The Lay of the Land

After a surprisingly restless night's sleep and breakfast in the cafeteria, it was time to begin my first day of classes. The other ladies from our program walked the 20 or so minutes up the twisting and turning streets from our dormitory to the older part of the university.

As you can see, the narrow streets provide a decent amount of cool shade in the morning.

The University of Salamanca was chartered in 1218, making it the oldest university in Spain and the fourth oldest in Europe. Our actual classroom is right off of Patio de Escuelas, the famed entrance to the university where the buildings date back to the 15th and 16th centuries.

Patio de Escuelas

The entrance to our classroom

This plaza is known for la fachada, the beautifully ornate carved wall above the large doors of el Hospital del Estudio.

Although the entire building is a work of art, people spend most of their time looking for a small carved frog. Legend says that students who can find the frog will do well on their exams. We stared at la fachada for a while this morning, but still haven't found it yet. I'll try to post a photo when I do.

We are pretty fortunate in that all three of our classes will be held in the same room, and that room happens to be in the only university building in that area with air conditioning. Our first class of the day is a two hour language and grammar class with Carmen. I was a little hesitant about that one because grammar classes can sometimes be a bit dry and boring, but I can tell that this class won't be that way. Carmen likes to use conversations, games, and written texts to provide a context for the topic that she wants to focus on. I have only had one class with her, and I feel like I have already learned something new about the preterit and imperfect tenses, as well as a couple of obscure vocabulary words that I had never heard before.

Our next class is a one hour cultural class with Sonia, the woman who met with us yesterday. She is hilarious and very engaging. The cool thing about this class is that it goes beyond general cultural topics and offers an insight into little aspects of daily Spanish life. For example, today we talked about how if you are out at a tapas bar, after you eat your tapas it is polite to drop your napkin on the floor right up against the bar. This way the waiter or bartender can wipe them away with a single sweep of the broom, versus having to pick each individual one up off the table with his or her hands. The benefits of this class will be two-fold. First of all, it gives me personally a practical explanation of some of the cultural nuances that I may have overlooked on previous trips to Spain. In addition, it will offer me a lot of anecdotes and materials that I can adapt for use with my own students.

The final class is a one hour history and art class with Enrique. Today, he succinctly laid the key points of Spanish history from Roman times up until the 19th century. I was grateful for the brief review of these topics, and I am looking forward to the more in-depth study of the 20th century. Of particular interest to me is the Spanish Civil War and the reign of Franco, because my knowledge of these periods is slightly less profound than my understanding of more distant Spanish history, which I have spent significantly more time studying. Enrique will also be leading three historical tours of Salamanca that focus on different points of interest, and I am looking forward to those as well.

After classes, we decided to take the long way back to the dorms so that we could walk across the Puente Romano, the ancient Roman bridge that was once the way for all traffic to enter the city.

Today, it is one of several bridges that cross the Tormes River, and it's purpose is strictly pedestrian.

There is a pretty park on the other side of the bridge that offers paths, fitness equipment, a playground, and lovely views of the old part of the city.

Now I'm back in my room resting up for this afternoon's walk to Plaza Mayor. Most cities and towns in Spain have a central plaza, or plaza mayor, where the main roads of the town meet and the people gather to shop, socialize, and enjoy tapas. I was in Salamanca for a two day visit 13 years ago, and I don't recall making it to the Plaza Mayor here, but two of the women in my group both insist that it is the prettiest one in all of Spain. I'm looking forward to casting my own opinion about it in a couple of hours!