Food of Salamanca

 Hello!

 One of my favourite elements of travelling is exploring food: not only different dishes but also different attitudes towards food and different ways of eating. 

 In Beijing I saw how a bit of know-how can make simple foods like rice and noodles totally delicious and I wrestled with chopsticks (me against the chopsticks, that it, not me with the chopsticks against someone else!). 

 In Perpignan I made the very most of the bakery culture, soon finding my two favourite bakeries and being mesmerised by the huge range of sweet and savoury snacks on offer. In Antibes I enjoyed the town's chilled way of life and would sit by the harbour with an ice-cream, reading.

 My culinary experience in Salamanca was probably most similar to that of Perpignan: there is the same culture of laid-back open-air eating but in restaurants rather than bakeries.

 I would eat my breakfast and evening meal in the university residence where I was staying and source my own lunch. Sometimes I went to Lidl, though it was quite a walk, sometimes to one of the more central but less thrifty food shops.

 Occasionally, though, I would indulge in one of the many lunch menus offered by the local restaurants. They were generally in the region of 10 Euros and included either three courses or two courses and a coffee. 

 I'm not a big meat-eater, so I was always on the look-out for veggie options. Two restaurants particularly impressed me in that respect: La Luna, where my favourite starter and main combo was courgette gratin and stuffed aubergine and El Aula, where I delighted in pisto con huevo - basically, ratatouille topped with an egg - and vegetable lasagne.

 Here are some photos of various dishes I sampled in Salamanca. I hope you enjoy this virtual banquet!

Starters

Vegetable lasagne

Fruit salad with mozzarella chunks

Pisto con huevo

A weird but wonderful pasta salad with cheese and pineapple

Courgette gratin

Mains - revueltos

(a local speciality made from scrambled eggs)

Paprika

Prawn and asparagus

Plain

Mains - other

Cod, potatoes and eggs

Ham, potatoes and eggs

Cod

Vegetable lasagne

Fish - maybe cod, can't remember

My favourite - stuffed aubergine

Desserts

Flan

Natillas - custard with cinnamon. Really popular in Spain and very nice

Cheesecake

Deep-fried milk - only in Spain!

Profiteroles

Chocolate ice-cream

Rice pudding with cinnamon

A sort of coffee sorbet

Chocolate mousse

Strawberry and cream cake

Snacks

Veggie mini pizza

Smöoy! (Frozen yogurt) Above with white chocolate and Oreos, below with peanut butter and granola

 So, as you can see, Salamanca has much to offer the taste-buds! If you want to see more Spanish food you can check out my posts from Girona, Barcelona, Segovia, León and Zamora. I also have a post in French about food in Perpignan and the surrounding area. 

 Many of my posts about France (in English!) on this blog also contain food: those on Collioure and my first day in Perpignan come to mind. I hope to compile a full list of posts for foodies so watch this space!

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

The road to Perpignan

 Hello! Salut! Hola!

Moi

 Welcome to my new blog! I really hope you enjoy it.

 I want to begin by letting you know how I first got into languages, why I chose to apply to ben English Language Assistant, and why I chose Perpignan.

 My parents speak several languages between them and both worked in Germany when they were younger, so languages have always been respected and promoted in my home. As a kid I was encouraged to watch French videos and listen to French music. At school my brother and I attended various French clubs.

 At high school I really enjoyed French and Spanish but felt my future was in sciences, not languages. I had a loose idea that I would study some form of science at university, possibly genetics, a field that really fascinates me.

 However, at sixth-form college everything changed. I chose to study a combination of sciences and languages and while I enjoyed the sciences very much, it was French and Spanish for which I felt a new passion. The teachers were wonderful and there were many extra-curricular activities to further fuel my interest.

 I think the deciding moment was when I went on a trip to the south of France with my sixth-form. We visited Montpellier, Carcassonne, Arles and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. I fell in love with the countryside, the cities and just the vibe and the way of life.

Montpellier

Carcassonne

 I realised then that I had to make French a part of my life - I had to keep speaking and studying it, I loved it so much.

 Another thing that happened at sixth-form was that I started studying Mandarin Chinese in my free time (which ultimately lead to me visiting Beijing!)

 The language came to me incredibly naturally - I felt totally at home speaking it, as though I'd spoken it in another life. I'd learn a new word and it would make perfect sense although I couldn't explain why. I even wrote a poem about this phenomenon (click to enlarge).

 I was so intrigued by the diversity and beauty of languages that I knew it was what I wanted to study at university. 

 I was thrilled to get into Manchester Uni to study an IPML (Integrated Professional Masters in Languages) in French and Spanish with some Catalan, and I have had two good years there. 

 This third year I have to spend abroad, and I decided to be an English Language Assistant as I like teaching and want to inspire students to continue learning languages after school. I applied and was delighted to get the job. 

 I was even more delighted to get it in Perpignan, a city I had asked for as I wanted to practise my Catalan and Perpignan is full of Catalan culture, as well as being a beautiful and historic city. 

 The fact that it is very close to the Spanish border is also useful as it means I can travel to Spain from time to time to practise my Spanish as well.

 Finally, there is the fact that I love Languedoc-Roussillon, the region in which Perpignan is located along with Montpellier and Carcassonne. I love the peach trees and the golden fields and the erratic weather. I love the mishmash of cultures: French, Catalan, Spanish and many others - the cities attract students and immigrants from all over the world. 

 I cannot wait to reach Perpignan and discover a new part of this incredible region.

 So, off I go at the end of this month. I will keep you updated on my journey which I hope you will enjoy sharing with me.

 Thanks for reading,

 All the best,

 Liz x