Arrived at Santander, near Bilbao, after the smoothest crossing of the Bay of Biscay, we even saw dolphins 🐬
Headed to Salamanca (227 miles) via Valladolid on the A67. The scenery near the coast was alpine-like with plenty of tunnels through the mountains. Our ears were popping as we climbed from sea level to near the ski station of Pico Cordel, just 50 miles inland from the coast. It’s national park area. It’s cold, just 2 degrees, with intermittent rain and sun.
The ascent levelled off on to the plain as we travelled through Palencia, Valladolid and on to Salamanca. The sun shone all the way on the plains ☀️
We settled in to our first campsite of the trip, Camping Reggio, on the outskirts of Salamanca, population 144k (similar to Oxford), then took the bus into the centre. It’s a World Heritage Site with buildings dating back over 8 centuries. There are two cathedrals side by side, the ‘new’ and the ‘old’, though it was hard to work out which was which. The ancient university and cathedrals have intricately carved sandstone facades, as does the perimeter of the Plaza Mayor, one of the largest and most beautiful squares in Europe.
The atmosphere of Salamanca was created mostly by the university students and other young people who were in the plaza, the cafes and along the streets, it was jovial, high spirited and felt safe; a nice place to go to university. Despite the temperature hovering around freezing in the evening, the cafe and bar culture was mostly outside.
We concluded our visit at the Museum of Art Nouveau, a small palace, where there was a large collection of Lalique, a Faberge egg, a Steif teddy bear, a lot of stained glass, glassware, furniture and an exhibition of Toulouse Lautrec.
