Extracurricular activities 21.09.2015 - 27.09.2015

A new week and new activities with Tía Tula. Here there is all the information about the opportunities to practice and improve your Spanish having fun:

Monday 21, 5:00 pm: Basketball – Come and play basketball in one of the city's basket field. 

Approximate duration: 1h30.

Tuesday 22, 6:30 pm: Visit to the cathedrals of Salamanca – Discover the history hidden behind the Salamanca's cathedrals while having a walk.

Approximate duration: 1h

Wednesday 23, 6:20 pm: Urban exhibition – We're going to the Barrio del Oeste and see the original decorations of its buildings.

Approximate duration: 1h

Thursday 24, 5:30 pm: Music workshop with Elena – Our teacher Elena will take us

Approximate duration: 1h

Friday 25, 6:20 pm: Photography Contest – Photography contest about Lights and Shadows on Salamanca. We will public on our social media the winner picture.

Approximate duration: 1h

Saturday 26 and Sunday 27: Excursions – Would you like to go to León and Astorga? Please ask our secretary for more information and take a look on this weekend programm.

Please don't forget that you need to sign up for each activity at the reception desk (in order to reserve your place). The minimum number of participants required fro each activity is usually three. Also, unless otherwise stated, the meeting point is Tía Tula school. Lastly, if there's no price mentioned in the description, the activity is free of charge. 

Try to participate in as many activities as you can; they are designed not just for you to have fun, but also to improve your knowledge of Salamanca and Spanish culture, and to put into practice the Spanish you have learnt in class. 

Activities 19.1.2015 - 24.1.2015

This week you will have the chance to contemplate a spectacular view over the city from the towers of La Clerecía, learn how to cook paella and converse with Spaniards in a relaxed ambiance in a language exchange. But there is more. Check all the activities we have prepared:

Monday 19, 17:00: Monument Scala Coeli: We will climb the towers of La Clerecía to delight ourselves with its spectacular panoramic views over Salamanca. Approximate duration: 45 min.

Tuesday 20, 18:30: Cookery class – We will learn how to cook a delicious paella. Approximate duration: 1 h.

Wednesday 21, 18:15: Cinema – Come with us to Cines Van Dyck to enjoy a film of your choosing at a reduced rate. Duration depends on the film you choose.

Thursday 22, 18:50: Exhibition - We will visit the exhibition "Destierro/Des-cielo. Unamuno, de París a la República. 1924-1930" on the famous writer Unamuno, very connected to Salamanca. Approximate duration: 45 min.

Friday 23, 19:45: Language exchange - Practise the Spanish you have learnt in class at our language exchange. We will go to a bar where you will meet Spaniards who are learning English. Approximate duration: 1 h.

Saturday 24: Excursion - Sevilla, Granada or Portugal, which one do you prefer? Further information at the reception desk. Don't forget to sign up by 14 h on Wednesday.

Please don't forget that you need to sign up for each activity at the reception desk (to reserve your place, the minimum number of participants required is usually three). Also, unless stated otherwise, the meeting point is always the same, Tía Tula school. Lastly, if there's no price mentioned with the activity, it means it is for free.

And don't hesitate to participate in as many activities as you can; they are designed not just for you to have fun (that is guaranteed) but also to improve your knowledge of Salamanca and Spanish culture, and to put into practice the Spanish you learn in class.

Being on a clock in Salamanca: 36 hours in the city

Some people think that being a tourist is a very relaxed activity and for some it actually may be. However, if you want to see ‘all there is to see’ and you only have a limited period of time, sightseeing might become a race and thus almost a sport in its own right. Do not be fooled, walking around and up and down the city (depends on what city you are visiting) is no easy task. A friend of mine came to visit me this weekend and unfortunately she could only stay a day and a half. Salamanca has a lot of things to offer, more than you can visit in 36 hours (unless you want to be sightseeing from 8am to 10pm without stopping for food).  The 2 things you simply must visit are the Cathedrals as well as Plaza Mayor. However, visiting these two doesn't mean that you've seen it all, it simply means that you won’t be chased by ghosts when leaving the city. 

I prepared a small ‘plan’ of basic things that in my opinion should be on anyone’s list. I didn't want her to feel overwhelmed, after all, she came here to relax and not to run around trying to do it all. The places I suggested were: Ieronimus, Scala Coeli and El Huerto de Calixto y Melibea (if you'd like more information about this garden have a look at our earlier article here).

Ieronimus is a permanent exhibition through the medieval towers of the Old and New Cathedrals where you can become familiar with their construction and history as well as with the interior of the cathedrals as seen from the inner platform. Also worth mentioning are the amazing views you can enjoy from the surrounding terraces and the towers themselves. 

Another exhibition, Scala Coeli, invites you to discover the two towers belonging to the ‘Clerecia’, a building directly opposite to ‘La Casa de las Conchas’ (The House of Shells). The view from the towers is breath-taking and you can see the New Cathedral from a slightly different perspective than you are used to. You will also get to see one side of Plaza Mayor which you are not accustomed to (you might not even realise it is Plaza Mayor at first). 

And as you might be a little bit exhausted after climbing all of the stairs (although it’s totally worth it), you might want to go have a look at Casa Lis, a Museum Art Nouveau and Art Déco, where you can see some interesting collections of glass and porcelain dolls and have a coffee at a quite unusual and charming café. And if you are only in town visiting there’s a well-stocked gift shop which has a different assortment than the rest of the tourist shops.

Although it is nice to explore the city by wandering around, sometimes it is just not possible and then you need to have a ‘plan’ or at least a doable list of things you would like to see and activities you’d like to do. I think that if you only have a limited time to spend in Salamanca then these things should be on your list. However, most importantly, do not forget to enjoy your time (relax) and feel Salamanca’s atmosphere. After all, that’s what travelling is about.