Rick Steves' Europe

HI, I'M RICK STEVES, BACK WITH MORE OF THE BEST OF EUROPE. THIS TIME WE'RE IN CASTILE, IN THE HEART OF SPAIN, EXPLORING TOLEDO, AVILA, SEGOVIA AND SALAMANCA. OL! THE REGION OF CASTILE, OR CASTILLE,

IS THE BIRTHPLACE OF SO MUCH OF WHAT WE CONSIDER SPANISH

THE GREAT KINGS, THE LANGUAGE, THE CASTLES AND AN EMPIRE WHICH FINANCED THE GREAT DISCOVERIES AND RULED MUCH OF THE WORLD IN ITS 16th-CENTURY HEYDAY. WE'LL STEP BACK IN TIME. MARVEL AT EL GRECO, POP SOME EXPLOSIVE PICKLES, WOW! CHECK OUT SPAIN'S MOST AWE-INSPIRING MEDIEVAL WALLS, DROP IN ON A BACHELORETTE PARTY WITH THE LOCAL TROUBADOURS, AND THEN WE'LL SETTLE INTO ONE OF EUROPE'S MOST ENCHANTING SCENES. EUROPE'S IBERIAN PENINSULA IS SHARED BY SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. MADRID, SPAIN'S MODERN CAPITAL, LIES IN THE REGION OF CASTILE. WE'LL START IN TOLEDO, SWING BY SEGOVIA AND AVILA, BEFORE OUR FINALE IN SALAMANCA. TOLEDO'S SO WELL-PRESERVED AND PACKED WITH CULTURAL WONDER, THE ENTIRE CITY'S BEEN DECLARED A NATIONAL MONUMENT. YOU'LL SEE NO MODERN BUILDINGS.

