So we know that Spain is a Catholic country, and as such one of the benefits of living in Spain is a long weekend during Holy Week. After an unseasonably cold winter that just doesn’t seem to want to quit, it was so nice that at the beginning of the week we started to see some sun and be able to go outside and enjoy (I know, I know, I live in Spain so I shouldn’t complain, but you’d be surprised how quickly your body gets used to NOT being cold).

I had one of my best friends visiting for the week, so we headed off on a short trip to Salamanca on Thursday (Maundy Thursday, which I just learned the name for, so I’m going to use it). We had booked a BlablaCar, which if you’re not familiar with is basically like Airbnb for cars. People can share a trip they’re taking and then other people can book a seat in the car. Don’t worry, it’s really not creepy and you can meet some really nice people that way.

So we got to Salamanca around 1 PM, and then checked into our Airbnb, which was just slightly odd. Our host greeted us and gave us a map of the city, but then quickly disappeared and was never to be seen again, not even in passing. Oh well, they’re not all winners, but we did only pay 26 Euros for two nights, so I really can’t complain too much.

Salamanca is probably most famous for its university, which is one of the oldest in the world and the second most popular for Erasmus students (European study abroad), which is to say that it’s basically a college town. Because it was a major holiday, students weren’t there, but we did see the university: it’s gorgeous, just as any old European university should be.

On the facade of the university, there are about a million little carvings of figures, and one popular activity for visitors to the city is to find a tiny frog that sits on top of a skull. Well…even though we cheated and looked online for help, we still couldn’t find it. Womp, womp, maybe we just weren’t patient enough. But what we did find when we finally gave up? Torrijas!

Torrijas are a very typical sweet in Spain during the time of Lent and Easter, which are very similar to French toast, but in my opinion they are much more delicious. And the best part? We ate them in the gorgeous Plaza Mayor, which is definitely one of the most stunning in Spain.

 

Since we were there during Holy Week, we did see some of the festivities, though somehow managed to miss all the processions (completely unintentionally). However, we saw some people dressed in the robes of the nazarenos, which is a long robe, and a conical hood covering the face and head. Also, many more people than usual were attending church services throughout the week.

Other highlights:

• Visiting the Cueva de Salamanca (the Cave of Salamanca) and learning about the fascinating history. According to the legend, during the Middle Ages, the Devil himself taught dark magic classes in the crypt under a church to seven students for seven years. At the end of the seven years, they drew straws to see which one of them had to stay behind in the crypt for the rest of his life as Satan’s assistant. Though the legend likely comes from a more mundane set of events, the resulting story is much more fascinating.

• Learning about Art Nouveau and Art Dèco at Casa Lis.

• Stumbling across a beautiful photography exhibit of Spanish humanist photographer José Suárez, whose photographs of his travels were lovely. Especially sweet were photos of him and his beloved dog.
• FOOD, FOOD, AND MORE FOOD. We ate at two delicious vegetarian/vegan restaurants that really had top notch food. Way to go, Salamanca, for having at least 8 vegetarian restaurants to choose from.

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