Natasha Pineiros is a student at The College of New Jersey and an ISA Featured Blogger. She studied abroad with ISA in Salamanca, Spain.
It’s true. The more I traveled around Spain, even Europe, the happier I felt to have chosen Salamanca as the city where I would spend 80 days studying Spanish and immersing myself in Spanish culture. Here are a couple of things I LOVE about Salamanca and that stood out to me in comparison to other cities.
1. It’s clean…impeccably clean.
Being that Salamanca was declared a World Heritage Site in 1988, the municipality takes its cleanliness very seriously. When walking around at night, you are destined to find a cleaning van or sweeper. The municipality cleans Every.Single.Night.
2. Salamanca is walk-friendly (but not heel-friendly)
Everyone that I met in the ISA programs this summer (myself included) have been centrally located in housing that is at a walking distance to the Plaza Mayor, the University of Salamanca, and the ISA office. There are only a few times that I have had to take the bus or a taxi to get somewhere (usually because I was carrying luggage).
3. 2 Euro snacks
Although not entirely exclusive to Salamanca, one thing I will most definitely miss about this city is its budget-friendly “pinchos” (or tapas). Every day during my class breaks, I would get coffee with a pincho or a snack down the street for 1.50 euros or 1.70 euros! I will definitely miss these prices in the States.
4. International friendships
I would have never thought I would get to share classrooms with students from all over the world and the United States. I have made long-lasting friendships with students from Turkey, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Chicago, Peru, Holland, France (and more)!
BONUS: The University of Salamanca, besides being a highly-recognized university, is the oldest university in Spain. Its prestige and history is palpable. AND… Salamanca city where ISA opened its first office in the entire world!
Salamanca has definitely grown in my heart and it is truly humbling to have shared this experience with the people I have met here. If you are looking for a place where you can find anything at a walking distance, has an incredible contrast between a historic and contemporary atmosphere, and a place where they speak the best Spanish, then Salamanca is where you want to go!
The world awaits…discover it.