Visiting Castilian towns in 1955
![[Img #89795]](http://el7set.es/upload/images/09_2022/9822_7657_765_thum_6579_9761_img-20210516-wa00012.jpg)
When spending nearly 3 months in Madrid, thanks to a students´exchange, I visited several Castilian towns. I had bought a “kilométrico“, a cheap kind of travelling by Spanish railway. Mine was about 3000 km, second class, and cost 800 pesetas.
My first visit was to Toledo, by bus, I don´t know why, but that gave me the opportunity of crossing little villages and watching mules moving waterwheels, curtains instead of doors, women with jugs standing around fountains and lots of other strange things.
I liked strolling across the narrow, cobbled streets of Toledo´s old quarter, with the high houses and curved black iron bars in front of big, low windows which looked like cages.
I visited nearly all the monuments, but it was flamboyant Gothic San Juan de los Reyes I fell in love with. Catholic Isabel made build this church after having won an important battle against the Moorish, and she decided that her and her husband´s tumbs should be in this church, but later on, after Granada´s conquest, it was changed in favour of this town.
Quiet San Juan de los Reyes, far from the touristic crowds near the big Gothic cathedral. Two months later I returned to Toledo, this time by train, which left Atocha station early in the morning, well, about nine o´clock, but Madrid was still sleeping. The only people you bumped into were the street weepers. There weren´t even any dog owners, as having dogs wasn´t still fashionable. The train had only first and third class, that´s why I paid a little far, but when returning in the evening, I didn´t pay it, as I had spent a lot of money buying some Toledan jewellery. The bench was hard, two windows were broken and the door didn´t close correctly, but I just had to put up with two hours!
On my trip to Segovia the train stopped at small, half abandoned stations, whose master rang a bell, announcing the train´s departure.
After a 15 minutes´walk. I arrived at Segovia, where I got impressed by the huge aqueduct in the very centre of the town. I loved the great many Romanesque churches with the typical Segovian porches of columns and decorated capitels, such as the central San Martín and the somewhat far San Millán. It was neglected San Millán I fell in love with. Today this church, built in the beginning of XII century, is considered one of Segovia´s most important monuments.
I visited the cathedral and the Alcázar, but what I didn´t visit was the famous mesón – inn – de Cándido, where you got – and still get – the best suckle pig. As I was somewhat short of money, I was happy with some pastry and dry figs.
All my trips had just been during the day; in the evening I was back again and enjoyed the late supper with my “Spanish family“. However, one day I started for a several days`lasting journey, as I wanted to visit Salamanca and Avila. When arriving at Salamanca, I first headed the famous Baroque Plaza Mayor, considered Spain´s most beautiful Plaza Mayor. I had a long lasting drink while enjoying the wonderful surroundings, and then went to the tourist info, where I asked for an economical boarding house. I got a room in the “Pensión Castellana“, where I had lunch with bread, cheese and grapes, and a little siesta, before I started discovering Salamanca.
Salamanca, the town of countless churches and monasteries, ot the old and the new cathedral and of the oldest Spanish university, founded in 1218 by king Alfonso IX.
Somewhere at the bottom of the old cathedral, cloth had been put for bleaching on a cobbled street, when suddenly a fat pig started walking across, but it was immediately chased off by screaming women and children. I crossed the river Tormes and enjoyed the great sight of both cathedrals, reflected in the water. On the river bank fishermen were fishing and women were washing cloth in the horribly dirty water.
I was quite amazed about the lots of new bikes – I suppose the students´ones -, all provided with constantly ringing bells. I only had known bikes without bells, that were replaced by loud whistling.
I was shocked, too, by the great many beggars, compared with other Spanish towns.
In the early evening, the Plaza Mayor got crowded by lots of youngsters, and a strange show began, the “Ronda“: the boys, in single file, started walking round the square, in one direction, and the girls, in single file too, started walking in the other direction. As there were several rounds, the possibility of finding someone nice and interesting, was quite high. What an inventive system of relationship!
After having spent nearly 3 days in Salamanca, I went to Avila, where I arrived in the early evening. The town was celebrating Saint Teresa. Hotels and boarding houses were occupied, and I still didn´t know where to sleep, when four girls appeared and accompanied me to a simple boarding house, the “Parador del Rastro“, where I got a small room. Today, the “Parador del Rastro“, next to one of the wall´s gates, the Rastro gate, is quite a luxurious inn.
I strolled across the illuminated and decorated centre and a little funfair, had supper in my room – bread, cheese and grapes – and left early the following morning,
Avila, another town of countless churches and monasteries, but it is the completely preserved wall, built towards the end of XI century by king Alfonso VI, Avila is famous for. I walked to the “Cross of the Four Columns“, placed on a little hill outside the wall, famous for offering the best view on the wall surrounded Avila.
I visited the Gothic cathedral, which is part of the wall, the Romanesque church San Vicente, outside the wall, and the Gothic monastery Santo Tomás, with the tumb of the Catholic Kings´ only son.
There was a cattle show outside the wall; I didn´t approach too much, because of the small, black bulls that were walking about,
When strolling across Avila I didn´t just find churches and monasteries, I bumped into lots of mansions and palaces. That´s why Avila is also known as “Avila de los Caballeros“, the knights´Avila.
Whom I bumped into, too, was a Spanish boy, who several years later would be my husband.
