Continuing our tour of Spain’s splendid hotels, we check out of our Cácares palace and set off for our Salamanca convent. St Stephen’s (San Esteban) is a fitting end to the Spanish portion of our holiday as we cross into Portugal on Thursday.
Our drive today is the most boring, the only day we have to succumb to motorway throughout, although it’s still empty, and at least it’s a speedy (not a speeding, I hasten to point out) journey. It’s also the first overcast day since we arrived, a welcome relief to have only twenty degrees, but before long it is back to the sunshine and low thirties. There’s some good scenery of course, and we do ascend to a plateau at 1200m for a good while before dropping somewhat later in the drive. As we drive we notice huge bird’s nets on pylons, despite the foils created by the ‘leccy company, later on we will get even closer to these, just like we’ve noticed before travelling in Alsace. Under two hours and we’re checking into Hospes Palacio de San Esteban, and then setting off on our tour of the city.
Salamanca is a university town rather like Oxford or Cambridge, indeed educating since 1134 it sits between the two age-wise. In terms of splendid buildings however, I would say it probably surpasses both English competitors. Not just university buildings either. From our room we can see the church attached to our convent, the two conjoined cathedrals nearby and any number of stunning ancient buildings. We can also see the huge nests - storks.
We construct a route around yet another UNESCO old town to take in as much as possible, including Plaza Mayor, which is uncannily like St Mark’s Square in Venice except that it is square rather than oblong, before finishing at the cathedrals to marvel at the wonderful C12 old one and the C16 - C18 new one. The latter is as one would expect, more grand than the former, but both are spectacular.
After a minor dead-end adventure where the university appears to be renovating, we find our way down to the Roman bridge, not a patch on Córdoba, and then it’s a short journey back to our convent. We plan to take a dip, and then before long it’s yard-arm o’clock. The arrogant pool-side bar-boy needs an attitude correction, but otherwise it’s a lovely relaxing few hours of swim / sun / rosé ... repeat!
Dinner is booked for 21:00 as seems to be usual in Iberia, even rather early for some. We dash out to find a postbox beforehand, which turns into a saga, but we’re only ten minutes late returning. The quad is beautifully set up for dinner, just ten covers for the Maître D’ and his assistant to cope with, which they do with perfection. We start with some clarification, as there’s a starter called marinated prey, obviously I need to know what prey, however this turn out to be carpaccio, so I’m “game” for that anyway! Hubby has lobster pasta for his. They are both delicious, the pasta naturally sweet from caramelised roasted garlic yummy
Moving on, hubby’s lamb is billed as “suckling” a term used for young pork, but I can tell it’s just belly, or breast as this cut gets called when used in lamb, it’s excellent, once the excess fat is discarded. Meanwhile I’m on vermin - not exactly, but my pigeon is fabulous, two almost raw (as they should be) breasts, two legs and, the unusual bit, two wings. Normally I’m not a wing-man, but the bicep part (if it were human) is slightly crispy and really tasty. Served on risotto flavoured with cocoa it’s an excellent dish too.
We’re on a localish wine, the Md’ beamed when I choose this, indeed it’s so good an extra half is required, which being a different vintage provides a great vertical tasting experience,
Puddings were equally incredible, hubby’s chocolate forest - pink (this new natural pink chocolate, also found as a treat in our room) sponge plus a white chocolate ganache. Mine, foam and soap was the translation but I think soap and suds sounds better, was really a fabulous tiramisu!
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