Midterms, Leon, y Zamora

So it's been a very busy week - midterms! I am taking 3 classes here in Salamanca, which will equal 9 graduate credits, which is really good. However...this week kind of reminded me the main purpose of this trip - for my studies! All of my professors kept telling us these weeks, don't worry too much about the exams, they will be fine. Well...they were pretty tough! i just finished my last one today, and I think I've done all right on them. It's kind of crazy the amount of information we have been learning in just the 3 weeks we have been here.

So, I must update about my experiences of this past weekend. On Saturday, I traveled to the cities of Leon and Zamora. Leon is quite a large city, and I was surprised to learn that it is home to a building by Antoni Gaudi, an incredible Catalan architect of the 20th century. It's one of his earlier works, and it's neogothic. They also say that it has one of the most beautiful cathedrals of Spain. Indeed, it was a very impressive and beautiful cathedral, built in the 1500's. What is most memorable about this Catedral is the beautiful stained glass found throughout the interior. It is important to notice the distinctive features of each Catedral, as every city in Spain (and most of Europe, for that matter) has a beautiful Cathedral. Also, there is the Pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela, which is a long walk (a couple of months) across northern Spain towards Santiago, in Galicia, and it passes through here. You will frequently see backpackers and pilgrims (people on a religious journey) passing through Leon.

Leon is also home to the Capilla de San Isidro, a church that was built by the Romans about 1000 years ago. It is really well-preserved and well worth the visit.

Zamora is a significantly smaller city, and unfortunately while we were there, most everything was closed, but we were able to visit the Catedral briefly. While we were in both cities, we were able to see 2 weddings take place! It was special to see brief glimpses of these events, and made for very good people-watching! Both brides we saw were beautiful, and also, it's quite a fashion show to check out the guests. Both the men and women get dressed up very formally, with their hair done, very high heels for the ladies, and very beautiful dresses and suits.