| Maribel |
Nov 23rd, 2002 04:57 PM |
Hi Myer,<BR>I'd fly into Barcelona and start there, if you could, or depart from Bcn. Don't know where you live, but Delta has a non-stop JFK-BCN, if that could work for you. <BR>I like the Spanair Bcn-Madrid shuttle. Took it in July, Madrid-Bcn, and it was great, plus it landed on time! Good service and low price.<BR><BR>About the Salamanca addition to your new itinerary:<BR>Since you have frequent T.R.D. trains from Avila to Salamanca, this addition should work fine for you. I'm assuming you plan to do this trip primarily by train, correct?<BR><BR>Re sightseeing in Salamanca:<BR>Since you mentioned on another thread that you're not an avid museum fan, I think that just an overnight will suffice quite nicely. Salamanca is a great walking town. The great beauty of the city lies in its harmonious architecture: the lovely sandstone buildings in the Baroque, ornate Churrigueresque and lovely filigree Plateresque styles that take on that lovely glow around sunset. I'd do the following:<BR><BR>First pick up a good map (indispensable) of the city at the tourist office in the gorgeously plateresque Casa de las Conchas building or on the Plaza Mayor.<BR>Then take a stroll around the University buildings, (during the Golden Age, Salamanca, along with Oxford, was one of the 4 European academic points of light), stop at the Plateresque facade of the main University building (Escuelas Mayores) where you can search for the famous scuptured frog ("la rana") resting atop a skull. It's tiny but can be found to the right and above the busts of Ferdinand and Isabella. Luck supposedly accompanies those who find it unaided. Students who find it pass their exams and marry within a year. If you can't find it, there will be young men there with lasers who will eagerly point it out to you, for a tip, of course. <BR>Then take a look at the Convento de las Dueñas and its exquisite and quite famous double-decker cloister, one of the most beautiful in Spain, also the altarpiece, another creation of Churriguera, of the Convento de San Esteban, then visit the New and Old Cathedrals (the latter whose glorious 15th c altarpiece has been recently restored), walk down to the Roman bridge built in the 1st c A.D. where you'll have a great photo op of the city and where you'll see the famous headless stone bull (toro ibérico) and statue of Lazarillo de Tormes of the famed 16th c. picaresque novel. <BR>Then at sunset sit at one of the outdoor cafes, like "Novelty", on Spain's most beautiful Plaza Mayor, have a "mosto" (unfermented grape juice-everyone orders it here) and survey the conservatively well-dressed salmantinos go about their ritual evening paseo and be serenaded by the "tunas", the university student musicians in medieval troubadour costume. You'll probably hear an imromptu performance of "Fonseca" ("triste y sola, sola se queda Fonseca..."). Also around the evening "tapas" hr, (9 p.m. and on), head straight to the new Bar Momo, one of Castile's most fashionable wine bars, on pedestrian Calle San Pedro 13, south of the Plaza Mayor, for inventive Basque-inspired tapas from bald chef Miguel Reguera García (like red pepper, leek, anchovy and cream cheese tarts) and a 150 bottle wine menu (featured in my "New Tapas: culinary travels with Spain's top chefs" cookbook) or the very dependable "La Tostita" on Plaza San Marcos (up pedestrian Calle Zamora, due north of the Plaza Mayor) for delicious canapes (try the "solomillo") and fine wines from all regions (the owner is extremely knowledgeable about his vinos). I also like "Real" on the Plaza Mayor. I never have a formal restaurant meal in Salamanca; I always just graze.
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