Salamanca
Via de la Plata
Salamanca is, without any exaggeration, the single most spectacular Renaissance city in all of Spain. The old town is built almost exclusively of locally sourced sandstone, and in the bright Castillian sunlight it shines like gold. It has two Cathedrals (old and new), conjoined due to a miscalculation when construction on the latter began. The New Cathedral has some curiously modern carvings; bonus points if you can find the astronaut or the imp eating an ice-cream cone.
If you can, try to see the city at night. It is lit from every angle and the effect is magnificent, particularly in the Plaza Mayor. which is filled with Salmantinos and students alike (Salamanca is home to one of the oldest universities in the world).
As you wander, don’t be afraid to enter the more monumental looking buildings for a peek. Most are open to the public but you would not really know it, and those that are not are staffed with people who are accustomed to tourists wandering in.
Waymarks in and out of Salamanca are scant, there are some bronze shells embedded in the ground but they are not so easy to find. Fortunately, the way out is a nearly straight course due north.
From the Plaza Mayor exit through the center gate of the main facade, onto Calle Zamora. Follow this road to the edge of the old town. The round Iglesia de San Marcos should be on your left and a large roundabout is directly in front of you. You want to follow the road that is directly opposite the roundabout, essentially keeping in the same direction you have been going in. Keep on this course through the next roundabout, and at the third one, veer left to keep the Plaza de Toros on your right. From here there is nothing to do but keep going straight, keeping an eye open for traffic at the numerous roundabouts between here and the motorway.
The camino keeps to the road most of the way, leaving it only as the camino nears Aldeaseca de la Armuña.
Accommodation in Salamanca
| Albergue Casa la Calera Donativo€ 16 |
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