Excellent breakfast with Stan & Janet. We went for a short walk along the Southern wall, which looks as if it is getting the restoration treatment before being lead back that way by Carmen, a city guide. She took us round quite a lot: first to the 'new' cathedral (where she insisted I took my hat off, since I did not want to seem complicit in the bollocks), to the University (this place is the Spanish Oxford) but we saw more ourselves in the afternoon, to the public library & the main square.

The courtyard of the Hotel San Polo in Salamanca

Salamanca Cathedrals at dawn

Old city wall

Avis

Interestingly, she pointed out a statue to a priest who was a Copernican when this was heresy & a statue of the 1st music professor. We had coffee with another couple of old Marxists, Peter & Shirley, in the main square before trying to find the Beaux Art but a lot of the museums ecc were closed because it was Monday. What a dumb day to bring us to Salamanca!

University cloister

1st Music Professor

Many storks nests.

Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor

The Cathedral from the North

We had lunch at 'El Ave' on a side street, big salads & beers for E17.80. Then, we went back. Avis went into the patio, the nave of the old church to read while I went back to the god shop, bought a ticket to the steps & went up on the roof for the views. I had a chat to two Krauts in Kraut, one saying that, despite all the aggro between England & Germany whipped up by the tabloids, he had always found English people perfectly nice. Later, I spoke to some English girls about the organs in the 'new' cathedral.

Organ in the new cathedral

Splendid views from...

...the Cathedral roof

Then, I walked across the Roman Bridge, which you cannot see if on it & back by a Victorian bridge to look at the Roman one. Back at the hotel, I picked up Avis since it was now 16:00 & things were starting to reopen after the siesta period & so we went to the San Esteban Monastery, which was full of interest & very bad paintings. We got the crumbly rate by my using my bus pass.

Roman Bridge

Salamanca from across the Roman Bridge

St Esteban Cloister

We had coffee & cake on the main drain (Rua Major). On to a Convent which the timetable we had got from the tourist office suggested was open but it was not. However, just around the corner, there was a Clock Museum which was open & very amusing.

St Esteban Chapel

In the Clock Museum

Typical street scene

Then, back to the hotel. We chatted to Peter & Shirley for a while, then went into town with them to a place that Peter thought would be good for paella. Well, it was not at all bad but we ended up with a bill for E61.20, what with starters, pudding & wine. So, of course, did they. We had sat out on the Rua Major, so it was rather cool by time we had finished at 2130.