Today we went to one of the oldest towns in Spain; Salamanca. The earliest settlement dates back to 300BC but the city was later repopulated and rebuilt by Raymond of Burgundy, a figure linked to the Christianization of the area in the 11th and 12th centuries. To get to Salamanca from Madrid, we took the fast train, which achieved speeds of 140+ MPH and took a little less than 2 hours.

We met our guide, Carmen Tarrio, at the Plaza Mayor in the center of the old town. The square was completed relatively recently, in 1755, though the main building, formerly a palace, was built in the 1500s. Today, the square is part government offices, with some residential and commercial spaces too.

We walked through the square, down to Plaza Anya where we got our first peek of the Catedral Nueva de la Asuncion de la Virgen, aka known as the New Salamanca Cathedral. Once inside, we were treated to massive buttresses and soaring cupolas. The main cupola stands at 226 ft high. The cathedral has not one but two massive organs. Started in 1513, it took 220 years to complete.

Next door is the Catedral Vieja de Santa Maria de la Salamanca, aka the Old Salamanca Cathedral. This one was built in the 1200s to 1400s and when they built the new cathedral, they decided to just keep the old one, which has gorgeous art and frescoes. In fact, many of the frescoes were just discovered 10 years ago. They had been painted over sometime during the Black Plague when they whitewashed buildings in an attempt to sanitize them.

The crown jewel of Salamanca is the University, which was founded in 1218 and is the third oldest university in Europe. Even Christopher Columbus came to Universidad de Salamanca to gain support for his efforts to find a quicker passageway to India, (and accidentally discovering the Americas). Alas, the professors of the university did not approve of his idea and he went away with no support. In fact, the University has been pioneering in many aspects: it debated for the rights of the indigenous populations during the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and was also the first university in the world to accept female students. Today the university has over 55,000 students and next week, will bestow an honorary degree on tennis great and Spanish son, Rafael Nadel.

Back to the Plaza Mayor, we enjoyed a late tapas lunch and the beautiful sunny skies. After a little window shopping and strolling, we caught the 6:50pm train back to Madrid.

Tomorrow: Toledo, Spain