My second week here has brought a multitude of new and exciting experiences!
Food in general seems to be a main part of the culture here as there are multiple bakeries and cafés on every block. So, to become more acquainted with the gastronomical piece of the Spanish culture, I went to a tapa bar for the first time. There wasn’t much vegetarian food, but it was still interesting to see a new style of food. I’ve also had many opportunities to sit in the cafes here because my conversation class takes place at a cafe everyday.
Some tapas
I also went on my first day trip to Segovia, Spain. The Roman aqueduct was so impressive as was the cathedral. We also made a stop in La Granja to tour a beautiful palace there. The day trip was a lot of walking, but definitely worth it! If you every study abroad, make sure to take advantage of the weekends and plan short trips during them. There is so much beauty to see and, at least in Europe, much of this beauty lies in nearby cities.
Me and a few of the other students in Segovia
The Roman aqueduct
View of the Royal Palace of La Granja and the surrounding fountains
I also had the chance to go to “el rastro” or an outdoor market for the first time. This market is set up in Salamanca every Sunday morning. The items being sold were mostly clothing and accessories that can be found in regular stores. However, it was amazing to see how crowded and popular this market was. I’ve gone to a couple other outdoor markets, in La Granja and Segovia, where more handicraft type items were being sold and found those to be a lot more impressive.
Spices at an outdoor market in La Granja
Lastly, I’ve had some wonderful, unique experiences simply by wandering around the streets of Salamanca. There are tons of street artists and often people playing music/singing on the streets. The culture around you is amplified when there is so much music or art constantly being expressed.
Street art; if you look closely, you can see a real life man towards the top
A group of men from the University of Salamanca singing to some women on their balcony
More Blogs From This Author
View All Blogs
Avani Kolla
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">Avani is a soon to be sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh. She is majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Spanish. She loves playing the piano, reading books, and learning new languages. During her summer in Spain, she hopes to immerse herself in the Spanish language and culture. She is excited to experience a new culture, try different foods, and explore a new piece of the world.</span></p>
