Thursday, October 25, 2007

SALAMANCA, OLÉ!

LEARNING SPANISH - JANUARY 2006

Having completed the Erasmus semester in Vallendar, Di had some free time while her colleagues in Lisbon were still passing through the January exams. So she decided to learn some Spanish, and Salamanca was an obvious choice, as in Salamanca the inhabitants - Salmantinos - speak the "purest" Castilian in Spain! And getting there to visit her, was a nice opportunity to re-visit the city, four years later!


"PATIO DE CASTELLANOS - Quite centrally located, adjacent to the Plaza del Concilio de Trento, in the heart of Salamanca's monumental and historic district, my favourite Salamanca hotel merges modern comfort with traditional splendour. The Porsche is there just to be fined..."



"NEW CATHEDRAL - Built between 1513 and 1733, in late Gothic and Baroque styles"


"ANAYA PALACE, ordered by Dom Diego de Anaya e Maldonado in 1401 and located across the New Cathedral, is one of the few Neo-Classical buildings in Salamanca. It housed the Colegio Mayor, the oldest in town"


"OLD CATHEDRAL ALTAR - The construction of the old cathedral began in 1140 and lasted for more than a century to conclude. The altarpiece is an ensemble of 53 panels painted in the XVth century, narrating the life of Jesus and Mary and the Last Judgment fresco"



"CHAPELS - Some of the impressive chapels in the cathedral"


"DOME - The incredible dome springs from a double arcade that is daringly pierced with windows, remembering Hagia Sophia"


"THE ASTRONAUT - Can you spot it?"


"UNIVERSITY, with its Plateresque facade. In 1218, Alfonso IX of León founded the University of Salamanca. Under the patronage of Alfonso X (1252-1282) its schools of canon law and civil law attracted students even from the Universities of Paris and Bologna. In 1254, Pope Alexander IV called the University of Salamanca «one of the four leading lights of the world». Hernán Cortés, Ignatius Loyola, Miguel de Cervantes and Miguel de Unamuno took classes at Salamanca"


"NEW CATHEDRAL TOWER as seen from the University building"


"CANON LAW room entrance"



"THE MINOR SCHOOLS were built in the 1428, and they house a patio of great simplicity. The façade of the building is of plateresque style. The entrance is made up of two arches resting over a column of Corinthian volute. In its superior part, the imperial shield represents the power of the Emperor Charles V"


"PLAZA FREY LUIS DE LEON"


"THE CLERECIA started to be built in the 17th century, but the works were concluded only in the 19th century. Intended to be a College for the Jesuits, it hosts now the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca"


"THE PLAZA MAYOR is one of the finest squares in Europe, and from my point of view the most beautiful Plaza Mayor in Spain. Its construction was ordered by Felipe V and it is now the central square and the living room of the Salmantinos. The plaza has a capacity of 20,000 people, was originally a venue for bullfights but is currently used primarily for concerts"

39 comments:

alice said...

Wonderful Spain...And now, which language is Di going to learn?

Peter said...

Salamanca is faboulous! I visited it some three years ago (staying at the same hotel!!) and was just fascinated by this town, one of the most beautiful places I ever visited, and full of life, students... Plaza Mayor is certainly the most beautiful Plaza Mayor in Spain - and there are a few! I stayed almost a week and was delighted by it all!

lyliane six said...

Je ne connais pas Salamanque, mais les monuments ressemblent beaucoup à ceux que nous avons dans le Nord de la France (Arras) et en Belgique (Ypres).Nous avons été très longtemps sous la domination espagnole dans les flandres et beaucoup de fêtes symbolisent encore cette présence espagnole.Les églises sont magnifiques partout en Espagne et au Portugal avec l'or raporté des colonies.La place Mayor de Madrid ressemble étrangement à la place des Vosges à Paris,n'est ce pas? vous devez connaître.
Porto n'a pas gagné, mais n'a pas perdu non plus, bravo. Michel est à Busan il a une température de 19°.
A bientôt en Normandie, Peter propose une réunion de bloggeur, venez y faire un tour, j'ai de quoi vous loger, la maison n'est pas un beau château de Sintra, mais je pense qu'elle est acceuillante.

K M F said...

wounderfull i enjoyed this post
have a nice day

julia said...

Sometimes, photos only make me regret what I'm missing out on. Splendid city and text. Most times I am more content.

Lori said...

I've always wanted to visit Spain. Maybe someday I'll get there. Everyone says it is wonderful. (Yes, I spotted the astronaut!) Your photos are great!

Anonymous said...

these are exuberant really very nice.

thanks for stopping by my chicago daily photo--i've tagged you so you will have to come back to see what the tag is about!

Anonymous said...

Tus fotos estan bellas!

Y gracias por tu visita a Norwich Daily Photo.


joy
Your Love Coach

CaBaCuRl said...

Thank you for introducing me to an area I am ashamed to admit to being ignorant of. I have just read the Wikipedia page,too,so another little door has been opened.I loved especially your photos of the interior of the cathedral...breathtaking!

Anonymous said...

Salamanca is truly beautiful. I loved it there.

Anonymous said...

WoW...some beautifully captured shots...we really enjoyed the pics from this beautiful place...lovely!

indicaspecies said...

Beautiful post. Seems to be steeped with rich Spanish culture.

99 said...

Estuve en Salamanca hace un tiempo y sí, es verdad, es una ciudad bellísima. Thanks for reminding me to go back!

Marie said...

Majestic, magnificent. If I understand well, it is in Paris that you will come to learn how to speak "pointu" :-))

Cuckoo said...

Awesome pictures Gil. Now which one should I choose as best is the million dollar question. :-)

Kaiz said...

