Salamanca is an UNESCO World Heritage City. Apparently that’s because it is an old city, with a lot of neat old stuff.
A bridge in Salamanca is over 2000 years old. It is so old that historians offer only vague guesstimates as to when it was constructed, generally ranging from 50 B.C. to 100 A.D.
One of the most popular old things is the Cathedral of Santa María, known as the Old Cathedral. Construction on it started in the 12th century, and was not completed until the latter part of the 14th century.
The Old Cathedral shares a wall with the “New Cathedral,” also called the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin. Construction on the New Cathedral started in 1513, and was completed in 1733.
You may wonder at the fact that construction of each cathedral took over 200 years. That is because you have never tried to get a Spanish contractor to return your calls, or to complete a punch list.
Salamanca has been college town for over 800 years. Founded in 1212, the University of Salamanca is billed as one of the oldest continuously running universities in Europe. A graduate of that university guided us on a “free” walking tour (I’m guessing she was a liberal arts major). She was one of the three or four Spanish women not named Maria, but I cannot recall her actual name, so I will call her “Maria.”
As we stood in a courtyard, Maria pointed to a red door. She said that in the 1300’s students who passed their exams would exit through that door. Friends and family, who were hopefully waiting by the portal, would greet the graduates and cheer, and then carry the scholars on their shoulders through columns of well-wishers shouting congratulatory praise.
Maria pointed to another door, not more than thirty yards distant. Students who failed their exams were guided out that exit. As soon as they crossed the threshold the now-former students would be assaulted with rotten vegetables, and even gourds, thrown by onlookers who had no use for losers. The townspeople made failing students parade through town riding backwards on an ass, still being pelted with organic missiles. The humiliation was so intense that many failed students killed themselves, and many others did not complete their course work for fear they might be shown the wrong door.
Of course things are different today. We do not humiliate students for failing their studies. Public shaming is reserved for people who belong to the wrong political party, wear a sombrero on Cinco de Mayo, suggest that maybe J.K. Rowling has a point, or genuflect during the National Anthem. Social media allows us to humble strangers without using donkeys or spoiled produce, or even leaving home. We truly live in a golden age!
Maria pointed to the large white birds nesting on the roofs of many public buildings. “Storks,” she said. “They make a peculiar sound, like this.” She used her tongue to create a clicking noise. Not one minute later we saw a flock of storks and heard a “click click click” that sounded very much like bicycle spokes striking a playing card.
Not all of Salamanca is old. Take for example the Plaza Mayor. It was not built until the 1700’s.
For the first 100 years bullfights were held in this plaza, but that ended shortly before America’s civil war. Now the plaza is lined with shops and restaurants, and it is used for more refined spectacles.
Except for a granite base, the plaza was built using a locally sourced sandstone. To this day the city requires all construction to use that same sandstone, or a similar-appearing substitute.
The result is a degree of uniformity not characteristic of many Spanish cities.
Denise and I have been on the lookout for good original art. While in Salamanca, we searched the Internet for galleries. We were disappointed by the dearth of art stores. The last search, however, yielded a hit for Barrio del Oeste, billed as the city’s art district. We would find galleries there!
Google Maps took us on a long walk. Ultimately, however, we arrived at Barrio del Oeste. We looked around. We saw no galleries. We walked around. Still no galleries. Then we detected an odor. That lead us to a delightful Peruvian restaurant (“Sabor Peruano“) that sold us half a chicken, fries, and two beverages, for a pittance. The restaurant had a great picture of Machu Picchu, but it was not for sale.
On the way home we realized that Barrio del Oeste is not known as an art district because of the galleries we expected to find. It is an art district because it, the district itself, is art. Everywhere you look there is art on garage doors, fences, buildings, and walls. Here are seven examples:
We stumbled upon on one last bit of art our last night in Salamanca. We were walking home from a flamenco show, and were just a half block from our hotel, when we both noticed a smallish mural on a wall, behind some construction fencing. It was a Banksy!
Then again, maybe it is not an authentic Banksy. I like it either way.
So here’s the bottom line. Before going to Salamanca, check the CAEM website . Maybe you can plan your visit around a good show. Look at a Rick Steves video. Take a walking tour. Visit the free museums. Look at all the old stuff. Then, when you are back in your reasonably priced hotel, fire up the computer and watch this on YouTube: