Salamanca and Segovia

After we left Santander Saturday morning, we headed to Salamanca for the day and night. After leaving Salamanca Sunday morning, we went through Segovia before returning to Madrid.

For starters: Salamanca was easily one of the most beautiful cities we have visited throughout this month. It is such an old city, the birthplace of Castilian Spanish itself, and filled with rich history dating back centuries. Everywhere you turn, you’ll find an incredibly intricate building or beautiful cathedral (likely occupied by a wedding if it’s Saturday-we saw 3 in one afternoon!).

We started our journey in Plaza Mayor, with a guided tour of the city. I definitely recommend heading back at night if you stop by during the day, because when it’s lit up it’s absolutely beautiful to just sit and enjoy the company of friends or family (check out the featured photo)!

Salamanca is home to one of the oldest universities in the country of Spain. It actually is about to turn 300 years old in the next 2 years. There was a tradition the University had when a student would achieve a Doctorate degree. They would study for a certain amount of years in whichever specialty they chose, and at the end of their journey, they would spend the night in the sanctuary of a cathedral near campus alone the night before the exam. In the morning, they would take their oral exam, in which they would sit with their feet on the edge of the stool of the Bishop for good luck.

views of a cathedral from within the public library

If they passed their exam, it would be followed by three days of celebration: providing meals and feasts for all their professors, parties in the streets, and bull fights in Plaza Mayor. To complete their journey, they would take blood from the bulls killed in the fight, and paint their name on the side of any of the University buildings they desired. Since there was no way for them to have any other type of proof they had achieved their Doctorate, this was how they recorded their achievement. This tradition, however, died out around the 1400’s.

if you look closely you can see the names that have been preserved over hundreds of years. There is no humidity in the area, so some of the names are perfectly preserved!

This place is filled with history and if you are able to make you way there, take the time to learn about the buildings you’re walking between. You’ll find a skull with a frog on its head (originally symbolizing the danger in lust, but later changed to mean good luck), as well as an astronaut next to a dragon eating an ice cream cone (part of a remodeling that was done in the 90’s I believe, to add some “modern” pieces to the face of an old cathedral).

This morning, we left our hotel to start towards Madrid, but first stopped in Segovia for lunch and a small tour of the castle. Segovia is mostly famous for its’ castle as well as the massive aqueduct that runs through the center of town, built in the second half of the 1st century!

unfortunately I didn’t get the best picture, but it’s truly a sight to see!

The Alcázar of Segovia is another place that you should spend your time looking at. The beautiful design of each ceiling, the history that’s embedded in the walls, and the views that lie on top of the tower are breathtaking! Supposedly, the design of the outside of this castle is what inspired Walt Disney to design the Disney Castle the way he did! I’m not sure the truth to it, but the legend stands, and if you see it from the bottom of the mountain, there are definitely some likenesses! Here’s some pictures I took while we were there…

While I was there, I thankfully got to grab a small lunch with one of my favorite teachers-turned-friend at WVU. I have been working on a project with her over the past semester, and we have grown to become good friends. She encouraged me to come on this trip, and has helped me develop my Spanish in so many ways over the past several months, in class and outside of it! So thank you Angela for showing me around your city, and for being such a great encouragement as I learn another language!

These last two places were the perfect stops to wrap up our travels before getting back to Madrid. Thankfully, it was only about an hour drive from Segovia back to our hotel in Madrid.

 

As we wrap up our travels, I’ll have more to post about after a tour we have here in Madrid tomorrow. Life awaits, my friends!

Love always,

Cat