View of a Local in Salamanca, Spain

Erin, owner of the blog “a wandering woman writes from spain“, gives us a few tips about her new hometown of Salamanca in Spain.

Briefly, please could you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a happy American living in Spain. I quit my high-flyer job in Chicago to design my own life. I decided to learn Spanish and fell in love with the language. 3 years and a few trips to Spain later, I moved to Salamanca.

How long have you lived in Salamanca?

Since May 2004.

What do you like most about living in Salamanca?

The pace of life. You have time to spend all Sunday reading El País. I love the fact that the Spanish live their lives in the streets. How they all come out in the evening for a stroll or a few tapas and a drink.

Is there anything you do not like about living in Salamanca?

Again the pace of life. The bureaucracy and lack of customer service for example can be frustrating.

Why should travellers visit Salamanca?

To see the real Spain. Salamanca is a typical Spanish town popular with Spanish tourists for its historical and cultural heritage.

What do you wish travellers would do when they visit Salamanca?

I wish, they would take time to speak to the Salmantinos, learn about the place, go inside the buildings instead of just admiring them from the outside. E.g. walk up the towers of the cathedral or visit the cave.

Salamanca can tell you some great stories. E.g. there is the story about how the devil for seven years gave lessons to seven students in the Cave of Salamanca. In return, at the end of those seven years, one of the students should give his soul to the devil and spend the rest of his life in the cave. The student who lost the draw and had to spend the rest of his life in the cave was according to legend Marquis* de Villena (*marquess). But the marquess managed to trick the devil and escape the cave. The devil managed to grab his shadow though as he escaped, so the marquess walked around Salamanca for the rest of his life without ever casting a shadow.

What do you wish travellers would stop doing when they visit Salamanca?

Don’t just tick attractions of a must-see list, you’ll miss the essence of Salamanca. I had a French house guest once who felt that all Salamanca had to offer was a couple of old churches and that she could see old churches at home. Needless to say she won’t be coming back.

If a visitor has time to do or see only one thing in Salamanca, what should it be?

I can’t pick just one thing. I would say pick whichever one thing that appeals to you and do it well, e.g. the cathedral or even just a walk through Salamanca.

If a visitor had time for only one meal in Salamanca, which dish would you recommend?

It’s difficult to choose, but definitely try the jamón (ham). Farinato (sausage) and hornazo (pie) are also typical regional dishes.

Do you have any other tips for visitors to Salamanca?

Take your time and enjoy Salamanca. Sit at a plaza and watch the world go by.

Other articles about Salamanca

In search of Peace in Festival-hungover Salamanca is an article about our visit to Salamanca.

You can also see some of our photographs from Salamanca in the Photographs from Salamanca series.

Our Salamanca Resources page includes information about how we got there, where we stayed, maps of what we did in Salamanca and links to web sites with useful information about Salamanca.

Put your pin in our map

Our new View of a Local series consists of interviews with local people in various towns and cities in different countries.

The map below shows the places covered so far.

Use the zoom and directional buttons to navigate the map. Click on the red points to view more information and the satellite button for a satellite image.

For more information about how you can take part in our View of a Local series, please go to our View of a Local page >>

Technorati Tags: Salamanca, Spain