CAVES,
CORKS, CUISINE, AND AN
ANNULAR ECLIPSE OF THE
SUN
Sept. 29: To
Salamanca.
Today as we head south and southwest, the landscape
changes from mountains to hills with forests to flat,
almost prairie-like terrain. We stop for a coffee in San
Martin beside a lovely 11th-century Romanesque church.
From here we leave the highway and driveside roads through numerous villages. We notice that many
of the houses are empty. Josu explains that the young
people are leaving the smaller villages; only the older folks remain and
as they die, the villages are essentially being abandoned. Vineyards now
dot the landscape, but Spain is suffering from drought and it’s clearly
very dry.
At 2:00 we finally
arrived in Peñafiel, our lunch stop. Mariano has a few challenging
moments maneuvering the bus through the narrow streets, especially when
we encounter streets that are closed due to a farmer's market.
Overlooking the town is the Castillo de Peñafiel. The castle is perched
on a rocky hilltop and looks like a battleship: narrow at either end and
a little fatter in the middle. Founded in the 11th century, the castle
walls were rebuilt several times in the 13th and 14th centuries. After
visiting the Provincial Wine Museum inside the fortress, we stroll the
parapets and climb to the top of the keep for great views of the castle
and the surrounding countryside.
Press photo for
larger version - Photo by Pat Price
Late in the
afternoon we arrive in Salamanca. After we’ve settled into our hotel,
Josu gathers us together for an evening walk through the old city. The
Plaza Mayor, the two cathedrals, and many of the university buildings
are beautifully lit. At the entrance to Salamanca University, Josu
challenges us to find a carving of a tiny frog somewhere on the
three-story façade. It’s said that if you can locate it, you’ll have
good luck. We fail (it’s perched on a skull) and need Josu’s help to
find it.
Photos by Bill Sorrells and
Pat Price
Sept.
30:
Salamanca and Avila. It’s
another lovely day and a fine morning for our official walking tour of
Salamanca. First stop is the Plaza Mayor, which is celebrating its 250th
anniversary. The three-story building that envelops the plaza consists
mostly of (very expensive) apartments; one segment includes the town
hall. A short distance away is Salamanca University, founded in 1218 —
the oldest in Spain and one of the four oldest in Europe. The buildings
are beautiful with amazing façades. Some of the walls have the
still-visible names of graduate students (from centuries past) printed
on them in bull’s blood.
The “old” cathedral (built in the 12th century
in the Romanesque style) dominates the old
quarter of Salamanca; the "new" Gothic
cathedral, dating back to the 16th century, is
attached to its side. During recent renovations,
stoneworkers added two carvings of contemporary
pop culture to the entrance façade of the new
cathedral: an astronaut and an ice cream cone!
Both are easier to see than the frog. After our
tour we explore Salamanca on our own.
There are scenic vistasdown every street in the oldcity, and our two hours of free time just
isn’t enough to do justice to this beautiful
city.
All too soon we’re on the road to Madrid, but
before reaching the capital we stop in Avila, an
old walled city that was occupied by both the
Arabs and Crusaders. The walls, begun in the
11th century, are almost two miles long and
completely encircle the old city. The different
style of the turrets reveals their builders:
round ones were constructed by Crusaders, square
ones by the Arabs. The walls are imposing at
close range, both
Photo by Bill Sorrells
from the ground and the ramparts, which is where we find ourselves during our
walking tour of Avila. Later, we stroll through some of the old town,
pausing to admire the old Gothic cathedral. After a quick stop for
coffee and a last look at the walls, we depart for Madrid.
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