IT'S AN IDEAL PLACE TO SAVOR THE DELIGHTS OF SPAIN

CULTURAL, HISTORIC AND TASTY. SPAIN'S HISTORIC CAPITAL HAS 2,000 YEARS OF TANGLED HISTORY CROWDED ONTO A HIGH, ROCKY PERCH. IT'S PROTECTED ON THREE SIDES BY A NATURAL MOAT, THE TAGUS RIVER, AND EVERYWHERE ELSE BY FORMIDABLE MAN-MADE FORTIFICATIONS. TOLEDO WAS, FOR CENTURIES, AN IMPORTANT ROMAN TRANSPORTATION HUB WITH A THRIVING JEWISH POPULATION. WHEN ROME FELL, IT WAS RULED FIRST BY THE VISIGOTHS AND THEN BY THE MOORS. CENTURIES LATER, WHEN THE CHRISTIANS CONQUERED THE CITY, THEY MADE IT SPAIN'S POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS CAPITAL. IN THE 1500s, WHEN THE CITY REACHED ITS NATURAL LIMITS AS DEFINED BY ITS RIVER, THE KING PACKED UP AND MOVED HIS CAPITAL TO MORE SPACIOUS MADRID. TOLEDO BECAME A POLITICAL BACKWATER, ONLY TO BE REDISCOVERED BY ROMANTIC 19th-CENTURY TRAVELERS. TODAY, WHILE SMALL IN POPULATION AND OF MINOR IMPORTANCE POLITICALLY, TOLEDO REMAINS A VITAL CENTER OF CULTURE, ART AND RELIGION. IT SURVIVES MUCH AS IT WAS WHEN EUROPE'S MOST POWERFUL KING CALLED IT HOME. TOLEDO'S HANDY ESCALATOR GIVES THOSE APPROACHING THE CITY FROM THE BUS STATION OR CAR PARK A SWEAT-FREE LIFT INTO TOWN, PARTICULARLY WELCOME IN THE HOT SUMMER. LASSOED INTO A TIGHT MAZE OF LANES, TOLEDO HAS A CONFUSING MEDIEVAL STREET PLAN. BUT MAJOR SIGHTS ARE WELL SIGN-POSTED. EXPLORE! AND REMEMBER, SOME OF THE BEST ATTRACTIONS COME WITHOUT SIGNS. FOR CENTURIES, CHRISTIANS, JEWS AND MUSLIMS ENJOYED THIS CITY TOGETHER. TOLEDO'S HISTORY IS A COMPLEX MIX OF THESE THREE GREAT RELIGIONS, WITH AN IMPRESSIVE RECORD OF PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE. PHYSICAL REMINDERS OF TOLEDO'S MULTICULTURAL HISTORY ARE EVERYWHERE. IN THE YEAR 711, ZEALOUS MEMBERS OF THE WORLD'S NEWEST RELIGION, ISLAM, CONQUERED THE IBERIAN PENINSULA. FOR SEVEN CENTURIES, THESE NORTH AFRICAN MUSLIMS, CALLED MOORS, DOMINATED SPAIN. THE MOORS WERE IMPRESSIVELY TOLERANT OF THE PEOPLE THEY RULED, ALLOWING CHRISTIANS AND JEWS TO PRACTICE THEIR FAITHS FREELY. WITH CULTURAL TIES STRETCHING FROM HERE, ACROSS NORTH AFRICA, ALL THE WAY TO ARABIA AND BEYOND, THE MOORISH CIVILIZATION HERE IN SPAIN WAS A BEACON OF LEARNING IN EUROPE'S SO-CALLED DARK AGES. MATHEMATICS, ASTRONOMY, LITERATURE AND ARCHITECTURE ALL FLOURISHED. AFTER CHRISTIANS TOOK BACK TOLEDO IN 1085, MANY MOORISH CRAFTSMEN AND BUILDERS STAYED ON, LEAVING THEIR ARABIC IMPRINT ON THE CITY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. THIS LOOKS LIKE A MOSQUE, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY A JEWISH SYNAGOGUE. IT WAS BUILT IN THE 1200s FOR JEWS BY MOORISH CRAFTSMEN. THE DECOR, WHILE ARABIC IN ITS STYLE, COMES WITH JEWISH MOTIFS. THE SHELL IS A HEBREW SYMBOL CALLING WORSHIPPERS TO LISTEN TO THE WORD OF GOD. WHILE THE MEN WORSHIPPED IN THE MAIN AREA, WOMEN WORSHIPPED BEHIND THE SCREEN. 200 YEARS LATER, THE MOSQUE-LIKE SYNAGOGUE WAS RETROFITTED TO BE A CHRISTIAN CHURCH. THE PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE COULDN'T LAST FOREVER. SPANISH KINGS UNITED SPAIN INTO A CHRISTIAN NATION.

THEY GAVE JEWS AND MUSLIMS A CHOICE

CONVERT OR LEAVE. IN 1492, SURE, COLUMBUS SAILED THE OCEAN BLUE. BUT THAT WAS ALSO THE YEAR THAT SPANISH CHRISTIANS EXILED THE JEWS AND SUCCESSFULLY KICKED THE MOORS BACK INTO AFRICA. A SWEET REMNANT FROM ITS MOORISH DAYS IS TOLEDO'S FAMOUS MARZIPAN. SHOPS ALL OVER TOWN SELL MARZIPAN GOODIES IN READY-MADE GIFT BOXES. BUT I LIKE TO SELECT MY OWN. GRACIAS. ADIS. ADIS. A GREAT THING ABOUT TRAVEL IS TRYING THINGS YOU'VE NEVER TRIED BEFORE. FOR YEARS I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THESE FRUITY MARZIPAN AND I'VE NEVER TRIED ONE. MMM, IT'S ACTUALLY GOOD, BUT I'M GONNA STICK WITH THE PURIST. THIS IS THE SIN RELLENO. OH, YEAH, TOP QUALITY MARZIPAN. TOLEDO'S MAIN SQUARE IS THE INVITING PLAZA ZOCODOVER. TOURISTS VISIT TODAY FOR MORE THAN MARZIPAN. TOLEDO WAS THE 16th-CENTURY HOME

