Salamanca, Ávila, early mornings, and late nights

We woke up muy temprano this morning. 6:30 to be exact. I grabbed some pop-tarts, put them in my backpack for later use, and we sauntered over to the bus stop at around 7:10.
Thereafter, the bus rolled, and I and most of my companions lost consciousness. We woke up about 2 hours later in Salamanca. We were met up promptly with out tour guide, who was wearing a much-appreciated megaphone around her waist.
She took us through one of the more prominent and ancient cathedrals in Salamanca. I can’t remember its name but part of it was built in the 14th century and the other part was constructed in the 17th century. The edifice was spectacular! One part that really impressed me was the rotunda that hung over 100 feet above the floor. It contained several beautiful and detailed frescos that were lost for a few centuries under a layer of dust.
The next place that our guide took us was the Universidad Salamanca; the oldest institution of higher learning in Spain and most of Europe and alma mater to none other than Christopher Columbus. We searched for the famous frog in the rather large wall in the front of the University, and learned that students in the early years of the school had to sit on the floor for class, so they hired servants to warm their seats before attending class.
After Universidad Salamanca, we headed to La Plaza De Oro, Salamanca’s Plaza Mayor, and were given an ungodly 4 hours to do what ever we felt like doing. Luckily, I was on a mission to by some gifts. Since this was a college town, I was able to find some great gifts for practically nothing. My mission for the day was complete. Unfortunately, that only took us an hour, and we still had plenty of time before the bus was to leave Salamanca, so the three bulls, still zombified by lack of sleep, dragged ourselves around town. We happened upon a tapas bar so Alejandro, who had left his bocadillo on the bus, could get something to eat. That was about as exciting as our trip to Salamanca got.
4 o’ clock arrived with great approval from our group and the bus moved on to Ávila. An hour nap later, we found ourselves looking at the ancient defensive wall that surrounds the city of Ávila, AKA the only thing to really do in Ávila. I had gotten a call from the parents, so I decided to call them back. This was the first time I had heard their voices in like five days, so it was really nice. My dad could not stop talking about St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican; it was apparent that their short trip to Rome was fruitful. I was very happy for them. I’m really excited to see them on Friday when they come to Madrid, which BTW, is the party capital of the world right now, thanks to the World Cup victory. This weekend should be an interesting one.
After I got off the phone with them, Los Tres Toros decided that we had enough wth walking around for one day, so we went to a bar to steal their internet for a little while before the busses left Ávila.
On the way home, I took yet another nap. I think everyone on the bus agreed that ever since we flew into Madrid on July 1st, we’ve been in a perpetual state of mild exhaustion.
Cena couldn’t have come quicker this evening; on top of being deprived of sleep, we were also famished. Dinner was fantastic, but unfortunately, I have no idea what the dish was called. It involved a lot of cheese and what appeared to be tortillas stuffed with chicken.
At around 11 we met up with some of the girls in the group to maybe go to a club that Nate had been talking up all day. The club was closed though, so we ended up going to another barn and an Irish pub in that order. This was nice because it didn’t involve walking around, sight seeing, or anything that could possibly pass for academic. This was just a bunch of young people, getting to know each other a little better, and enjoying each other’s company at the same time.
Now I am sitting here blogging while Nate and I share more music. I’m still very tired. I am poised to get a better night sleep tonight, and I think I will. Classes tomorrow and Thursday, and then its time to see mis padres in Madrid. ¡Adios!