This week I’m far from Salamanca, 900 kilometres in Fact. It’s a funny life drifting between two worlds; you end up being a stranger everywhere. There’s also a sense of relief on arriving at either destination which isn’t simply due to the escape from the impersonal ordeal that is modern travel; there are always the things you’ve missed whichever country you’re returning to. Read the rest of this entry »
Salamanca plays host to many visiting academics, having as it does one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe. I first came across mention of the city and its university in a story by Irving in a collection of American short stories - an anthology which was, coincidentally, edited by an academic from my own home town of Norwich. Read the rest of this entry »
Got a job? If so, you might count yourself very lucky. Across Europe the employment situation seems to be looking rather “hairy” to say the least, and Spain is no exception. The thing is that we’re usually so preoccupied by the job situation that we forget to consider what a problem employment itself can actually be. Read the rest of this entry »
It was “World no tobacco day” recently, for which the Asociación Española contra el cáncer joined forces with Salamanca council, and the Asociación Salmantina de laringectomizados. It’s always a wondrous moment when the wheezing, malodorous smokers of the world interlock tar stained digits and leave off their vile habit for a liberated, if rather shaky, 24 hours.
