Hi, I'm Liz! I am a languages tutor and a graduate of IPML French and Spanish from the University of Manchester. I created this blog to share my adventures abroad - as an English Language Assistant in Perpignan, studying French in Antibes and Avignon, studying Spanish in Salamanca, and studying Spanish and Galician in Vigo. All photos are mine unless otherwise stated. If you use them, please credit Elizabeth Gibson and link back to this blog. Thanks!
For me there is nothing quite like Salamanca's Plaza Mayor at night.
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The light, the chilled atmosphere, the chatter and laughter - and the music. Because Salamanca has its resident musicians - the Tunas. There are two male Tunas that perform in the Plaza Mayor pretty much every night. Both belong to the University.
There is the University Tuna who wear black and maroon and the Medicine Tuna who wear black and yellow. I find the former tends to be more gentle and relaxed and the latter louder and bouncier with much jumping up onto seats and rallying the crowd with shouting and clapping-sticks.
Tunas? What are these musical fish? you ask. The Tunas are groups who dress in traditional attire, play traditional instruments including the guitar, double bass, accordion and tambourine and who sing traditional songs in harmony.
They perform a mixture of upbeat and slower pieces from centuries gone by. They are walking Castillian stereotypes yet somehow manage to sound totally current. They are very talented and entertaining.
I will share some photographs and film from my first encounter with the strange but wonderful phenomenon of the Tunas.
La Tuna de la Universidad
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La Tuna de la Medicina
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I set off home that first night feeling slightly dazed at the craziness - but it was a joyful craziness, and one I was happy to re-enounter night after night in the Plaza Mayor.
Cool shop names
Don't get eaten, runner!
I hope you have enjoyed the music as much as I do.
