Castilla y León – Salamanca II.

On the right of the square are the city’s two cathedrals, the New Cathedral and the Old Cathedral. The difference between the two is only one century so actually they are both pretty old in my view. The Old one has Romanesque style while the New one… they couldn’t quite decide so they pushed a bit of Gothic, a bit of Renaissance and a bit of Baroque into it. It took them three centuries to finish it. The result is absolutely stunning, very ornate and detailed from the outside while the inside is more simple and Gothic.

La Universidad de Salamanca

Only a short walk away from the Cathedrals are the buildings of the University, the Escuelas Mayor and Menor. It was founded by King Alfonzo IX de León in 1218 and became one of the biggest learning centres in Europe in the 15^th and 16^th centuries. The baroque façade is simply gorgeous, full of detail. 

According to tradition the students who want to pass their exams have to come here and find a little frog amongst the decoration. Can you find it?

Even though I didn’t go inside as I found the 10 euro entry fee a bit expensive, if you have a chance you should go. Apparently it has a great collection of ‘vitores’. These are wall paintings that were originally painted with bull’s blood and symbolise the victory of graduating students over books.

Ieronimus exhibition

I have listened to the suggestions and actually went inside the Torre Mocha for a 3.75 euro entry fee. Inside the tower there are exhibitions where you can learn about the tower’s 900 years of history. Atop the tower there’s a platform that allows you to see the spires of the two cathedrals, the city and the River Tormes.

The route continued and led to a platform that allowed a visit inside the New Cathedral.

From here the route lead to a terrace that is located over the main façade of the New Cathedral. The views were spectacular over the old town of Salamanca.

With this my tour has ended in this lovely town.

Castilla y León – Salamanca I.

During our week in Madrid Paul had to work during the day so I decided to do some day trips out of the city. During our stay in this lovely country probably this is my only chance to visit some famous places in central Spain and Salamanca was the first on my list. It is a great day trip from Madrid as even though the train ride is quite long (2.5h) the Old Town which in 1988 was declared as a UNESCO world heritage city, is relatively compact and can be visited in a day. I found a great walking tour on the internet here and used that as a guide for my visit. But before I launch into the wonders of Salamanca, let me show you a typical landscape of Castilla y León that I saw from the train.

The tour started at Plaza Mayor. This square with its 88 arches and baroque style is said to be the most beautiful in Spain and I completely agree with that. I have seen a few Plaza Mayors during this half a year and this one wins above all. This is also the place for the Tourist Information where you can pick up a map and any other info you need about the town.

Colegio Arzobispo Fonseca (Irlandeses)

You just keep walking from the Palacio Monterrey and on the next corner you stumble upon another great building that again, contains a college. This was built at the beginning of the 16^th century and was founded by the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela. As there were many Irish emigrants studying amongst these walls it’s also called the ‘Irish College’.

Iglesia de Sancti-Spiritus

After a few minutes walk you see the spires of another church, this is the Iglesia de Sancti-Spiritus. It’s very imposing and the narrow street in front of it makes it even more so. The façade is baroque therefore very elaborate and I personally found it slightly overwhelming. The rest of the building houses a university faculty.

La Casa de las Conchas

Now this is a house that makes an impression on everybody. The walls are decorated with lots of scallop shells or ‘conchas’, this is why it’s called ‘The house of shells’. The original owner of this 15^th century Gothic palace was a doctor at the court and a member of the Order of Santiago which explains the choice of decoration. Nowadays it’s a public library but visitors are welcome to have a look at its lovely courtyard. From inside you can see the spires of the Two Cathedrals.

Plaza de Anaya

This lovely square has benches and trees to offer a place of rest and shade for the visitor. On the left stands the town’s only neoclassical building, the Palacio de Anaya with its own chapel. It now serves as the Faculty of Languages.

I will continue the blog about Salamanca tomorrow. I finish off this one with some more photos of the streets of this lovely town.