11-08/11-07 Cáceres, Salamanca, Mérida

This weekend we again did a whole program excursion, but this one took us to a completely different part of Spain. We left Andalucia and header north to Extremadura and Castilla y Leon. Extremadura es a very rural region of Spain. It is one of the poorest consequently. Castilla la Mancha is a little more prosperous and has some relatively important cities within it. Since it is a little north and around an area of higher elevation and mountains, it was gonna be cold!

First stop was in the town of Cáceres, which was about halfway to our furthest destination Salamanca and in Extremadua. There we spent a few hours looking around the city. It is a quaint little medieval town that made me feel llke we were still in the middle ages. There wasn’t a whole bunch of historical junk to go wonder over but the city itself was good enough! We were there after midday, which meant during lunch/siesta time! In Cadiz it isn’t too big a deal and people are still usually, to an extent, out and about. Cáceres was DEAD! It was a good view of a small town’s sleepy daytime hour. After a little wandering, it was back to the bus to finish our last few hours of the 7/8-hour bus ride.

Salamanca was fantastic, for sure one of my favorite cities in Spain. It, like Granada, is a college town. The University of Salamanca, I believe, is the biggest in Spain (also laden with foreigners I hear). Our hotel was nothing special, but it did have some odd rules. No food or drink in the rooms (including alcohol!) as well as no one was allowed in a room unless they were actually staying in that room. We proceeded to break every rule, aside from the one previously unmentioned, putting out cigarettes on the floor. With no smokers it was hard to be the full sweep.

We went out that night in search of some dinner and found a little restaurant tucked down an alley called “Casa de las Murcillas”. Murcilla is a type of sausage that is amazingly tasty and this place had like 100 different kinds. Mike, John, and Jon were there with me and we had a fantastic meal of meat, potatoes, and bread. Very Spanish. If you’re wondering what exactly Murcilla is you can ask me, thought I recommend trying it first… As we headed out on the town we went to the center of the old part of town to Plaza Mayor. It was gorgeous, a huge square tucked in the center of the city and illuminated brilliantly. I can’t remember what exactly went down there, but the city hall was located there and at one point in history the Reyes Cristianos, Ferdinand and Isabel, hung out there. The city had a much cathedral as they all do, and since Salamanca was once a super important city it was especially nice. Generally the city was done up well. The roads were wide, the buildings a little better kept. It is most likely since it’s age of importance was much more recent than those of the medieval towns of Andalucia.

The Cathedral was very cool since it was there that they also held job interviews for those that wanted to work at the University of Salamanca. The U of Salamanca is the third oldest in Europe. There in one of the rooms of the Cathedral they would hold oral interviews, but were more or less tests of ability. Even all of the 30 or 40 people giving the interview did not approve, the applicant failed. They were normally very prestigious figures. If a new professor was approved, he was allowed to write his name on a wall of university (in bull’s blood) and then there were many days of fiesta following. If not, they were quietly let out the a back door since out the front the people were awaiting the news that would let them party for days.

Another university related story is that of the famous frog of Salamanca. On the wall of a certain building there is hidden a frog. It’s small, and it was said that those who found it would have good luck. Therefore, it became tradition for students to go find the frog before final exams. Previously, the superstition had been the opposite, saying bad luck would come to those who found the frog. Some students back in the day reversed the story and today it is no hard task to find the frog. All you have to do is use the numerous postcards with photos of it as a guide. The frog is on top of a skull, making it even more ominous.

That evening we went back out and bought baked goods at a convent where the nuns which comprised it were never allowed to leave the compound. It had very specific hours, amounts, and prices, but all the pastries were great! After that we headed over to a Roman Bridge, still standing from long long ago. There we experienced a taste of fall that made us all ridiculously nostalgic since it was very Seattle weather. We played in the leaves, strolled on the bridge, and I tackled Josh on the grass, dragging him around a little, grass-staining his pants. It was fantastic to see grass again! On the way back we hit up H&M, a low cost clothing store that has some good-looking clothes and occasional great deals. Then, we went to an all you can eat Chinese buffet. It was actually pretty damn good. Mike had been there for lunch but came to join us during dinner anyways. He ate a total of 6 heaping plates of Chinese goodness. That night we were out to the street again. We started with a bar where John and I met a few local girls. We spent most of the night with them and I were home at a decent hour (3/4 AM?).

On Saturday morning Josh and I headed out early so we could hit up a couple last sites. We found a museum of modern art-deco which had some cool pieces (abinacos, statues, stain glass) and some rather ridiculous things (LOTS of dolls). We then stumbled upon a free museum that the government was sponsoring about the presence of the Stone Masons in Spain. The mason secret society was extensive and there is evidence of it even in Salamanca.

Mérida was also great fun. There were many roman ruins such as a fort, bridge, aqueduct, theater, and amphitheater. All were fantastic, especially the bridge which is the longest roman bridge in Spain and maybe also the world. A highlight was walking around seeing the quaint city and how much quieter it was than Cadiz. For lunch Sunday we went to a well know Italian restaurant and had some fantastic food. It was pretty damn authentic and a great way to end the trip.

I had a lot of thoughts going through my mind that trip about my image to others and whether I really cared what others thought about me. I realize that I need to be me a little more and that others will think what they may regardless. Most will eventually adapt to me, and those who cannot I don’t need to associate with. I’ll make concessions as well, as in any healthy relationship, but there should be a balance. I am a pleaser, but I don’t need to have everyone on my side. By standing with my own opinions (as soon as I figure them out) I’ll be more confident and in the end much happier.