Inside the Casa Lis

 Hello!

 If you are a regular reader of this blog you will know that one of my favourite sights in Salamanca is the Casa Lis illuminated by night. I also mentioned it in my Mole Guide to Salamanca on Third Year Abroad. I haven't yet, however, done a post about the inside of the house. That is about to change! 

 I left visiting the Casa Lis, an Art Nouveau/Deco museum, to pretty late in my nine weeks in Spain. I dropped in one late afternoon after having had a good day wandering around the city. I intended to have a quick look and maybe return to tour the Casa more thoroughly if I liked what I saw.

 After paying my entry fee I walked into the main foyer with its beautiful stained-glass ceiling. I wish I could show you but photos weren't allowed. Trust me, it is very pretty; blue and sky-like.

 The Casa has several levels all looking out via balconies onto that foyer. There was an exhibition about Coco Chanel but as I have little interest in fashion I skipped it and focussed instead on the standard exhibits.

 For me Art Nouevau/Deco is a bit hit and miss - sometimes I like it, sometimes I hate it. Generally I enjoyed the work on show in the Casa. There was such a variety: ornaments, jewellery, portraits, blown glass and more. The whole of a large room was devoted to a huge number of dolls, which ranged from elegant to creepy.

 Then there was my favourite thing: collages of lots and lots of old photos. As a fan of the Chalet School, the early installments of which are set in the twenties and thirties, it was fascinating to see the clothes and hairstyles of the time and to know that was how the charcters might have looked.

 I had a break in the little café, one wall of which is the famous green stained glass you see from outside. For me the glass front of the Casa Lis had become a beacon, an angel - something magical and distant. To be inside it was very, very surreal. 

 I chose hot chocolate, which was lovely, and a raspberry muffin which oozed with cream but tasted a bit artificial. Still, it made a decent snack and the whole experience was very memorable.

 I had a last look around the Casa and watched part of a film on glass-blowing. Then the announcement sounded that the Casa was closing. I had a quick glance around the gift shop but didn't have time to buy anything before we were all thrown out into the rain.

 And it was raining! Extremely heavily. Knowing by now Salamanca's propensity for violent electric storms I was slightly scared. I was about ten minutes from my residence and was torn between making a run for it or waiting out the storm in my shelter - a shop that just consists of vending machines.

 I have to say, scary as it was, it was very atmospheric standing there waiting, surrounded by wind and the smell of rain. It was also strange and new seeing Salamanca with nobody in it. I hadn't realised until that point that it was always bustling, always loud. Now all I could see were the buildings, the streets, and all I could hear was the storm.

 When the rain eased off a little I decided to go for it and half-walked, half-ran back. It was good to be safe and snug indoors but the storm had had a beautiful quality. Scary but beautiful.

 So, that was the Casa Lis. I never did go back as I saw everything (apart from Coco) and, impressive as it was, for me the real beauty of the Casa Lis can be seen for free from the outside any night.

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Zamora

 Hello!

 From León, where we had spent an enriching afternoon, our coach took us back down towards Salamanca. Between the two is the city of Zamora, where we stopped for a very quick tour.

 We crossed through a park where a pack of youths sat looking at us sulkily. We refused to let them intimidate us and arrived in one piece at Zamora Cathedral. We didn't get the chance to enter but from the outside it was very beautiful, especially in the lovely evening sun.

 We had a quick look at the River Duero, one of the most important rivers in Spain. It flows all the way to Porto, Portugal where it meets the sea. It made an elegant scene under a blue sky filled with fluffy clouds.

The Little Train taking tourists across the bridge!

 We strolled on through the town.

Clinging on!

 There seem to be a lot of things painted onto buildings in Zamora: optical illusions, art and some poetry, which you will see later.

Viriato, a Lusitaniun leader who resisted the Romans and was kind of an Asterix figure

 We had a tiny bit of free time during which a number of us shot to the nearby Smöoy for some frozen yogurt. I had my usual peanut butter with granola and it was as delicious as ever.

 We wandered back through the streets of Zamora. The light was still gorgeous.

Owls!

It looks like Great Britain minus the West Country!

 Zamora was a nice destination for the final visit of my Spanish summer. I have a few more posts for you about my base city, Salamanca, so stay tuned!

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x