Salamanca - a City in Spain That is Actually Finished

Friday September 8, 2006

When I arrived in Salamanca, I thought to myself "This doesn't feel like Spain". It took me twenty-four hours to realise - where were all the construction sites?

If you've never been to Spain before, you won't know that it isn't actually finished yet. Like one great big Sagrada Familia (the Gaudi basilica that has been over 100 years in the making), for every beautiful sight in Spain there is a construction site not far away. There are many, many beautiful sights in Spain - there are many, many construction sites. Rarely does this actually spoil your time in the city (Seville the most obvious exception) but it can be frustrating, nonetheless.

Which is what makes Salamanca such a delight. It is both historical and modern; the centuries-old buildings have been beautifully restored without the construction workers feeling the need to leave a cement mixer in front of it for all eternity, while the modern part actually works. I like Salamanca so much that I've decided to rent an apartment here!

One of the most popular activities for visitors to Salamanca is to find the lucky frog ('rana de suerte') carved into the wall of the Universidad Civil. More recent architects have added an astronaut and ice cream cone to a doorway into the New Cathedral (Catedral Nueva). If you aren't going to come to Salamanca any time soon, click on the links and have a search for yourself.
^{Photo © Damian Corrigan}

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