Question 1

Salamanca on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Salamanca is an inland city, not a river port, and an independent visit means a long road transfer each way. Once you arrive, the old city's main sights are close enough together to see on foot. Getting there alone: The river dock is in La Fregeneda, about 110 km from the city, so going independently means arranging your own car or taxi there and back. Allow generously for the drive back to the ship. The Plaza Mayor: The Baroque square was designed by the Churriguera family and has 88 arches. The city hall faces the square, and the tourist office is inside it. The two cathedrals: The Old Cathedral, Romanesque, was begun in the 12th century, and the much larger New Cathedral was built beside it from the 16th to the 18th century. You enter through the New Cathedral and go down into the old one. The university: The carved front of the old university building hides a small frog, and visitors try to spot it without help. The House of Shells: The Casa de las Conchas, built from 1493 to 1517, has around 350 stone scallop shells on its front and is now a public library with a courtyard you can look into. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. Carry ID: You may be asked for ID when you pay by card, and some shops want to see your passport, so keep a copy of the photo page somewhere safe as well. Thieves often work in teams using distraction, so watch your bag.

Question 2

Food and Drink

Accepted Answer

Salamanca's food is built on pork: ribs, chorizo, ham, bacon and jeta, pork face, all turn up as tapas in bars across the city. The hornazo, a bread pie filled with chorizo, cured loin and ham, is one of the city's most typical dishes. Pincho moruno is a skewer of pork marinated in paprika and garlic. Chanfaina is a spicy rice dish made with liver or blood. The hornazo is traditionally eaten on Lunes de Aguas, the Monday after Easter Monday, a city festival with roots in the 16th century. Since 2004, "Hornazo de Salamanca" has been a protected name. Several restaurants in the old city offer vegetarian dishes, though meat dominates most menus.

Question 3

Tipping in Spain

Accepted Answer

Tipping is not obligatory in Spain, and no service charge is added to the bill. In a mid-range restaurant, some people leave 5 to 10 percent when the service was exceptional. Some taxi drivers ask foreign passengers for a tip, especially on airport runs, but a tip is never required. The currency is the euro.

Question 4

Culture and Local Life

Accepted Answer

Salamanca is a university town, and the university and tourism are the mainstays of its economy. Its year turns on Holy Week, Lunes de Aguas after Easter and the fiesta of the Virgen de la Vega in September. The fiesta of the Virgen de la Vega runs from September 8 to 21. Book early if you plan to stay overnight during it or during Holy Week. The writer and philosopher Miguel de Unamuno (1864 to 1936), twice rector of the university, is remembered in a house museum inside the university. The Huerto de Calixto y Melibea, a garden near the cathedrals, is said by some to be the setting of the novel La Celestina, and remains of the Roman walls stand next to it. In the small Plaza del Corrillo beside the Plaza Mayor, the stone columns of an arcade are carved with symbols for the days of the week.

Question 5

History

Accepted Answer

Salamanca was a hilltop town of Celtic peoples when Hannibal took it in 220 BC, and it later stood on a Roman highway with a bridge over the Tormes. Its university, chartered in 1218, made it a center of learning. 220 BC, Hannibal: On his advance through Iberia, Hannibal besieged and took the town, then called Helmantica. Roman times, the bridge: The Romans built a bridge over the Tormes for the north-south highway later called the Vía de la Plata. Its northern section is thought to be the oldest part, and it has been for pedestrians only since 1973. 712 and 1102: Muslim forces under Musa ibn Nusayr took the city in 712. After Christian armies took Toledo in 1085, Raymond of Burgundy brought new settlers in 1102, and work began on the Old Cathedral. 1218 and 1254, the university: King Alfonso IX of León gave the cathedral schools the rank of a general school in 1218, and a royal decree of Alfonso X made it a university in 1254. 1492, a grammar and a voyage: Antonio de Nebrija published the first grammar of the Spanish language. In the same years Christopher Columbus found support for his voyage among the Dominicans of San Esteban. 1729 to 1755, the Plaza Mayor: The square was built in two phases under the Churriguera family. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 left a crack still visible in the New Cathedral's tower. 1809 to 1812, the French: French troops occupied the city from 1809 and pulled down many buildings for their defenses, until Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese army defeated Marmont at the Battle of Arapiles in 1812. 1988 and 2002: The old city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, and Salamanca shared the title of European Capital of Culture with Bruges in 2002. To learn more ashore: The Museum of Salamanca, at Patio de Escuelas 7 just west of the old university, covers the city's prehistory and history.

Question 6

Salamanca with Children

Accepted Answer

Salamanca's old city suits children who like a hunt, because its stone carvings hide small surprises. The distances are short, but the transfer from the river is long, so plan rest stops. Younger children: Look for the frog on the front of the old university building, then cross to the New Cathedral's Ramos door, where the carved figures include an astronaut and a creature holding an ice-cream cone. School age: Walk across the Roman bridge over the Tormes. Boats can be hired at its south end. Teenagers: La Clerecía, a former Jesuit college opposite the House of Shells, lets visitors climb its tower. Domus Artium 2002 is a contemporary art center in a former prison.

Salamanca

Good to know

Getting There

Salamanca on Your Own

Food and Drink

Tipping in Spain

Culture and Local Life

History

Salamanca with Children

Port crowds

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Traveler reviews