Angela and Roland's European Adventure: Sunday 26th March

It was a short hop to Salamanca from Caceres, just 130 miles, but we set off especially early as we had been advised that it can be very cold and icy here; the city being some 2673 feet above sea level. The forecast also predicted that the weather would be against us so an early start seemed prudent. As luck would have it, the rain held off so we made good time and we were able to pitch and have lunch before catching a bus into the city. There is a bus into Salamanca from the campsite every hour on Sundays, picking up from the campsite reception, which is very convenient. In common with the rest of Europe, with the possible exception of England, public transport is very inexpensive.

Salamanca looked to be a very prosperous town, as have many we have visited in Spain. It is one of the most important university cities in Spain with a very large student population. We have found that the presence of students always creates a lively atmosphere in any city.

The old town itself is contained in a small area, which makes for easy sightseeing. However, having arrived on a Sunday all of the shops were closed. Tomorrow would have been another story as most civic builds, museums etc., are closed on Mondays. As we're only here for two nights, we needed to make the most of today. Another bonus for us was that, against the predictions, the rain held off (yes it does sometimes rain in Spain and not just on the plain), so we were able to enjoy our afternoon without interruption.

One place we visited was the General Archive of the Spanish Civil War, We just stumbled on it really, but it turned out to be very interesting. It originally came about because Franco in the 30s decreed that all documents from political parties and named organisations were the property of the state. In truth anyone that Franco didn't trust was fair game. It is now a part of the National Historical Archive. Although, most of the exhibits were in Spanish (as one might expect) the photographic displays and the artifacts coupled with the limited English translation and our own smattering of Spanish meant that we had a very illuminating visit. Very poignant.

We knew we wanted to the visit the Museum of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, However, even though we didn't know where it was, we needn't have worried as the building was instantly recognizable by it's fabulous stained glass windows. The museum was, without doubt, the highlight of the afternoon, particularly for Angela who was in stained glass heaven. We spent a very pleasant couple of hours enjoying the exhibits, all the more so as there was hardly anyone else around to crowd the exhibits. Unfortunately no photographs were allowed within the Museum but we did manage to take one in front of the beautiful stained glass window in the Museum Cafe.