The Little Train, the Plaza Mayor - and Minions

 ¡Hola!

 My last post finished with me waiting to take a tour on the Little Train. 

 I hopped aboard. It hung around outside the Cathedral for a bit while people embarked so I took some more Cathedral photos, trying to get some interesting angles.

 We set off and cruised through the streets of Salamanca. It was a lovely afternoon and it was nice riding along in the train (which is basically a car conniving as a train if you didn't know; all the Little Tour Trains have wheels and drive normally. We weren't restricted to a tram line!).

 We ventured outside the city walls and I had my first encounter with the stained-glass face of the Casa Lis - a building with which I would become very well acquainted and which would have a big impact on me in the following weeks.

 I caught my first glance at the imposing Convent of San Esteban. It boasts one of the three famous façades in Salamanca, the others belonging to the Cathedral and University.

 After a very enjoyable tour I wandered towards the Plaza Mayor, the main square in Salamanca about which I had heard great things.

 I arrived at the Plaza and wow, it didn't disappoint. It's hard to capture its scale in photographs; it really is huge and so grand - yet friendly. It has such a relaxed vibe.

 I drifted down one of the streets leading off the Plaza and observed part of a building being knocked in.

Frogs, frogs, frogs!

 Back on the Plaza Mayor I found a tempting chocolate shop. Some day I will definitely try some of their products - for the sole purpose, of course, of reporting back to this blog...

Cat's tongues?

Chocolate asparagus

 I then started the walk back to my residence, passing some lovely swans, the Pope, the Beatles and a wide assortment of Minions.

 I invested in a coin from the coin press. I'm glad to see they're still about in Spain. In France they seem to be rapidly dying out in favour of souvenir medal dispensers where you just pay for the medal. For me they can't match the appeal of turning a piece of small change into a tiny marvel using your own strength.

The famous Frog

Like the Perpignan Sanch Procession, Salamanca has its Holy Week parade with pointed hoods.

 That was my first day in Salamanca! I hope you've enjoyed exploring the city with me. In my next post I'll be sharing some of the flora and fauna which is present in Salamanca (besides Minions).

 Thanks for reading!

 Liz x