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

My trip to Salamanca

New Cathedral in Salamanca

I came to Salamanca with few items on my list to do (not in any specific order):

1. See Candy and/or Sheila but preferrably both
2. Eat a Mixto con Huevo
3. Eat mousse (chocolate or lemon) at Delicatessen
4. Eat a Paloma

Seeing Candy proved to be the most difficult task of them all.  She was busy almost the whole time I was there which makes sense because I basically just showed up on her doorstep...well kind of.  When I arrived in Salamanca I called the phone number I had for her.  Still no answer (I'd been calling for more than a week now).  So I decided to head to the address I had and buzz her.  Again to no effect - a man answered the bell and said I had the wrong address.  Finally, I decided I would go to the ISA office and to my delight Rodrigo (my Spanish heartthrob - don't worry Faustino is aware of my crush) was still working there.  After shooting the shit with him for the next  10 minutes, he gave me two phone numbers for Candy - one I'd already had and the other her cell phone number.  At last, she answered her cell phone.  She was surprised that I called and I think happy to hear from me.  I spoke with her briefly as she told me she was going to be very busy that day.  Then I asked about Sheila and to my delight she was there.  I spoke with Sheila briefly and we laughed about her singing Michael Buble's Quando Quando Quando and Mariah Carey's All I want for Christmas is you in English throughout the entire 10 months I lived with them.  The memories.  The next two and a half days I meandered around Salamanca looking for things to do and waiting for her to call.  On Friday she said she would try to call me after her dinner so we could have a coffee but she stayed out too late with friends.  On Saturday she texted me saying that she had been out of town all day with the kids but that on Sunday afternoon she'd be available.  I figured this might happen and this is why I didn't make any plans to get back to Madrid early Sunday.  So here I am in a cafe escaping from the cold and wind waiting until its time to go see my host family.  And I can't wait!

Mixto con Huevo with fries
(picture taken after I took my first bite and broke the yolk) 

As soon as I arrived and settled into Pension Los Angeles, right in the middle of the Plaza Mayor, I went to Cafe Tormes to eat a Mixto con Huevo.  It was every bit as good as I remembered it to be.  Ham, cheese and a fried egg in between two slices of toast.  The top piece of toast has a small circle cut out that way the yolk doesn't break.  Pure genius.  I savored every last bite of this sandwich that I so fondly remember.

Eating chocolate or lemon or whichever kind of mousse at Delicatessen proved to be impossible seeing as they no longer had it on their menu.  To say the least I was truly deeply disappointed.  Instead I had a crepe with chocolate sauce and whipped cream and a glass of red wine.  "Eh" describes my satisfaction with the crepe.  It was less than mediocre.  The wine was the only saving grace at that food outing.  I left Delicatessen disappointed wishing that this wouldn't be how I ended my last food memory of the restaurant.  I guess we've all had our better days.

Paloma

Paloma - Purely heaven on earth.  Thats the easiest way to describe my love affair with this food.  Paloma is a regional food consisting of the Spanish Ensaladilla Rusa, similar to potato salad but with mayonnaise, in a shell made out of corn but looks more like a chicharon.  I ordered a vino tinto with my Paloma and I was in ecstasy.  My love of mayonnaise, potatoes, tuna, alongside other items such as carrots, fake crab is combined to make a food so mouth watering its hard to describe.  Luckily I took a picture.  Even though that doesn't do it justice.  After I ate the paloma I had another pincho - potatoes, eggs and bacon.  In Spain eggs are not merely a breakfast item - yes they are indeed an every day dinner and lunch item.  This second pincho, which I don't know the name of, was very delicious.

2nd Tapa/Pincho

I'm glad that I went to this tapas bar along the Plaza Mayor which is not your typical tourist restaurant because let's face it, not that many tourists come to Salamanca.  Salamanca is a town where you live, where you study, where you visit friends, and its notable becuase it has the oldest University in Europe, a beautiful square Plaza Mayor that lights up at night (only other square Plaza Mayor in Spain is in Madrid), during the civil war it was the stronghold town for Franco's regime but in reality it isn't a tourist destination.

Plaza Mayor at night

So for now I'll sit and enjoy a tea, people watch and wait to go see Candy after she gets off work.

This wanderer is on the move again

Bathroom art

Starting in Madrid was the right thing to do.  Monday and Tuesday I participated in the hostel hosted events - which made me realize I could do a better tapas tour than the owner of the company but that's a separate subject.  The reason I say that Madrid was the perfect starting point is because of the people I met while there.  I'm slowly starting to come to the realization that you really do meet people for a reason...On Tuesday morning, during an unofficial tour of Madrid, Amanda, Laurel, Kelsey (New York) and Lauren (Los Angeles) entered my world.  That same night Lauren and I went on the tapas tour before meeting up with Amanda, Laurel and Kelsey for the pub crawl.

Kelsey, Amanda and I

After spending most of Wednesday recuperating from getting back to the hostel at 6:00A from the pub crawl., Lauren and I were invited to join the New Yorkers for their big dinner out - every city they go to they have one nice dinner at a nice restaurant to celebrate their vacation.  A concept so simple yet completely amazing, and being the penny pincher I typically am I would never have thought of it.  It was nice to be able to share that with them.  Now, it's something I'd love to incorporate in my travels.

Dinner at La Gabinoteca, which I'm told was featured on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, was fantastic.  The restaurant has an eclectic atmosphere with one seat in particular looking like a chair lift, a rooster as their symbol, and teddy bears as their restroom signage.  We arrived around 9:30P and were seated in less than 5 minutes even though it appeared busy.  Kelsey had looked into the restaurant so we steered clear of the items she said had bad reviews and ordered the wine that she suggested - we were not disappointed.  We ordered 4 starters, 4 first plates, 4 heavier plates, 2 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of champagne and two desserts to split between the 5 of us.  Everything was absolutely amazing - all the local tapas with a sofisticated twist.

To travel, friends met, strong women
and finding yourself

To end the dinner, mind you it was almost midnight, we ordered a bottle of cava and two desserts.  Amanda (I think) suggested that we each say one item to cheers to and they all needed to be different.  I don't remember each one but they included:

• to meeting great people in the hostels
• to eating great food
• to being strong, confident, educated women who love to travel
• to finding one's self through travel and adventure

Laurel and the check in a box

These sentiments described that dinner and evening perfectly.  We received the check in a cute box and realized our dinner was much cheaper than we all thought it would be.  Around 12:15, after paying 26 euros each we finally left the restaurant to head back the area where we were staying.

We arrived back in our side of town to have a drink at a jazz club but unfortunately we came in as the last song was playing.  Laurel and Lauren decided to head back to the hostel while Kelsey, Amanda and I decided to go for a night cap at an Irish pub a few blocks away.  Finally after being pushed out of the bar because it was closing we went back to the hostel.  We said our goodbyes and hugged for this was the last time I'd see these amazing ladies this trip.  They were off to Toledo and me, I was off to my old stomping grounds...Salamanca to look for my old host mom and host sister.

So here I am in Salamanca.  I spoke with Candy (my host mom) yesterday and we're going to meet for coffee (tea in my case) and catch up.  I can't wait.

Yes, Madrid was indeed the right place to start.