16 March 2017

Smurfs and Tapas



I love this hotel.  What can be better than sitting at an open window overlooking a pretty cloistered garden bathed in sunshine? In fact I love Salamanca. 

We set out this morning to explore the old quarter of the city.  The architecture is amazing, examples of  Romanesque, Gothic, Moorish, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture everywhere.  Lots of students (Salamanca has some of the world’s oldest university buildings) but not too many tourists at this time of year.  We drank coffee sitting outside in the Plaza Mayor, a magnificent square with galleries and arcades.  We shared tapas in a local bar for lunch, struggling with our few words of Spanish.  This Spain is a world apart from the Costas.

I have taken far too many photos. Sadly they don't capture the warm, golden hues of the sandstone architecture.  I’ll leave you with a few, you can flick through them very quickly (or ignore them if you prefer).  Tomorrow we head for Seville.


Roman bridge crossing the Tormes River





one of the university buildings





 
these guys were actually dancing!

The Mayor's office (I think)




yes, that is a lady's corset!

random Smurfs



19 comments:

  1. ...the weather looks perfect, and the wine too. The photos are lovely. We also have those pretty trees blossoming in our our street right now.
    Greetings Maria x

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    1. Those trees looked even prettier in the lamp light this evening.

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  2. This was the Salamanca I wanted to see. Yesterday Portillo did not come through, today his Salamanca has. I would like to have seen a few elderly gentlemen sitting around in the main square mardling about the Spanish Civil War over a drink or two. But very nice thank you.

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    1. I think all the old men were in the bars today. I haven't a clue what they were talking about though. (You would love this place, catch a train here.)

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  3. The old town is beautiful, and we stayed in an hotel just off the magnificent Plaza Mayor, which I think is a World Heritage site. So many towns in Spain (including some on the Costas) have interesting old centres, but are surrounded by newer buildings outside. All in the name of progress. Seville is an elegant city, too. Are you planning to visit the Alhambra in Granada?

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    1. Paul informs me that we are planning a visit to Alhambra. When am I going to get a day off for lounging about in the sunshine?

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    2. You can do that when you hit the coast ! There's so much to see, and it's a pity to waste time lounging !

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  4. Was there a Smurf convention going on? I would love to have seen that! Want to go back to Seville as I only had a day there.

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    1. i think it was university rag week, we saw some ghost busters too.

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  5. Please tell us the name of your hotel, for those who want to follow in your footsteps.

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    1. It's the Palacio de San Esteban, situated right in the old quarter.

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  6. Thought the smurfs might have something to do with Uni students !! Salamanca looks interesting esp the old town ... but then I love the old town part of most places.Glad you are going to take us to Alhambra, I'm looking forward to that. It's on my list !

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    1. Old quarters are always the best places, away from the commercial side. Doesn't look like I'm going to get a choice about Alhambra!

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  7. Looks wonderful. I'm very jealous of your visit to Seville; what a fabulous city.

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    1. I'm worried that Seville might be a bit over whelming after Salamanca. Looking forward to the flamenco.

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  8. The mustard scarf looks very cosmopolitan.

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  9. How come you included a photo of a mature male model in the Custodia Compartida wall picture? were Littlewoods doing a catalogue photo-shoot?

    Have a lovely drive down to Seville.

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    1. Paul asked the same question. I said it made him look streetwise.

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