Travelogue: Iberian Peninsula (May 24-June 1, 2024)

On the train from Porto to Madrid, we stopped in Salamanca, Spain for a couple days to visit friends. I’ve visited the city once before in the Summer of 2022 and absolutely loved the vibe, especially its intellectual charm and rich academic heritage. Our hotel room was in the Plaza Mayor, the heart of Salamanca and considered one of Spain’s most beautiful squares. What I like most about the city, besides spending time with my good friend and his family, is visiting and learning about the University of Salamanca, one of the oldest universities in Europe. Founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX and recognized by papal bull in 1255, Universidad de Salamanca is the oldest in the Hispanic world; it rivals schools like Cambridge and Padua for being the fourth or fifth oldest in continuous operation.[1] I was introduced through my friend to a student at Salamanca studying Hebrew and Aramaic Studies with a particular interest in Comparative Semitic linguistics; he was especially nice to give us a tour of the building and library belonging to his home department, the Faculty of Philology. Naturally, of course, one must also see the beautiful “New” Cathedral commissioned by Ferdinand V of Castile (pictured here). One final highlight of Salamanca was spending an afternoon eating paella and playing Catan.[2]

[1] The question of the oldest universities is fraught with difficulties, mostly due to one’s definition of a “university” vis-à-vis some lesser form of academic institution (in the abstract sense) where formal instruction in one or more disciplines (e.g. theology) is provided. For example, teaching at Oxford existed since the late 11th century, but it did not take on an organized character until the 13th century. Nevertheless, among the oldest organized universities in medieval Europe are (in rough chronological order) the Universities of Bologna, Oxford, Cambridge, Salamanca, Padua, Naples, Paris (the Sorbonne), and Coimbra (also in Portugal).

[2] Yes, I won at Catan, and yes, I was way too competitive! Also, for the cicerones, the paella paired especially well with Radler (“la cerveza con limon”).