Travel Flashback: Spain

I returned from a semester in Spain four years ago this past May. Four years is a long time, and I didn’t really do much to document the trip at the time. The camera I was using (that I bought specifically for the trip, earning money by hawking Penn State clothing and paraphernalia in a very student-centric convenience store in downtown State College) was frustrating to use. Posting a few photos now and again and writing about it will, I hope, cement things a little better in my head and help me not forget.

I lived for five months in Salamanca, an old university town in the autonomous community of Castilla y León. It’s about a two-and-a-half hour train ride from Madrid, which made trips to Barajas airport in the capital more or less convenient.

I got there in the middle of January. Everything was grey. “Nueve meses de invierno, y tres de infierno,” or, “Nine months of winter, and three of hell.” An astute summation of the weather patterns in Salamanca.

Like every old Spanish city, Salamanca has a pretty impressive cathedral. If you pay enough euros, you can take a self-guided tour, and climb to the top to look out over the city roofs.

You can almost see the mama stork’s head sticking out of her nest.

The cathedral looks completely different on a sunny day during los tres meses de infierno.


Comments

3 responses to “Travel Flashback: Spain”

  1. oh dear! where did you send that email? it must have gotten lost in the jungle that is my inbox (my many inboxes). i’m so so so sorry. let me know where i can email you and i’ll tell you the story of The Violet 🙂

    forgive me!

  2. Chelsea, thanks so much!

    Camilla, I sent it to the address listed on your about page, I think. No worries. I can tell you’ve had a lot on your plate lately. You are totally forgiven! I’ll try to resend.

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