Magic and Mysterious sites in Salamanca

There’s something about old places that attracts me.

So among the many schools and universities offering Spanish Language classes, I opted to study at Spain’s oldest University, the Universidad de Salamanca. It is the world’s fourth oldest university after the Universities of Paris, France, Bologna, Italy and Oxford, UK.

The presence of the old University gives Salamanca a young and vibrant spirit. Students who want to learn Spanish prefer to study here since Salamanca’s inhabitants are said to speak the “purest” Spanish in Spain.

• The University of Salamanca

I found it rather unusual to see a flock of tourists stiff their necks as they look up to find the “frog sitting on a skull” high above the University facade. Legend says if you find the frog, you will have good luck. Ironically, the poor frog represents sin. Blame it on its highly ornamented Plateresque facade or my poor vision but I never found it. I dismissed the idea of bad luck. To begin with, I don’t believe in luck.

Walking on the grounds of the University, one could imagine that Miguel de Cervantes, Ignatius Loyola and Hernán Cortés had once covered the same grounds when they studied here.

On the walls of the university, I still found the marks of an academic ritual in the past wherein graduates painted their names using animal blood as if to immortalize their existence there.

The University’s Library contains a collection of some 160,000 volumes. We can view its interiors from a glass door since it is no longer open for public use.

• The Old Town

Salamanca glows golden when the sun’s rays reflect on its building surfaces. This phenomenon is caused by Villamayor stone which was used to construct its sandstone buildings. Rich in iron oxide, the stone turns to golden color and appears to glow from within, unleashing its full magic. Thus, it earned the title, the “Golden City.”

This renaissance city also earned the distinction of being European Capital of Culture and UN World Heritage Site. Its Plaza Mayor is arguably one of the most stunning arcaded squares in Spain. It made its film debut at the political thriller Vantage Point, although the movie was filmed in Mexico.

From the Baroque Main Square, take Calle Mayor and your attention will be caught by the facade of the House of Shells which is ornamented with more than 300 scallop shells. Its owner was a member of the Order of St. James (the scallop shell is associated with St. James).

After our Spanish Language and Culture classes, we sat beguilingly at the al fresco terraces that line the Plaza Mayor to enjoy a cold drink on a hot summer afternoon. Locals coined this catchy phrase for their extreme weather: “Nueve meses de invierno, tres meses de infierno,” meaning nine months of winter and three months of hell.

• Salamanca’s New and Old Cathedrals

To avoid the heat of the midday sun, we found solace in the cold walls of churches. From any point in Salamanca, one can see the imposing New and Old Cathedrals. The construction of the New Cathedral started in 1513 but was first consecrated only in 1733 so it incorporated several styles from late Gothic to Baroque and Renaissance. Go up the Cathedral and you will experience heaven on earth as you marvel at the view of the city.

To capture the twin Cathedrals in the same background, we went to the Roman Bridge. The Silver Route passes through this bridge during the Roman occupation. Its stone arches stand above the River Tormes which was made famous in the literary work, Lazarillo de Tormes. A ride on its colorful boats is a good way to cool off the heat.

As the sun sets, we enjoyed listening to the live music as the musical group of university students called “Tunas” play in public places.

The quintessential Spanish indulgence was infectious. You can’t help but enjoy their pulsating nightlife. The generally young population of Salamanca, which consists of local and international students, ranked Salamanca second in the list of cities with the highest bar per inhabitant ratios in Europe.

• The House of Dead

Mysterious as it is magical; Salamanca has an intriguing building called The House of the Dead. Legend has it that a priest was murdered by the family and when the foundations where being dug up, headless bodies appeared. There also exists Salamanca Cave. According to legend, Satan taught black magic here to 7 students for 7 years.

Salamanca may be an old city but it is where the young people go to study and have a taste of magic and mystery.

Photo of Salamanca Cathedrals at dusk originally posted by rahego

Topic:  General Travel | 2 Comments
Tags:  culture, Spain

About the author

Amanda Balneg is a freelance Travel Writer and Spanish Translator. She is currently based in Manila but she travels most of the time. She has stayed in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Chicago, Arizona, Salamanca, Avila, Madrid, Tokyo, Kyoto, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Bangkok. She sees beauty in diversity.