Stairways to heaven
Salamanca is built above the Rio Tormes and this morning I followed the river for an hour to the East of Salamanca. It wasn’t, I have to admit, very beautiful, but there were pretty bits and I even talked to a couple of locals in Spanish.
After lunch, I did some more aimless wandering through the streets of the old town. Again I was struck by the beauty of the buildings and the way they were framed by streets and trees. Eventually I washed up at the Scala Coeli which has three towers. They are reached by a narrow set of wooden stairs that squeaked alarmingly at each pace. A few years ago in Japan we walked on a nightingale floor which was designed to squeak so assassins couldn’t sneak in – this was like that but less deliberate I fear.
There was a good view from the towers over Salamanca, but I must admit I came away thinking the place looks better from ground level without the backdrop of modern buildings which the additional height provided.
After a home-cooked dinner I headed down to the Roman bridge to watch the Sun setting and then I went on a night-time guided tour of the Cathedral tower. The tour was excellent and had me stretching my Spanish concentration for two hours. It also provided some lovely dark views of both of the interior of the Cathedral and of the Salamanca skyline.
It also had me aware that I start school tomorrow and I was indulging in a late night.
