via (one of the major streets). I had coffee (much needed and very delicious) and a little breakfast sandwich they offered. The best and worst part is that the price in Euros make you think that everything is cheaper (although I paid what would be the equivalent price of the same thing in the US). We went shopping at H & M briefly where I got a summer dress since I'm the only one that didn't bring one. We went back, packed up, and caught a cab to the train station. We bought our tickets to Salamanca and had lunch. I went with Lindsay A to get a SIM card for her phone so she can call home and was happy with my ability so far to understand what is being said. Except for the old European architecture, the landscape reminds me a lot of Montana- very flat, kind of desert-y. The train ride was interesting- there were some very annoying, immature, rude teenagers that have yet to learn manners- they were being rude about where they were sitting (we were assigned seats, and they refused to move from them, and there were girls sitting across from Lindsay A. and me who were obviously whispering about us to each other). Some of the sights on the train ride were amazing. We saw a castle on a hillside in the distance.

We arrived at Salamanca and went by cab to our host mother's house. Her name is Esperanza, and she is an adorable woman who is very very friendly. There are two girls from the UK, a girl from Chicago, and two girls from Singapore staying in the house, but we all have two bedroom rooms so I'm with Lindsay A, of course. We took naps for a while, but later in the evening, we went to watch people coming out from the church across the street after a wedding. Everybody was very nicely dressed. The street that the house/flat is on is made of cobblestones, and there are cafes right outside. The street is literally full of tables with umbrellas. It's so pretty, and the Plaza of Salamanca (not the actual name) is about a two minute walk away- or so we're told. Pictures to come later!

Made it to Madrid

Hello,

After two long plane rides, I've made it safely to Madrid.
I'm still working some things out, but for now, my old phone is not forwarding calls as expected to my new mobile, and my new mobile is not receiving calls but sending them straight to voicemail.

If you need to get me, you can call 1-339-368-7845. You'll get my voicemail, but I can call you almost right back after you leave me a message (name and number please!).

If you're desperate, dial 1-866-305-6462 (toll-free), listen to the prompts, and enter 44-792-447-4459.

I should have frequent access to my email as well.

More to come later- I'm going to lay down and recover from some jet lag.