Hi Gil,

Yeah I also back up by just copies of the uploaded entries only.

Hopefully google-owned blogger dun screw up! :)

P.S. I'm currently in Boston now so I hope to travel around america when I'm free! :)

Kaiz

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

fabulous!!! loved going through the colection here..and u always save the best one of the lot for the last :)

S-V-H said...

Hi Gil,

It's so much fun to travel with you in your blog, with all the interesting pictures and words!

isa said...

I'm ashamed to admit I never heard of Salamanca until your post, and now it is on my destinations list!
Regal plaza and the cathedral altar is just stunning!
(and your photos ain't bad, either ;-))
!Gracias!

leo said...

thanx for the awesome pics, im travelling europe wt ur blog! really i never know most of these places! BIG TQ

Anonymous said...

Beau reportage avec de jolies photos sur unes des rares grandes villes d'Espagne que je ne connais pas.
Merci pour votre passage et votre commentaire. Bonne journée

Kunterbunt said...

Your photos, your information and the comments of the others make me want to visit that wonderful city, too. It's long ago that I visited Spain.-

I've started to learn some Spanish vocabulary, one every day, not much, but better than nothing.

Have a nice weekend, Gil,
greetings from Cologne to you and your wife.

Ming the Merciless said...

Yes, I see the astronaut!! How weird is it to have an astronaut sculpture there. I assume the facade are reproductions or new, not from the early 1800s.

Unless that wasn't really an astronaut...just something that looks like one. :-)

Anonymous said...

Alice,
Il semble qu'elle veut aller en Chine...

Peter,
Of course, being an old University town, we would expect that it had some charm. But I find it actually fascinating.

Lyliane,
C’est vrai que Carlos V a eu un grand empire et les Grand Place sont là pour le montrer! J’aime bien la Place des Vosges et un jour je séjournerais même au Pavillon de la Reine... La Plaza Mayor de Madrid est jolie, mais celle de Salamanque est plus belle!
Bon, 1-1, c’était pas mal, mais le F.C.Porto méritait la victoire…
J’espère que Michel se débrouille bien à Busan!
Finalement, merci pour l’invitation. Je vais essayer de trouver une petite chance pour y aller!

KMF,
Julia,
Joy,
Kalyan,
Thanks!

Lori,
Fly NYC-Lisbon, and after you may drive all over Portugal and Spain ; but take your time! Great that you spotted the astronaut!

Bluechic,
Thanks, also for the tag. My answers are at post "The Mosel River Experience"; I’ve already been tagged by Sally and Isabella...

Cabacurl,
Thanks. Interesting that you went to Wiki to check Salamanca; it’s worth knowing about!

Piika,
Right you are!

Celine,
Thanks!

99,
Lucky girl! ¿Que suerte que estuviste en Salamanca. Y estudiaste algo?

Marie,
If it depended only from me, I would take time to enjoy the company. Would start driving in Lisbon and visit all French DP bloggers till Paris... Anyhow, Montpellier is not out of the way! Et, qui a dit que j'avais de l'accent?

Cuckoo,
Thanks. Take the last; she will be happy!

Kaiz,
Great! So hope we’ll see some more beautiful pictures from the States soon!

Moi,
Sue,
Thanks you both. I’m glad that you enjoyed Salamanca through my lens...

Isabella,
You’ve taken a good decision; Salamanca deserves the visit! And the Plaza Mayor is fabulous!

Leo,
Thanks.

Standley,
Merci. Il faut y aller...

April,
Muchas gracias. The best place to learn Spanish is actually Salamanca, so it’s definitely your best choice!

Ming,
It seems the astronaut is the innovation of the stonemasons responsible for restoring the jambs whose stone had deteriorated. But, amidst bulls, gargoyles, rabbits, pigs, and the University frog, the astronaut seems to be in good company...

Lakshmi said...

wow..awesome pictures..especially those of the cathedral .

Anonymous said...

Backpakker,
Thanks. The two cathedrals (Vieja and Nueva) are stunning!

Sigma said...

The place is amazing - it looks so antique and grand, and your hotel/castle quite majestic. I am sure you would have enjoyed a royal treatment there :-))

lv2scpbk said...

That dome photo is spectacular. Love how you took that one. Looks like everyone is having a wonderful time.

Anonymous said...

Sigma,
Salamanca is a beautiful and lively town! The NH Patio de los Castellanos is certainly your best choice in town.

Lv2,
You're right about the dome; it's a stunning work!

Shionge said...

I am intrigued by the architecture of this place absolutely manificent :D

Both of you certainly know how to enjoy ya :D

Anonymous said...

Shionge,
The University is Plateresque and the Plaza is Churrigueresque (what a name)...

Pijush said...

I guess I am late, but still want to put a comment on Wonderful shots. Your post has made the place really interesting to me. Take care Gil.

Anonymous said...

Hi Pijush,
Thanks. You're never late to commment. Anyhow, I'm still in Salamanca, now by night, and there will be a final post on it asap, with some new aspects of town...

Andrea Gerák said...

Wow, so beautiful city with all these buildings - they had a great sense for aesthetics!

Anonymous said...

Hi Andrea,
Salamanca is waiting for you! And Lisbon too...

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Rebecca,
Thanks for the information; I'll check your blog!

Mariposa said...

ooh Salamanca =) A place I hold dear to my heart! I studied there last summer and it was a wonderful place. I too agree that the Plaza Mayor here is the most beautiful one en Spain =D

Anonymous said...

Mariposa,
You have good taste, and were lucky to study in Salamanca. Like Camilo José Cela said: «In Spain there are two cities: Santiago and
Salamanca. The rest are but camps»... ;))