OF ONE OF EUROPE'S GREATEST PAINTERS

EL GRECO. BORN IN GREECE, TRAINED IN VENICE, DOMENIKOS THEOTOCOPOULOS -- HIS TONGUE-TIED FRIENDS NICKNAMED HIM THE GREEK, OR EL GRECO -- MOVED TO SPAIN TO FIND WORK AS A PAINTER. HE FOUND EMPLOYMENT HERE IN TOLEDO, WHERE HE SPENT THE REST OF HIS LIFE AND DEVELOPED HIS UNIQUE STYLE OF PAINTING. EL GRECO-PHILES WILL WANT TO VISIT TOLEDO'S SANTA CRUZ MUSEUM. ORIGINALLY AN ORPHANAGE AND HOSPITAL, TODAY ITS WARDS HOUSE 16th-CENTURY ART, INCLUDING A SUPERB COLLECTION OF EL GRECO PAINTINGS. HIS WORK MIXES INFLUENCES FROM ALL THREE OF HIS PLACES OF RESIDENCE. ICON-LIKE FACES FROM HIS GREEK HOMELAND, BOLD COLOR AND TWISTING POSES FROM ITALY, AND THE ALMOST MYSTICAL SPIRITUALITY FROM CATHOLIC SPAIN. EL GRECO PAINTED SUPERNATURAL VISIONS, ELONGATED SAINTS STRETCHED BETWEEN EARTH AND HEAVEN. HE PAINTED SOULS, NOT BODIES. FACES FLICKER LIKE CANDLES. THOROUGHLY MODERN IN ITS DISREGARD OF REALISM, HIS ART FEELS CONTEMPORARY EVEN TODAY. THIS ALTAR PIECE, FINISHED ONE YEAR BEFORE EL GRECO'S DEATH, IS A CULMINATION OF HIS INIMITABLE STYLE. IT COMBINES ALL HIS SIGNATURE ELEMENTS TO EXPRESS AN OTHER-WORLDLY EVENT. WHILE ON EARTH THE CITY OF TOLEDO SLEEPS, A VISION TAKES PLACE OVERHEAD. AN ANGEL IN A BILLOWING ROBE SPREADS HIS WINGS AND FLIES UP, SUPPORTING MARY, THE MOTHER OF CHRIST. SHE FLOATS THROUGH WARPED SPACE, TO BE SERENADED BY ANGLES AND WRAPPED IN THE RADIANT LIGHT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. MARY IS CHARGED FROM WITHIN BY THE ECSTASY OF HER FAITH. NO PAINTER BEFORE OR SINCE HAS CAPTURED THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD LIKE EL GRECO. NEARBY, THE SIMPLE CHAPEL OF SANTO TOME HOLDS EL GRECO'S MOST LOVED PAINTING. "THE BURIAL OF THE COUNT OF ORGAZ" COUPLES HEAVEN AND EARTH IN A WAY ONLY THE GREEK COULD. IMAGINE, YOU'RE AT THE BURIAL OF THE GOOD COUNT RIGHT HERE IN THIS CHAPEL. HE WAS SO HOLY, TWO SAINTS EVEN CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN TO HELP OUT. THE FUNERAL IS ATTENDED BY TOLEDO'S LEADING CITIZENS. EACH FACE IS A DETAILED PORTRAIT. EL GRECO PAINTS HIMSELF LOOKING OUT AT US, DRAWING US INTO THE SCENE. THE BOY IN THE FOREGROUND, POINTING TO THE TWO SAINTS, IS EL GRECO'S SON. THE COUNT'S SOUL, SYMBOLIZED BY A GHOST-LIKE BABY, RISES UP THROUGH THE MYSTICAL BIRTH CANAL TO BE REBORN IN HEAVEN WHERE HE'S GREETED BY JESUS, MARY AND ALL THE SAINTS. A SPIRITUAL WIND BLOWS AS COLORS CHANGE AND SHAPES STRETCH. JESUS POINTS TO ST. PETER, WHO CONTROLS THE KEYS TO THE PEARLY GATES.

