SALAMANCA is a landlocked city in western Spain. It means magic in Spanish. And indeed, it is a magical city. To get in Salamanca, there are daily flights coming in from Madrid and Barcelona. And there are likewise buses coming in from Madrid and Barcelona as well, including those ones coming in from Portugal. As you know, Portugal is bound with Spain and they all belong to the same Iberian Peninsula. As signatories of the Schengen agreement, Spain and Portugal do not install border outposts along their boundaries and travelers are free to cross to each other’s country. So one can easily get inside Salamanca using his or her own car from anywhere in mainland Europe such as France, Italy and Germany. All these countries are also signatories of the Schengen agreement.

The city of Salamanca is a plateau and is considered one of the Renaissance cities in Europe. For this, Salamanca as a whole is instituted by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. As winter is approaching, many visitors from Britain are slowly going to Salamanca. There are lots of visitors during summer but undeniably, there are a few who want to go back here during winter even though the temperature is as cold as their home country and may likely go down a little more than -3 degrees Celsius. That’s one thing why winter is savored by tourists here. They want to stroll around the nice spots of the city without the rowdy crowds of summer. Think of something like a second honeymoon if you may.

And it’s nice to be out here in Salamanca to celebrate Christmas. After all, most companies in Great Britain and all of the United Kingdom give Christmas breaks to all their employees. It’s nice to bring one’s family here in Salamanca, lodge at some three- or two-star hotel and be present at every mass during the nine dawns preceding Christmas Eve. The folks here are highly religious and they can surely appreciate a foreign family diligently going to mass. That’s it if you’re Catholic though. But if you’re not, then merely marvel at the cathedral and other smaller churches here and it’s some sort of spirituality already. Speaking of churches, theirs in Salamanca is designed as Gothic. This was duly part of the Catholic’s desire to convert the natives into Christianity back then and to do that, they have to incorporate designs in the physical structure of the church which reflects the dominant culture among the locals. When the churches were overrun by the Moors, they were converted into mosques and integrated with Islamic designs in the interiors. These were then retained when the Christians reconquered Salamanca back.

Another plus factor when you’re out here during winter is that hotels and motels here are not fully booked. You don’t need to have that hassle going in and reserving for motel suites at a month’s advance. All the motels here are nicely kept, even the smallest ones. They all abide by the European Union standard.