Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Portugal and W. Spain Itinerary, April 2015: Your comments?

Have to again agree with kja! Salamanca is worth more time. I spent 4 nights there.

Here's what was on my itinerary there (taken from various guidebooks and other posters):

* Plaza Mayor - "Spain's grandest plaza, full of activity and people watching. Best people watching time is Sunday 1pm - 3pm. Considered to be the grandest plaza in Spain". Built 1729-1755. Town hall clock tower overlooks the square. Great photo op from under the covered arcade by a café across the plaza with the belltower/steeple in the far background at night!

* Casa de las Conchas - The House of the Shells was built at the end of the 15th century in the Gothic style, but it has Renaissance and Mudejar elements. Its mixture of styles is called Isabelline. The person who had the palace built was Rodrigo Arias de Maldonado, who was a Knight of the Order of Santiago. There are over three hundred shells covering its outer walls, the shell being the symbol of the Order of Santiago. The building suffered cracks in the 18th century, so it had to be remodeled and the upper parts do not have shells because of this. There is a Gothic coat of arms with lilies (fleur de lis) above the entrance door, which was the Maldonado coat of arms. The coat of arms also appears on the walls and around the windows, and these are supported by angels, sirens, lions, or wreathed in laurel. There is a beautiful patio in the interior, which has two floors. The arches are supported by beautiful pillars and columns. The building contains the Provincial Library today.

* Arco del Toro - Built into eastern wall leads to the covered market

* Cathedrals - Old and New. Old is 12c Romanesque, both richly ornate. New built 1513-1733 is spacious, towering mix of Goth, Ren, and Baroque. To get to the Old, you have to walk thru the New. See R. Steve's Self-Guided Tour, page 339. "www.cathedralsalamanca.org

* Capilla de Santa Barbara - Cloister adjacent to the Cathedral Viega (Old Cathedral) Where students were quizzed while touching the tomb of a bishop for luck. Exam results were made public and townspeople waited outside to pelt with rubbish those who failed.

* University - Oldest in Spain, Columbus came here for travel tips. See R. Steve's Self-Guided Tour, page 341. Downstairs in historic lecture halls, Hebrew scholar Fray Luis de Leon, after 5 yrs in prisons of Inquisition, began his first lecture with "As we were saying yesterday..." Good night photo op! Look for the frog!" Established 1230, old lecture halls around the cloister where many of Spain's Golden Age heroes studied are open to the public. The Inquisition put an end to the university's reputation as a haven for new ideas and free thinkers enduring Felope II's reign Spanish students were forbidden to study abroad.

* Church of San Esteban (Monestario de San Esteban)- Sounds like a ""must see"! Cloisters - good photo op! Dedicated to St. Steven. See R. Steve's Self-Guided Tour, page 342. Contains recently restored cloister, tombs, museum, sacristy, and church

* Convento de las Duenas - Located next door to Church of San Esteban. This much simpler convento is a joy consisting of a double-decker cloister w/ small museum of religious art (page 343). Check out the stone meanies decorating the capitals on the cloister's upper deck. English booklet is available for E1.50. Nuns sell sweets daily except Sunday (E4.50 for small box of amarguillos).

* Roman Bridge ( Puente Romano)- Low slung Roman bridge (Puente Romano) much of it is original spanning the Rio Tormes. The iberico (ancient pre-Roman) faceless bull blindly guards the entrance to bridge; you'll find this symbol of Salamanca on every city coat of arms in town.
The Roman Bridge was built in the 1st century A.D. during the reign of Marcus Ulpius Traianus. The bridge crosses the Tormes River and has 26 semicircular arches, with strong pillars. The measurements of the bridge are 176 meters long by 3.7 meters wide. The bridge was part of the Via de la Plata Roman road that went from Merida to Astorga. There is a sculpture of a male pig or boar beside the bridge that was created by the Celts and is shown over the shield of the city. The bridge is open only for pedestrians. In 1931 the bridge was declared a national monument.

* Tuna Music - Musical groups of students dressed in traditional black capes and leggings sing and strum mandolins and guitars

* Mercardo (market) - Covered market on Plaza Mercado, on east side of Plaza Mayor

* Convent Sweets in Salamanca - Buying their sweets will help their convents and tourists can try something completely Spanish. The procedure for buying the sweets is very archaic, but very charming. You enter the convent to a very small room with a lazy Susan installed on the wall. You never see the nun with whom you do the transaction, since the nuns are cloistered and avoid direct contact with the public. On the wall beside the lazy Susan will be a pricelist. You look it over and decide which sweets you want to buy. Then you ring a buzzer on the wall. After a while you will hear the voice of a nun greet you and ask you what you want to buy. You tell her your order and after a few minutes the lazy Susan will turn and you will find your order on it. You then put your money on the lazy Susan and turn it so that the nun can get it. If there is change, the nun puts it on the lazy Susan and you then can get your change. The transaction is completely based on trust.

* San Marcos Church - Romanesque building has a circular floor plan and was built in the 11th century, although the date is uncertain. It was built on the orders of Count Raimundo de Borgoña and his wife Doña Urraca, daughter of King Alfonso VI. What is known is that in 1202 the church was completely built when King Alfonso IX turned it over to the Clerecia, priests from Salamanca. The steeple is Baroque. There are three naves that end in a semicircular apse. There are 14th century Gothic paintings of scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. In 1967 the church was restored to return it to a purely Romanesque church.

* San Martín Church - built in the 12th century by the Count Martin Fernandez on top of an old chapel for St. Peter. The building is considered one of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in Spain. The floor plan is rectangular, with three naves and three apses. The columns have capitals decorated with acanthus leaves, plain leaves, and allegorical figures. The Romanesque south portal is decorated with archivolts. One niche shows a relief of St. Martin sharing his tunic with a pauper. The high altarpiece was made by Alberto de Churriguera in 1731. One of the impressive tombs belongs to Pedro de Santiesteban and the choir is also noteworthy.

* Palace of Monterrey - This palace was ordered built by Alonso de Acevedo, the third Count of Monterrey and Viceroy of Naples, in 1539. It is one of the most important Spanish Renaissance buildings. The architects were Rodrigo Gil de Hontañon, the Dominican Martin de Santiago, and Pedro de Ibarra. The most impressive feature of the building is the Plateresque decoration of the towers. The third floor windows are decorated with Corinthian columns. Only the outside of the building can be seen, since it is a private property owned by the Duchess of Alba.

* Photo Op of Salamanca from the Parador hotel across the Roman Bridge! Gorgeous!

* Great photo op of Salamanca - complete w/ river reflection, stop at the edge of the city (at the light before the first bridge)