Via de la plata day 23: Morille to Salamanca, 20.5 km

A shorter day emerging from the dehesa forests and on to the agricultural lands of the meseta, heading to the beautiful city of Salamanca.

Unfortunately Salamanca is a peregrino boot camp: there’s no admittance to the albergue until 3 pm, and you have to leave by 8 am.   The hostelero runs a tight ship, and nearly everyone checking in got told off for some infraction or another! And not a chance of staying two nights, so there goes my idea of having an extra day in the city. Being the weekend, all affordable accommodation options are fully booked, so it’s been a challenge to enjoy the sights of the city.

Salamanca existed in pre-Roman times, but it made its mark as one of the mansios on the road north from Merida. Our entrance into the city was across the Roman bridge, but from then on the buildings nearly all date from the post muslim period

Salamanca’s university was originally founded in 1230, and for many years was one of Europe’s most prestigious, ranking alongside Bologna, Paris and Oxford. Students from throughout the Spanish empire came to study here, and at its peak had more than 8,000 students (a big number in the 26th century. Sadly, the pressures of the Spanish Inquisition took their toll, with mathematics and any sciences being banned, along with anything resembling free thought. Student numbers dropped to just a few hundred, but once again Salamanca is considered one of Spain’s most prestigious universities.

The house of shells, now a public library

Salamanca has two cathedrals – the “new” one adjoining the old one as one continuous building. ‘New’ is of course comparative, having been constructed between 1533 and 1733!

The altar of the old cathedral, showing the life and times of Jesus and Mary, overseen by judgement day

The other spectacular attribute of the city is the Plaza Meyor, a square (well, almost square)of arcades and bars and restaurants. Attendance was low due to unseasonably cold weather, but it compares favourably to the great public spaces of Europe.