Our days were full in Salamanca (and have been since we left). In Salamanca we woke at 7:30 for class at 9. We ate lots of pancakes (every morning for 2 weeks) and boy, do we miss them. They were really tasty. We were in grammar class from 9-11 and culture classes from 11:30-2. The second week, I (Kari) didn´t go to grammar class in the morning. The director of the school was really flexible and set me up with an individual class for an hour each evening, which was really helpful. I´ve been practicing for a Spanish language competency exam. It´s challenging with sections for listening, reading comprehension, grammar, colloquial expressions and writing. I´ve been having fun with it. Call me a nerd, but I like to study and take tests :). I´m not sure when I´ll actually take the test since it´s only offered a couple of times a year in select locations.
Another highlight of Salamanca was our intercambio with Cris. She´s 26 and works with at-risk youth. She´s learning English and we´re learning Spanish. We spent a lot of evenings together walking around and talking. She´s likes camping and traveling and is interested in environmental issues. It was fun to meet a kindred spirit in Spain. It was fun getting to know each other and about each other´s cultures. We´d speak in Spanish for a while and then in English. If you´re every trying to learn a language I recommend having an intercambio (exchange) with a native speaker.
Another interesting thing that Chad did was visit with the local Rotary Club. Here´s a piture of him exchanging flags with the Salamanca club.
The weekend that we were in Salamanca we spent doing what the locals do... relaxing in the park. Well, we weren´t playing soccer or cards or swimming, but we had a picnic and read most of the day. Ángela made a tortilla española (Spanish tortilla is an egg and potato omelette) and a salad for us and packed them up with a bottle of tinto de verano (a refreshing carbonated wine). Other than that, we exercised a bit and went to see a Brazilian movie in Spanish.
Our last weekend in Salamanca, Tom and Nancy (Chad´s parents) arrived on Friday, and we gave them a brief tour of the city. We ate lunch together, and then in the evening, we went out on the town. Salamanca´s week-long yearly festival started that night, and as part of the celebration, restaurants around town set up stands in the street and sell drinks with tapas (small appetizers that are served with drinks). We sampled a lot of different kinds... though no pig´s snout with them.
We also went to a small restaurant that I used to like for more tapas and sangría. It´s a place that they say the famous author of Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes, frequented. There´s a plaque of him behind the bar.
As we were leaving, around 1 am, there was a crowd of people on the square. Men were playing the flute and a drum, while couples of all ages (many well over 60) danced a traditional dance with the men clacking the castanets to the beat of the dance. It was fun to watch. Chad, Nancy and I are still working on the steps, so we can join in next time. Tom will pass on the dancing, but will be playing the drum.
Patio inside the ´House of the Shells´
The Roman Bridge and Cathedral at the entrance to Salamanca 
Intricate carvings on the facade of Salamanca´s cathedral, built between the years of 1400 - 1700 (Talk about a long construction project!) 
A side street leading to the cathedral
The Cathedral at night
There was a poem I read when I was in Salamanca last time that talked about Salamanca saying that it´s ¨donde se queda el corazón¨ (where your heart stays). Well, we´re taking our hearts with us, but I´m really going to miss Salamanca.
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