Each day now we witness some new harbinger of economic doom, whether it’s the plummet in the profits of Salamanca’s biggest shops during the sales, local hotel’s shrinking clientele or the growing number of unemployed in the region. More than all this, however, is the terrifying fact that people are using the expression “these days”. Good lord, what an appalling combination of syllables. Read the rest of this entry »
We live under dimming skies, even Salamanca from across the sparse encina studded hills appears shrouded in the bruised, griseous haze of a smog. But this is only “natural”, Salamanca is a European city like any other - full of cars, buses and other major sources of pollution. Most cities don’t, however, enjoy the advantage of the Mirat fertilizer factory pumping out clouds of toxic waste for the benefit of the local populace every now and again. Read the rest of this entry »
According to G.K Chesterton the most romantic thing in the world is when the trains runs on time. Only someone who lived in Britain could say such a thing. When it actually happens, your typical Englishman is a little unsure how to act; other than the usual exclamations of “Good gracious, the train is on time!”, what we’re really left with is a nagging suspicion that something, somewhere must be wrong. Read the rest of this entry »
Chances are, if you’re on a flying visit here, you’ll be popping into one of the tourist shops along the Rua Mayor. The options for frittering away your euros there are endless. You could, for example, buy a flamenco related item, having absolutely no relation to this region at all, or perhaps a Salamanca university hoodie. Or if you’re really stuck for ideas you could buy a locally produced plate with typical regional decoration. Read the rest of this entry »
