Memories of Salamanca, Spain
Cloister, Convento de San Esteban
In Spanish the expression for “handwritten” is “de mi puño y letra” – of my fist and handwriting. Today I was flipping through my Spanish notebook when I came across a page scribbled with several verses, an early attempt to write a poem on Salamanca. While in Spain, my favourite class was Spanish and Latin American literature. We had a passionate teacher by the name of Juanma (short for “Juan Manuel”) and he was the kind of person who could inspire even the most jaded individual.
Today, ten months after leaving Salamanca, I have finally finished the poem. It sounds marginally ridiculous in English but I’ve provided a translation all the same. Here are some numbered explanations that will help with the references to the city.
1: “Niebla” (Mist) is a novel and one of the most important works of Miguel de Unamuno, a leading Spanish intellectual of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served as rector of the University of Salamanca for 30 years.
2: Guijuelo is a town close to Salamanca, famous for its jamón, the traditional Spanish ham.
3: University buildings and other landmarks in Salamanca are labeled in a distinctive, hand-painted red font. A key ingredient of the paint mixture is bull’s blood.
4: Salamanca is known as “The Golden City” because of the colour of its sandstone.
5: Unamuno and Cervantes, two great Spanish literary figures, are both deeply tied to Salamanca.
6: Unamuno often wrote poetry on the vast landscapes of Castile, extolling the infinite sky stretching above the plains. On my trips throughout Spain, I experienced that sense of wonder firsthand.
7: The Pinzón brothers, or Los Pinzones, were three famous Spanish navigators who sailed with Columbus on his first voyage to the New World. Two captained the caravels La Niña and La Pinta, and the third brother served as master of the Pinta. Coincidentally, Pinzones was the name of the street I lived on.
8: The astronaut is a quirky sculpture by the cathedral entrance. When contemporary sculptors restored the façade, they made up for missing parts by adding a signature of their own. On the other side of the doorway there’s a monster with an ice cream cone.
9: “Napolitana” is the Spanish way of saying “chocolate danish”, and I found the most luscious, most indulgent one of its kind in Salamanca. Filled with both white and dark chocolate, it was the ultimate power breakfast on those cold winter days.
10: A statue of Fray Luis Ponce de León stands in the courtyard where I had class every morning. He was a theologian, academic and lyric poet of the Spanish Golden Age.
Detail, New Cathedral
The cathedral’s west front
University courtyard
Niebla | Mist1
Paseando por las calles | Walking through the streets
La fragancia de pan y Guijuelo | The fragrance of bread and Guijuelo2
Nombres pintados | Painted names
en sangre de toro | in the blood of bulls3
Juventud, alegría | Youth, happiness
Piedras que brillan en el sol de Castilla | Stones that gleam in the sun of Castile4
Si pudieran contarnos | If only they could tell us
sus historias, sus secretos | their stories, their secrets
Sombras de Unamuno y Cervantes | Shadows of Unamuno and Cervantes5
Versos, palabras inolvidables | Verses, unforgettable words
Las noches de baile | The nights of dancing
El silencio de amanecer | The silence of dawn
Cielo castellano, sin límite | Castilian sky, without limit6
Suspiro por todo lo que gané | I pine for everything I gained
y luego perdí. | and then lost.
¿Quién era? | Who was I?
Estudiante, amante | Student, lover
Un hermano Pinzón | A Pinzón brother7
Un viajero, libre | A traveller, free
Si vas a Salamanca, la dorada | If you go to Salamanca, the Golden City
Busca el astronauta | Look for the astronaut8
Prueba la napolitana | Try the “napolitana”9
que comía todos los días | that I had every day
Y bajo el sonido de las campanas | And beneath the sound of the bells
Dale mis recuerdos a Fray Luis. | Send my regards to Fray Luis.10
Façade, Convento de San Esteban
Cloister, Convento de San Esteban
One of Salamanca’s many churches
Nightfall, Plaza Mayor
Plus Ultra 
Salamanca is such a beautiful city! I was lucky enough to study in there too and seeing all your photos brought back some wonderful memories. Thank you for sharing your poem with us 🙂
I really do wish I could have stayed there longer! Those nine months in Salamanca were really the best of times. It looks like you’ve done the entire Camino de Santiago – I’ve promised to walk it with my mum but we’ll probably start the trek at León. 🙂
I haven’t been to Salamanca, but I want to go there.
