Turning the page on the chapter titled Salamanca

Plaza Mayor is still the center of town

 It was weird being back in Salamanca.  6 years after I left most things were still the same - it looks the same, it feels the same, it probably still smells the same too.  Students are still roaming the streets, babies are still being pushed in the hearse looking strollers, fashion is still unique (shorts in winter with tights under them), and they are still serving Mixto con Huevo in the Cafe Tormes (read last post).

There are a few notable differences, the biggest change is they built a Corte Ingles on the outskirts of town.  Other than the Corte Ingles, shops have closed while others have opened up which is the normal life of a town.

People still enjoy a beer in the Plaza
on a sunny day despite the cold

Maybe the biggest change isn't Salamanca, maybe its me.  Salamanca feels smaller but I know its not, its still the same size, maybe its even grown (they do have a Corte Ingles now).  I'm older and the only thing that still links me to this town is the family I lived with.

My friends, like I, have moved on with their lives.  Salamanca was a time in our lives that we will forever remember, that will forever connect us to one another and for that I'm thankful.  And it will always remain a fond memory.  Its a bittersweet feeling but truth be told its a blessing.  Now instead of yearning for the past I left behind in Salamanca I can know that my time there was an amazing experience that I can now finally move on from.

Though I plan on keeping in touch with Sheila and Candy - and doing it a little better this time - I can finally turn the page on this chapter of my life.

Along the Gran Via