Out and About in Salamanca

Yesterday afternoon we visited a pretty little garden called El Huerto de Calixto y Melibea. Calixto y Melibea are characters in La Celestina, a famous story written in dialogue that dates back to the end of the 15th century. It supposedly took place in Salamanca. El Huerto is a lovely shaded place with exotic flowers and striking views of both the old and new cathedrals. There is also a wishing well where couples have attached padlocks with their names written on them, hoping to secure eternal love from the garden’s namesakes. The photos below show some of the garden’s features and views, and if you look above where I’m standing, you’ll see a large bouquet of padlocks.

Today I remembered to bring my telephoto lens with me to class, and was able to get a photo of la rana (the frog) on the side of the University, which I finally found after much searching yesterday. As you can see, he is perched on a skull, which made him a bit hard to recognize at first. He is quite the famous little rana, and his likeness can be found on everything from t-shirts to sculptures in souvenir shops all over Salamanca.

In grammar class today, Carmen challenged us with some verbos pronominales (verbs whose meanings change when reflexive pronouns are used). Some of them were a bit tricky, but I felt a little better knowing that even the native speakers had questions about their meanings. That class is really furthering my understanding of the Spanish language. Our break between classes was occupied with finding a working bathroom, as the town hall randomly decided to do some work and shut off all of the water in the immediate neighborhood where we attend school. Fortunately there was a library a few blocks away that remained unaffected by the closing.

Culture class continued along the topic of food, and today we spend most of the period discussing ham. Hilarious but true. I finally learned the difference between jamón serrano and jamón ibérico. Jamón serrano can come from any pig in Spain (either the white or the black breed), and is typically significantly less expensive. Jamón ibérico is only made from black pigs that are fed nothing but acorns for a month before they become ham. In addition, apparently ham slicing is a bit of an art, and the way a ham is sliced can actually affect its taste. Moreover, there are even ham slicing competitions!

Hamming it up

Enrique filled our brains with facts regarding the end of the reign of King Alfonso XIII (the descendant of the aforementioned Alfonso X, and not quite as cool), as well as the series of failed reforms by the new government that ultimately led to the Spanish Civil War. I don't know how he can rattle off all of that information nonstop for an hour, without so much as a note card. It's pretty impressive.

This evening the ladies and I did a little shopping for necessities, and found ourselves back in Plaza Mayor. It truly is the center of activity and life here in Salamanca. Annaleigh's Mr. Duck came along for the ride. In the blurred background, you'll see the clock, or reloj. When people make plans to meet each other, they will often say "Bajo el Reloj", meaning under the clock. It's understood that they are referring to this one in Plaza Mayor.

Tomorrow is Saturday, so there are no classes. Instead, I'll be off on a day-long excursion to Segovia and La Granja. Stay tuned for details about that trip!