Madrid Day 4
After Segovia we were absolutely beat, and though we had plans for Toledo today, sleep felt a lot more compelling. We left the hotel for a bit of shopping and a tasty breakfast at La Austriaca. The tortilla de patata was absolutely to die for, it was a treasure to find such a great cafe in an otherwise very touristy part of town. After our shopping trip, we returned to the hotel to prepare for dinner. Before dinner, we went to a shoe store at the request of my mother, and to our shock, there was a line! It took us over half an hour and I was worried we might be late, but we managed to secure the goods and get to dinner on time.
We met Jacob and Lauren, one of the other couples on our Barcelona tour to Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia, at a vegetarian restaurant in the Michelin Guide named Mudra. And in Jacob’s own words, this place served everything with edible flowers, so you know it’s for real.
The drinks were delicious. The sushi tasted like sushi. My spinach cannelloni was phenomenal, and the shiso mushroom tacos were quite good too. Lauren and Jacob also thoroughly enjoyed their meals. However, the desserts were a bit hit or miss, as the chocolate cake included olive oil which was certainly an artistic choice. The almond caramel cheesecake on the other hand stunned me with its deliciousness. I definitely recommend making the trip to this place because we thoroughly enjoyed it.
We said our goodbyes and tomorrow we leave for Salamanca, which I’ve hyped up to Laura for some time. Another city full of history to feast our eyes upon.
Salamanca Day 1
We woke up early for our train ride from Madrid-Charmartin to Salamanca, an historic city near the border with Portugal famous for its university in particular. The train ride was a quick 90 minutes and with the whole day to spare, Laura and I went immediately to the Salamanca Cathedral. You’d really think by now if you’ve seen one church you’ve seen them all, but something about each of them always manages to impress. At the Catedral de la Asunción de la Virgen, you are treated to not one but two cathedrals. In a combination of uncharacteristic wisdom and convenience, they didn’t demolish the first one to build the second one, and instead they’re located right next to one another.
The New Cathedral has an incredibly intricate dome, a variety of chapels, and a remarkable aura to it. Like many of the other churches we’ve visited, you can feel the history in them, but something about Salamanca makes it all the more special. This was a place where religion and learning and politics coexisted for 800 years up until this moment, and it was a privilege to experience. The Old Cathedral is located adjacent to the new one, and went out of style after the prevailing king decided it wasn’t suitable for his growing intellectual capital.
After the cathedrals, Laura and I took a walk over the Puente Romano de Salamanca, a Roman bridge dated variously from the time of Nero to the time of Trajan (or in other words, the 1st or 2nd centuries A.D.) We headed back into the city and made a detour to Tapas 3.0, a Michelin Guide restaurant that knocked our absolute socks off. The patatas bravas were the best ones we’ve had so far, the combination of alioli (garlic mayonnaise) and brava sauce to die for.
We pulled back up to our hotel, the Salamanca Luxury Plaza, which overlooks Spain’s most beautiful central plaza. The good people of Madrid might complain at that distinction but it’s true. I was blown away by how stunning it looked day and night. I didn’t take any great pictures of it… but you can find plenty online.
Salamanca is a vibes city so the only other real sight to see is the University of Salamanca, which we head to tomorrow. Until then, we’ve been getting super into futbol which has made for some late nights as the Euros are on. Highly recommend, the atmosphere can get electric throughout Spain!
We went to a local, absolutely delicious kebab place for dinner as it was raining, and turned in for another fun day tomorrow.
Salamanca Day 2
Our second day in Salamanca began with (you guessed it, shoutout Lucas for my transformation inspiration) me going out on another run while Laura slept in. I took in some views of the city from the riverbank, including an impressive array of feral cats who I guess catch fish or rely on the munificence of passerby for their food. Or, maybe they all have owners and just go there to chill.
I returned to wake up Laura and she I headed over to the University of Salamanca, one of the oldest universities in the world and the oldest in the Hispanic sphere. We stopped by a local bakery where I had (and regretted) an absolutely massive stuffed berliner. And it is an absolute wonder to behold. It’s hard to fathom the amount of history that went into this place. 800 years since its founding and the place is still at the forefront of higher education. The library is a reader’s dream and the school itself is an icon of Gothic architecture. The lecture halls aren’t too shabby even after all this time teaching law and medicine as it relates to astrology, either. Imagine being told you’re sick because Jupiter is out of alignment.
After the university we headed over to Huerto de Calixto y Melibea, a romantic garden overlooking the city and the river Tormes. This place is a dream, filled with a diverse array of plants and flowers, the perfect busking guitarist, and a white concrete parapet covered in loving (and hilarious, inappropriate) messages. Laura and I loved it, and it’s a spot many people who visit Salamanca end up missing.
Laura insisted we head back to Tapas 3.0 after our foray into education for some more patatas bravas, which were predictably delicious. After a relaxing evening, we headed downstairs to the magical square to watch the Euros for dinner. I had a very tasty shrimp salad, while Laura opted for probably another onion, tomato, and tuna salad, but I’ve forgotten.
Tomorrow we leave our brief Salamanca stopover for San Sebastian, perhaps Spain’s most famous resort town. Can’t wait!
