Photos

I took this on my way to my daily 9:00 class, on la Compañia, one of the oldest streets of Salamanca. It was always amazing to me that my morning commute was so beautiful! As you can see, the city is just waking up. Parents are taking their kids to school and unlucky students are on their way to the first class of the day. There were always delivery trucks trying to maneuver through the crowd. In the US, one would see this scene at about 7:00AM, not 9! But in the US, there are no scenes like this at all; the buildings lining la Compañia date from the 12th through the 16th centuries.

Anyway, I took this picture because the atmosphere was unique in Salamanca. 9 in the morning is the only time salamantinos are silent; the predominating sounds were high heels on flagstone and security gates going up on cafés. This is most unusual, as at any other time of the day people in Salamanca are always chatting as they walk. The quiet morning rush down this long, impressive street, with the sun shining on the domes and spires of La Clerencia, will always remind me how lucky I was to live almost like a native in a place of great beauty.

Another view in the workshop. Tell me what you think!