Yesterday our mission was to tour the New Cathedral and the adjoining Old Cathedral. On the way there our first stop was at a photocopy shop to get a new copy of Anita’s passport ID page. I had somehow lost the old one the day before. We always carry copies of our passport ID pages and leave the real thing in our hotel room. In some countries, foreigners and sometimes citizens are required to carry ID at all times. We’ve never been asked for it but ID is sometimes also necessary for credit card purchases. Lately we’ve been using it for the seniors’ discount on entrance fees to sights.
Anyway, it cost 50 cents for a new colour copy which we immediately recouped by getting a 1 euro seniors discount each at the Cathedral entrance.
For 5 euros each, we gained entrance to both cathedrals and were given audio guides in English. The audio guides proved to be quite thorough and led us through both cathedrals. We’ve been in bigger and more elaborate ones but the Salamanca Cathedrals were still impressive.
Afterward, we took a short walk through a small park and then back up the Rua Mayor to our room to regroup for lunch. We like the Cuatro Gatos bar/restaurant so once again we went back there for 6 tapas orders and 3 drinks each for a total of 15 euros. Later in the afternoon, the sun was out and the weather was warm so we spent some time hanging out in the Plaza Mayor.
While we were there, we chatted with a young guy from Seattle who had spent the last 2 months cycling south from London. He was all set up for bicycle touring. He had recently come from Croatia and said he loved Spain partly because cycling was so much safer here. He was gradually heading to Andalusia for a bit warmer weather.
All around the square are sculptures affixed to the walls of famous Spanish writers, artists and political leaders. The only one that has been removed is that of Francisco Franco, the hated dictator, who died some years ago. Apparently, his likeness was defaced so often that they finally got rid of it.
We took lots of pictures of the cathedrals, the Plaza Mayor, the streets of the old town and the shops. In the evenings there are lots of students wandering around or sitting outside enoying a drink. Salamanca is a beautiful place when the weather’s good.
Anyway, it cost 50 cents for a new colour copy which we immediately recouped by getting a 1 euro seniors discount each at the Cathedral entrance.
For 5 euros each, we gained entrance to both cathedrals and were given audio guides in English. The audio guides proved to be quite thorough and led us through both cathedrals. We’ve been in bigger and more elaborate ones but the Salamanca Cathedrals were still impressive.
Afterward, we took a short walk through a small park and then back up the Rua Mayor to our room to regroup for lunch. We like the Cuatro Gatos bar/restaurant so once again we went back there for 6 tapas orders and 3 drinks each for a total of 15 euros. Later in the afternoon, the sun was out and the weather was warm so we spent some time hanging out in the Plaza Mayor.
While we were there, we chatted with a young guy from Seattle who had spent the last 2 months cycling south from London. He was all set up for bicycle touring. He had recently come from Croatia and said he loved Spain partly because cycling was so much safer here. He was gradually heading to Andalusia for a bit warmer weather.
All around the square are sculptures affixed to the walls of famous Spanish writers, artists and political leaders. The only one that has been removed is that of Francisco Franco, the hated dictator, who died some years ago. Apparently, his likeness was defaced so often that they finally got rid of it.
We took lots of pictures of the cathedrals, the Plaza Mayor, the streets of the old town and the shops. In the evenings there are lots of students wandering around or sitting outside enoying a drink. Salamanca is a beautiful place when the weather’s good.
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