Day 9 – On the road again

Today’s adventure took us north of Salamanca to the city of Zamora. We chose a new mode of transportation for the day, a bus.

The bus station is about a mile from the apartment on San Justo Plaza. There are two types of service to Zamora on a bus. Express uses the main highway and arrives in 50 minutes.

Then there is the local bus which uses secondary roads and stops in small towns along the way. Of course, it takes about 30 minutes longer for the trip.

We opted for the local bus not because it would take us threw the heart of the Toro wine region on our daytrip. No, we simply slept later than planned – but remember we are on vacation. Ann our friend always says you can sleep when you die, but for us that extra 30 minutes was pure bliss. The busses in Spain are clean, comfortable, and prompt. We arrived right on schedule in Zamora with no plan but to see the city. (Loosely translated as lots of walking ahead) 

The old city is walled and sits on a peninsula of land bordered by Duero River.

Through the heart of the historic area is a pedestrian mall lined with shops, small restaurants, and beautiful buildings (churches and art museums).

Zamora’s history is a long and sorted tale from the Romans to the Spanish Civil War. Located on the river and thirty miles from Portugal, it played a key role in almost every conflict in Spanish history including the home of the hero of Spain, El Cid! The city is a place of the new and old. It is the home to modern art movement in Spain as well as having the most Romanesque Style Churches in Spain.

We strolled down the street just taking it all in. One thing we noticed which separates Zamora from Salamanca is the type of stores. In Salamanca, every third or fourth store is an Iberico Ham store, while in Zamora it would be wine. Yep, we had to check out a few.

Not far past the Zamora’s Plaza Mayor we cut down a side street headed to the old Roman Bridge.

Some of the best views of the city are on the other side of the river.

Zamora is also a stop on the Camino de Santiago.

One will see lots of religious pilgrims and also those who take on the trail as a physical challenge.

We also saw them on the side of the road on our bus trip. They walk amongst the tourist and locals with signs marking their path. We were surprised most were alone. Young girls and old men just putting one foot in front of another carrying all that they need for in their expedition of place and self.

Looking across the river the city stands tall and truly has a sense of place. Between the break waters and the wall anyone trying to enter or leave Spain by the Duero river would have to seek permission from the ruler of Zamora.

We cut off the trail and crossed back into the city on the new bridge.

Clearly marked for walkers, bikers, and cars. Spain, like many European countries, makes it easy for the three to co-exist. White for walkers, green for bikes, and the road is safely separated from the two.

Now back within the walls at the end of the peninsula our feet were getting tired and our stomachs were grumbling. Tom was particularly jealous of these two gentlemen that were taking in the beauty of their surroundings… sitting in the shade.

We happened upon a statue of an old man walking, and Janet snapped this shot of Tom hamming it up.

A few moments later we passed an elderly man being helped down the street. Suddenly a woman started talking to Janet in a rapid burst.

Her speech was too fast for us to distinguish what she was saying. We did catch the word photograph, and finally we understood, Ese es señor. She was telling us that the photo just taken of Tom and the man memorialized by the statue had just walked by us. She was very please we took the time to listen and figure out what she was saying. It should be noted that the further one gets from Madrid or Barcelona, the less English they will encounter. In Zamora the amount of English would equal zero.

We stopped in the plaza for a plate of ham and cold beer before walking back to the bus station for our return. We caught the express bus back to Salamanca, and a quick nap was in order.

Arriving in Salamanca we walked straight to the Plaza Mayor to find the last bit of the book fair was being hauled away. Standing in the dead center of the square, we were able to capture the plaza in all its beauty unobstructed.

 

It was good to see people enjoying the plaza. Teenagers had just pulled up in circles laughing and having fun. Artist had set up and were sketching and painting the structure. Couples, young and old, strolled holding hands. The plaza had returned to normalcy we remembered from our past visit.

We decided we should say goodbye to the University and the Cathedral so we walked down Calle Rua for one more look.

The other day we had found the astronaut on the Cathedral, but we learned there was another character to locate. A devil looking figure eating an ice cream cone. The search was on!

Success!

We bumped into a couple we had met earlier in the week from Australia. We shared a bottle wine and some great stories.

They are on an extended visit to Spain starting in Andalusia and slowly working there way to San Sebastian. So jealous! Have fun and we hope they will keep in touch!

We headed back to iPan iVino our first restaurant in Salamanca for our final dinner. Once again it was as good or better than the first time we ate there. Janet was extremely pleased as they had added a dish of vegetables and baby scallops. Salamanca is a meat-eating location! There are vegetables available, of course, on all menus, but they are more a second thought than a feature of most local dishes.

We finished our dinner with another Pedro Ximenez dessert wine. This was a young one… only a 1987.

Once again, we shared this glass of liquid gold and toasted our return to this beautiful city. Walking back to our apartment after a wonderful dinner, we did so with reluctance knowing that in the morning we would be leaving our special place.