THE PAINTING'S SUBTITLE

"SUCH IS THE REWARD FOR THOSE WHO SERVE GOD AND HIS SAINTS." OUR HOTEL, THE RESIDENCIA LA ALMAZARA, WHILE TRULY IN THE COUNTRY, IS JUST TWO MILES OUT OF TOLEDO. THE SUMMER RESIDENCE OF A 16th-CENTURY CARDINAL, IT'S A LUMBERING OLD PLACE WITH INVITING PUBLIC SPACES, A SPRAWLING GARDEN......AND SIMPLE BUT COMFORTABLE ROOMS. FOND OF THE CARDINAL, AND PERHAPS THIS VIEW, EL GRECO HUNG OUT HERE FOR INSPIRATION. TOLEDO, SPAIN'S LEADING CATHOLIC CITY, HAS A MAGNIFICENT CATHEDRAL. SHOEHORNED INTO THE OLD CENTER, ITS EXTERIOR RISES BRILLIANTLY ABOVE THE MEDIEVAL CLUTTER. AND THE INTERIOR, SO LOFTY AND VAST, IS CELEBRATED AS THE MOST GOTHIC OF SPAIN'S CHURCHES AND THE MOST SPANISH OF GOTHIC CHURCHES. WANDER AMONG THE PILLARS AND IMAGINE WHEN THE LIGHTBULBS WERE CANDLES AND THE TOURISTS WERE PILGRIMS. AND FOR WORSHIPPERS, PAST AND PRESENT, THE WINDOWS PROVIDE SPIRITUAL AS WELL AS PHYSICAL LIGHT. MARVEL THROUGH THE IRON GATE AT ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING ALTARS IN ALL OF SPAIN. THE COMPLEX COMPOSITION SHOWS THE STORY OF JESUS' LIFE, FROM HIS BIRTH IN THE MANGER, TO HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS. WHILE THE CENTERPIECE HOLDS THE HOLY COMMUNION BREAD AND WINE, THE ENTIRE ALTAR CONVEYS THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE OF SALVATION THROUGH CHRIST. WHILE THE CATHEDRAL IS PRIMARILY A PLACE OF WORSHIP, ITS SACRISTY AND TREASURY HAVE ENOUGH JEWELS, GREAT PAINTINGS AND OTHER ART TO PUT ANY MUSEUM ON THE MAP. MY SPANISH FRIEND AND FELLOW TOUR GUIDE CARLOS GALVIN IS JOINING US FOR DINNER. ALL THAT ART AND HISTORY STOKES MY APPETITE FOR A SPECIAL MEAL. RESTAURANTE CASON LOPEZ de TOLEDO, LOCATED IN AN OLD NOBLEMAN'S PALACE, OFFERS TRADITIONAL SPANISH FAVORITES WITH A MODERN FLAIR. Mmmm.

guitar music

THE PAINTING'S SUBTITLE

HERE THEY SPECIALIZE IN CASTILIAN FOOD, ESPECIALLY GAME, LIKE VENISON AND PARTRIDGE. AND IT'S ALWAYS ARTFULLY PRESENTED IN A WAY THAT WOULD HAVE PLEASED THE SPANISH NOBLES WHO USED TO LIVE HERE. SO, RICK, THIS IS VENISON. VENISON IS VERY TYPICAL IN TOLEDO. THIS IS LIKE PARTRIDGE. GAME. EVERYBODY GOES...