That is the end of my fourth and last article about the months I spent in long gone by Spain of 1955.
When spending nearly 3 months in Madrid, thanks to a students´exchange, I visited several Castilian towns. I had bought a “kilométrico“, a cheap kind of travelling by Spanish railway. Mine was about 3000 km, second class, and cost 800 pesetas.
My first visit was to Toledo, by bus, I don´t know why, but that gave me the opportunity of crossing little villages and watching mules moving waterwheels, curtains instead of doors, women with jugs standing around fountains and lots of other strange things.
I liked strolling across the narrow, cobbled streets of Toledo´s old quarter, with the high houses and curved black iron bars in front of big, low windows which looked like cages.
I visited nearly all the monuments, but it was flamboyant Gothic San Juan de los Reyes I fell in love with. Catholic Isabel made build this church after having won an important battle against the Moorish, and she decided that her and her husband´s tumbs should be in this church, but later on, after Granada´s conquest, it was changed in favour of this town.
Quiet San Juan de los Reyes, far from the touristic crowds near the big Gothic cathedral. Two months later I returned to Toledo, this time by train, which left Atocha station early in the morning, well, about nine o´clock, but Madrid was still sleeping. The only people you bumped into were the street weepers. There weren´t even any dog owners, as having dogs wasn´t still fashionable. The train had only first and third class, that´s why I paid a little far, but when returning in the evening, I didn´t pay it, as I had spent a lot of money buying some Toledan jewellery. The bench was hard, two windows were broken and the door didn´t close correctly, but I just had to put up with two hours!
On my trip to Segovia the train stopped at small, half abandoned stations, whose master rang a bell, announcing the train´s departure.
After a 15 minutes´walk. I arrived at Segovia, where I got impressed by the huge aqueduct in the very centre of the town. I loved the great many Romanesque churches with the typical Segovian porches of columns and decorated capitels, such as the central San Martín and the somewhat far San Millán. It was neglected San Millán I fell in love with. Today this church, built in the beginning of XII century, is considered one of Segovia´s most important monuments.
I visited the cathedral and the Alcázar, but what I didn´t visit was the famous mesón – inn – de Cándido, where you got – and still get – the best suckle pig. As I was somewhat short of money, I was happy with some pastry and dry figs.
All my trips had just been during the day; in the evening I was back again and enjoyed the late supper with my “Spanish family“. However, one day I started for a several days`lasting journey, as I wanted to visit Salamanca and Avila. When arriving at Salamanca, I first headed the famous Baroque Plaza Mayor, considered Spain´s most beautiful Plaza Mayor. I had a long lasting drink while enjoying the wonderful surroundings, and then went to the tourist info, where I asked for an economical boarding house. I got a room in the “Pensión Castellana“, where I had lunch with bread, cheese and grapes, and a little siesta, before I started discovering Salamanca.
Salamanca, the town of countless churches and monasteries, ot the old and the new cathedral and of the oldest Spanish university, founded in 1218 by king Alfonso IX.
Somewhere at the bottom of the old cathedral, cloth had been put for bleaching on a cobbled street, when suddenly a fat pig started walking across, but it was immediately chased off by screaming women and children. I crossed the river Tormes and enjoyed the great sight of both cathedrals, reflected in the water. On the river bank fishermen were fishing and women were washing cloth in the horribly dirty water.
I was quite amazed about the lots of new bikes – I suppose the students´ones -, all provided with constantly ringing bells. I only had known bikes without bells, that were replaced by loud whistling.
I was shocked, too, by the great many beggars, compared with other Spanish towns.
In the early evening, the Plaza Mayor got crowded by lots of youngsters, and a strange show began, the “Ronda“: the boys, in single file, started walking round the square, in one direction, and the girls, in single file too, started walking in the other direction. As there were several rounds, the possibility of finding someone nice and interesting, was quite high. What an inventive system of relationship!
After having spent nearly 3 days in Salamanca, I went to Avila, where I arrived in the early evening. The town was celebrating Saint Teresa. Hotels and boarding houses were occupied, and I still didn´t know where to sleep, when four girls appeared and accompanied me to a simple boarding house, the “Parador del Rastro“, where I got a small room. Today, the “Parador del Rastro“, next to one of the wall´s gates, the Rastro gate, is quite a luxurious inn.
I strolled across the illuminated and decorated centre and a little funfair, had supper in my room – bread, cheese and grapes – and left early the following morning,
Avila, another town of countless churches and monasteries, but it is the completely preserved wall, built towards the end of XI century by king Alfonso VI, Avila is famous for. I walked to the “Cross of the Four Columns“, placed on a little hill outside the wall, famous for offering the best view on the wall surrounded Avila.
I visited the Gothic cathedral, which is part of the wall, the Romanesque church San Vicente, outside the wall, and the Gothic monastery Santo Tomás, with the tumb of the Catholic Kings´ only son.
There was a cattle show outside the wall; I didn´t approach too much, because of the small, black bulls that were walking about,
When strolling across Avila I didn´t just find churches and monasteries, I bumped into lots of mansions and palaces. That´s why Avila is also known as “Avila de los Caballeros“, the knights´Avila.
Whom I bumped into, too, was a Spanish boy, who several years later would be my husband.
That is the end of my fourth and last article about the months I spent in long gone by Spain of 1955.
