Cathy Hawk

Summer of 2023 was a summer of exploring for me.  Planning trips to places I have never been and just soaking in these amazing cities and what they have to offer.  I was blown away by Salamanca, in north western Spain, it is the capital of Salamanca province, part of the Castile and León region. With a history dating back to the Celtic era, it’s known for its ornate sandstone architecture and for the Universidad de Salamanca. Founded in the 1100s and a key intellectual center in the 15th-16th centuries, the university continues to add to the city’s vibrancy with its international student population. 

My daughter was studying abroad there for the summer to get her masters as a Spanish teacher. Her and her husband had the amazing opportunity to live in the city for 5 weeks during the summer of 2023.

My husband and I had planned to take a cruise out of Barcelona but before hand went to visit them in this very beautiful and romantic city.  We flew into Madrid, Spain and were able to catch a bus from the airport for a 2.5 hour ride through the country side west to Salamanca.

It is a very easy city to walk around and is close to many other tourist cities like Toledo and even the Porto region of Portugal.  There is a very modern vibe as you enter the city but you quickly realize that Salamanca is a treasure of both old and new. The center of this city od Plaza Mayor.  It is the living breathing heart of this town.  Everyone, young, old, local and tourist alike gather here at some point during the day and night to visit with friends, eat at the restaurants and admire this amazing plaza.  The perfect way to describe it is to say it is "Alive"! And at sunset a switch is flipped and it absolutely glows with lights against the lapis blue sky. There is music and dancing every night.

During the days we visited the Salamanca Cathedral both old and new.  We learned about the astronaut carving in the facade and the special meaning behind the Frog symbol you see all over the city. The University is the oldest in Europe and is incredibly modern while within this ancient setting. The food left us longing for the wonderful ham, seafood, tapas and pastries we ate each day. We will treasure the time we got to spend with Emily and Octavio but it was then time to move onto Barcelona.

We boarded a bus to Madrid where we took an inter country flight on Iberia Airlines to Barcelona. We grabbed a cab to Hotel Colon and checked into this beautiful hotel with one of the most Instagramable rooftop bars in Barcelona. Our room was perfect with a wonder shower and bathroom.  We got some food at the bar and then headed to our tour of The Sagrada Familia.

Sagrada Família, is an unfinished church in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Designed by architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), his work on Sagrada Família is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica.  I loved learning about Gaudi's vision for each side of the church and the inspiration he used for every little detail.  The church is expected to finally be finished in 2028.

We grabbed a dinner outside the hotel and enjoyed all the things going on in the square while we ate.  We changed and went into the city center to see a traditional Flamenco Show at City Hall.  It was a powerful dance and music show that was amazing to watch.

The next day we were able to sleep in a little and then catch a quick 10 minute taxi to the Port of Barcelona to embark on our Princess Cruise of the Mediterranean.