makes shooting noise

THE PAINTING'S SUBTITLE

SO HISTORICALLY, THIS HAS BEEN A HUNTING AREA? YEAH, OH, YEAH. AND WE'RE DRINKING WINE FROM THE DUORO REGION OF NORTHERN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL, RENOWNED FOR ITS VINEYARDS. A MEAL LIKE THIS IS A FINE WAY TO CAP ANOTHER GREAT DAY IN CASTILE. CARLOS AND I ARE HEADING FOR SALAMANCA WITH QUICK STOPS IN SEGOVIA AND AVILA ALONG THE WAY. SEGOVIA, AN HISTORIC TOWN OF 55,000 WITH A RICH HISTORY AND A FAMOUS ROMAN AQUEDUCT IS WELL WORTH A SHORT VISIT. NEARLY 2,000 YEARS AGO, SEGOVIA WAS A ROMAN MILITARY BASE IN NEED OF WATER. SO EMPEROR TRAJAN'S ENGINEERS REROUTED A STREAM INTO TOWN BY BUILDING THIS NINE-MILE-LONG AQUEDUCT. THIS MASSIVE STRUCTURE, INGENIOUSLY CONSTRUCTED WITH NO MORTAR, PROVIDED WATER TO SEGOVIA UNTIL MODERN TIMES. WHILE LOCALS CLAIM IT COULD STILL WORK TODAY, ITS PRIMARY FUNCTION SEEMS TO BE PROVIDING A BACKDROP FOR FAMILY FUN. MOMMY, MOMMY! SEGOVIA'S MAIN PEDESTRIAN DRAG IS CLOGGED WITH PEOPLE ENJOYING A FESTIVE SPRING DAY OUT. WHILE ROMANESQUE CHURCHES AND STATUES HONORING 16th-CENTURY LOCAL HEROES ARE IGNORED, KIDS GET PLENTY OF ATTENTION.

speaking Spanish

THE PAINTING'S SUBTITLE

THE PLAZA MAYOR MARKS SEGOVIA'S OLD TOWN CENTER. IT'S EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON ON A SATURDAY, AND, AS ON PLAZAS ALL OVER SPAIN, PEOPLE ARE OUT WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS. IT'S PRIME TIME TO ENJOY AN APERITIVO BEFORE HEADING HOME FOR THE MAIN MEAL OF THE DAY, A LATE LUNCH. SEGOVIA'S PLAZA MAYOR WASN'T ALWAYS SO IDYLLIC. IT WAS LONG THE SCENE OF BULLFIGHTS. IMAGINE SPECTATORS JAMMING THESE BALCONIES SCREAMING, "TORO, TORO, OL!" IN THE 19th CENTURY, BULLFIGHTS IN THIS SQUARE WERE STOPPED. WHEN THE RESIDENTS COMPLAINED,

TOWN FATHERS GAVE THEM A MORE GENTILE FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT

THIS BANDSTAND. THE TOWN'S CATHEDRAL STANDS HIGH ABOVE ITS MAIN SQUARE. EMBELLISHED TO THE HILT WITH PINNACLES AND FLYING BUTTRESSES, IT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT FINAL OVERRIPE STAGE OF GOTHIC CALLED FLAMBOYANT.

Spanish guitar music

TOWN FATHERS GAVE THEM A MORE GENTILE FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT

