47 years is a long time!

It is hard for us to believe that forty-seven years have passed since our summer in Salamanca, Spain. We were two fifteen-year-old High School rising Juniors when our parents granted permission for us to participate in an adventure that would change our lives forever.

A young Spanish teacher with boundless energy was brave enough (or naïve enough) to chaperone a dozen or so students to Salamanca for a summer program. Today we still stay in touch with our special teacher, and when together, we reminisce of that special summer in 1972.

Aiding us in our journey back to Salamanca is a book. In fact, it is Janet's journal which has long been tucked away on a shelf. The book contains an account of our day to day activities, school adventures, and our social enrichment experiences that occurred in one of the discotheques in Salamanca. Stuffed in the book are entry passes to museums, transportation tickets, and assorted memorabilia from our excursions. We even located a Cien Pesetas note, which if my memory serves me correctly was worth about 50 cents in U.S. currency. The same Cien bill is currently for sale on Ebay for eight dollars U.S. Although the pesetas will not benefit us, it is our hope that the journal will lead us to many of the places we visited.

We do not remember exactly how much this trip cost in 1972, the dollar amount of eight hundred and fifty rings a bell. The families of all interested students in the summer program had gathered in our high school auditorium when the AIFS representative dropped the bomb shell. The amount for the trip seemed like a king’s ransom, and we were certain our parents would say no. However, the trip would be educational! This point was driven home by our teacher and how it would provide a unique opportunity for the students to excel in a second language. There was still a major sell required by us, but in the end, we got the nod to go. ¡Vamos a España! was heard throughout our school’s hallways.

Of course, we realize that many things have changed in Salamanca since the 1970s, but that is one of the most exciting parts of our trip. We have evolved and changed in 47 years, and so has Salamanca. Discovering the differences in ourselves and our special place then and now will be fascinating. Our plan is to stay in Madrid for a couple days and acclimate to the new time zone before taking the train to Salamanca. We will spend a week in Salamanca with no set plans. Wandering the streets and alleys, relaxing in the cafés on the Plaza Mayor, and rediscovering this beautiful city is the goal to fill our days. Weather and motivation will determine if there will be day trips to the Toro or Ribera del Duero wine regions, a visit to the magical town of La Alberca, or if we will stand atop Peña de Francia once again.

We will try our best to post daily with lots of pictures, and then follow-up with a trip report upon our return. Please follow along - ¡Por fin volvemos!

One last thing – The collage of post cards in the blog header are part of a collection that we brought back from our trip in 1972. Another nice resource that has been squirrelled away for this moment.