Late Once Again...

   

Cathedral of Salamanca at night

It's been a few weeks now and I finally have my schedule in order and am starting to have a better impression of what my semester will be like. Honestly, a couple of the classes I'm taking may be a bit over my head, particularly in Spanish but I'm trying to approach this semester more as simply a learning experience because I think it is going to be easier to handle it and live on my own if I'm not under too much pressure and stress. That being said, I'm looking forward to this semester and I will be making my best effort to be as successful and learn as much as I can.

 

Cathedral of Salamanca

The other day I went out to shop for some groceries that didn't seem to be available at local stores. It wasn't more than a few mile walk to get across the river to a couple larger supermarkets which were located literally next door to one another, throwing a bit of a loop in the idea of competition. To give an idea of setting, so far I've experienced an interesting variety of weather here. Anything from blue sunny skies and summery temperatures to patchy clouds dropping gentle motes of snow to get caught on a piercing, wintry wind. My grocery outing was characterized by a third type of weather much more closely resembling the dreary, fairly temperate, drizzle of the American Pacific Northwest. Being a gluten free vegetarian there is still a surprising selection of options for me here in the grocery stores. In a local one just a couple blocks away there is actually a small gluten free section and I was able to find things like gluten free flours and sauces during my visit to the larger supermarkets.

A look across the center of town

Although nothing like the beach towns of Mexico or Thailand, Salamanca definitely has the air of being a tourist town, not surprising considering the history and culture that I have already experienced in the span of a mere three weeks. Tour groups can be seen fairly frequently making their way through the historic part of town surrounding the university. With this being said, it is interesting to experience this less from the perspective of another tourist, as I have for much of my other travels, and more as a resident student.

Thanks for reading!

-Tully

Bridge over the river running through Salamanca

Spain

The plane from Dallas-Fort Worth to Madrid

Update number three! I am writing this from my dorm room in Salamanca, Spain. My classes start this Monday, in three days. I am finishing up my second full day in Spain and so far it has already been a wonderful experience. A little stressful at times and definitely a transition but Salamanca is a truly beautiful place. My Spanish is still warming up but I'm sure it will soon get into gear.

 

Cranes overlooking Salamanca

Starlings in the sky in Salamanca

There is a lot of beautiful architecture around and the center of town is very European with winding pedestrian streets and the few motor streets primarily driven by small cars many of who's logos aren't immediately recognizable to the average American. The University of Salamanca itself is approaching its 800 year anniversary and it is visible in many of the building façades looking out onto cobblestone alleys and courtyards. Although I have not yet really taken my camera out with me, the main plaza is gorgeous, as are many of the other plazas and historic buildings sprawled across town. There is, however, a fair amount of restoration going on and some buildings are shrouded in netting and scaffolding. My first full day here was comprised primarily, after taking care of some university arrangements, of wandering the enchanting streets and hidden alcoves and plazas as a few snow flakes fluttered down through the sky between the patches of blue.

  

The view from my window in Salamanca

As a bird nerd I've been enjoying seeing some "exotic" species. There is a nesting colony of white storks on the roof of a historic building in town and I have seen various locally common birds from black redstarts to a European robin and various others.

So far I cannot complain. Beautiful weather, lovely people and an enchanting city have made my future prospects look promising.

Thanks for reading!

-Tully

Another Update, Finally...

   

Squamish, BC

Far from being a weekly update I wanted to finally fill everyone in on where I am at. I am registered for classes in Spain (Physics II, Discrete Math. & Optimization, Statistics and History II) and leave the day after tomorrow. Thankfully I will have a few days to get settled in before classes start once I get there. Hopefully I will soon be including some photos of beautiful Spanish architecture, cityscapes and whatever else I can find.

This past Thursday I returned from a visit to the Pacific Northwest to tour a couple colleges (University of Puget Sound and Quest University Canada). Unseasonably beautiful weather for the majority of the trip made the experience even more enjoyable.

Bridge outside of  Vancouver

I will be doing my best to be more regular about my updates, whether they are simply pictures or if there is anything to report.

Thanks for reading!

-Tully