You would love it Debra, it has to be one of the most beautiful cities in all of Spain.
Thank you for the pictures, they remind me golden days in Salamanca-la-dorada.
I also like the rythm of your spanish verses, thanks for sharing!
PS. Did you have the opportunity of seeing the Foucault pendulum in the Physics department? (view it on YouTube. I had just read the eponym book by Umberto Eco when I visited the place and was very impressed.
I love your posts, they make me travel from my desk – I’m 65! Take care, Lou.
You’re welcome Lou! I felt like the English translation just couldn’t convey the same rhythm, I’m glad you could read the poem in its original state. 😀
Although I was there for all of 9 months, there were a number of places I didn’t get to see – the physics department being one of them! I will have to put that on my to-do list for next time, that pendulum sure is beautiful. Hypnotic, even. Thank you for sharing the link!
You can be 65 and still go travelling, it’s never too late!
All the best, James.
Lovely poem and beautiful pictures! (I actually read the poem out loud and even though I cannot tell whether my pronunciation is correct or wrong, it still sounds lovely!). I really want to learn Spanish!
Thank you Bama! I thought it would be a nice way to break up my posts on Beijing. Spanish will be very easy after learning French!
A lovely poem and notes on a clearly special place and time. Your photos are also inspiring me to visit Salamanca before I leave Spain. Muchas gracias!
De nada! Do pay a visit to Salamanca – April or May would be the best time. If you would like any tips or recommendations, just let me know!
Thank you for another beautiful post and the lovely poem! We did see the astronaut and also the frog on the facade of that church! Would love to return someday for a longer visit.
The funny thing is I never did take a photo of that astronaut – the next time I’ll have to spend a few days wandering around Salamanca with my camera in tow!
Olé, olé y olé !!!!
Gran poesía James, y gran dominio de mi lengua! Muy bello y abstracto, nostálgico y embriagador a la vez, capaz de embaucar a cualquier lector! Un derroche de imaginación, amigo mío.
Finalmente, ya regresé y ahora tendré algo más de tiempo para seguir los blogs, cosa que me hace estar más contento 🙂
Fantásticas fotografías de San Esteban, James. Noto que echas de menos España, no es cierto? 🙂
Muchísimas gracias Javi!! Es una pena que casi nadie aquí habla español, ya me siento que estoy perdiendo lo que aprendí allí, poco a poco.
Sí, es verdad que la echo de menos… creo que descubrí la mejor parte de mi cuando vivía en Salamanca. Nunca me he sentido tan libre, tan seguro en mi mismo… es por eso que escribí este poema.
tengo el mismo sentimiento con mi francés… pero tranquilo, cuando se tiene una buena base de un idioma, como la que tu tienes en español y la que yo tengo en francés, es muy difícil perderlo. 🙂
Ya sabes, que cualquier cosa que necesites en lo referente a mi idioma, puedo ayudarte en lo que sea 🙂
Tight hugs!
Gracias Javi, estos días estoy buscando un trabajo en que pueda practicar tu idioma. Es difícil encontrarlo pero soy optimista. 🙂
Un abrazo fuerte!
En tu ciudad, Hong Kong, o en España?
Suerte, avísame si lo encuentras 🙂
En Hong Kong – un puesto en España sería un sueño imposible con esta crisis!
Completely breath-taking! Loved the photo-essay. You ought to have a photo exhibition everywhere !!! Muy bien !
I wish! I don’t think I’ve gotten to that stage just yet – there’s still so much to learn!
You will do it – I know — your talent is stunning. Your time shall come soon. Cheers, my friend.
Eres de originalmente de Filipinas?
Pues, soy de Hong Kong… aunque es un poco complicado porque soy canadiense también, y nací en Singapur. Tengo muchas ganas de visitar las Filipinas, nunca he estado allí!