SEGOVIA'S ALCAZAR, OR FORTRESS, STILL SEEMS TO DEFEND THE FAR END OF TOWN. ONCE THE KING'S SUMMER RETREAT AND PALACE, IT BURNED DOWN AND WAS REBUILT. LIKE SO MANY CASTLE REBUILDS IN THE ROMANTIC 19th CENTURY, IT'S A FANCIFUL EXAGGERATION, BARELY RESEMBLING THE ORIGINAL. A SHORT DRIVE THROUGH MORE OF CASTILE BRINGS US TO THE FORTIFIED CITY OF AVILA. AVILA IS FAMOUS FOR ITS PERFECTLY PRESERVED MEDIEVAL WALLS. FOR OVER 300 YEARS, THE TOWN WAS ON THE BATTLEFRONT BETWEEN MOORS AND CHRISTIANS, CHANGING HANDS SEVERAL TIMES. BUILT IN AROUND 1100, THE WALL IS THE MOST COMPLETE IN ALL OF SPAIN. AVILA'S CATHEDRAL WAS ACTUALLY BUILT INTO THE WALL. AND BEHIND THE RAMPARTS, THE PEACEFUL STREETS GIVE A CHARMING LOOK AT SMALL-TOWN SPAIN. THE CONVENT OF ST. TERESA IS BUILT UPON THE BIRTHPLACE OF AVILA'S MOST FAMOUS RESIDENT. TERESA WROTE THE MOST POPULAR SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONS OF HER AGE AND FOUNDED A CARMELITE RELIGIOUS ORDER. PILGRIMS VENERATE THE SAINT IN THIS GILDED CHAPEL. A CASE FULL OF RELICS INCLUDES TERESA'S FINGER, COMPLETE WITH A FANCY RING. LOCAL NUNS COOKED UP THE TOWN'S FAMOUS PASTRY AND NOW ANYONE VISITING AVILA ENJOYS ITS YUMMY YEMAS. THESE PASTRIES ARE LIKE A SOFT-BOILED EGG YOLK, COOLED AND SUGARED. SO IN SPAIN, EVERY TOWN HAS ITS SPECIALTY. IN AVILA, IT'S YEMAS. THAT'S NICE. NO? THAT'S GOOD. HEADING EAST FROM AVILA, YOU FEEL IMMERSED IN THE HIGH AND VAST PLATEAU OF CENTRAL SPAIN. IT'S A ROUGH LAND, STEEPED IN HISTORY AND TRADITION. AND HUGE BULLS ON THE HORIZON REMIND DRIVERS, THIS IS THE LAND OF BULLFIGHTING. THESE FUN "BULLBOARDS" ARE ALL OVER SPAIN, BUILT YEARS AGO TO ADVERTISE A LOCAL SHERRY. A ROMAN BRIDGE LEADS TO THE SUNNY SANDSTONE CITY OF SALAMANCA, SPAIN'S PREMIER UNIVERSITY TOWN. SALAMANCA IS MORE YOUTHFUL AND LESS TOURISTY THAN TOLEDO. ENJOY A PASEO -- THAT'S SPAIN'S TRADITIONAL STROLL -- WITH THE LOCAL CROWD DOWN RUA MAYOR AND INTO ITS FAMOUS MAIN SQUARE.

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TOWN FATHERS GAVE THEM A MORE GENTILE FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT

PLAZA MAYOR, BUILT IN 1729, IS THE ULTIMATE SPANISH PLAZA, A FINE PLACE TO NURSE A DRINK AND WATCH THE WORLD GO BY. IT'S A STRESS-FREE, MULTI-GENERATIONAL MIX THAT, TO ME, IS QUINTESSENTIALLY EUROPEAN. THE HANDSOME TOWN HALL OVERLOOKS THE SQUARE. WHILE MOST SQUARES HONOR A KING OR SAINT, THIS ONE ALSO COMMEMORATES COMMONERS FROM THE REGION. PLAQUES ABOVE THE COLONNADE DEPICT CASTILIAN WRITERS SUCH AS CERVANTES, WHO WROTE "DON QUIXOTE"; HEROES AND CONQUISTADORS, SUCH AS CORTEZ......POPULAR SAINTS LIKE TERESA, KINGS AND EVEN DICTATORS. HERE'S FRANCO.

castanets clicking

TOWN FATHERS GAVE THEM A MORE GENTILE FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT

ON SUNDAY, AFTER MASS, OLD-TIMERS GATHER HERE TO SHAKE THEIR CASTANETS.

drum beat and clicking

TOWN FATHERS GAVE THEM A MORE GENTILE FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT

SURE, YOU'LL PAY A LITTLE EXTRA TO EAT HERE, BUT IT'S A BARGAIN WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE AMBIANCE, ENJOYING THE FINEST SQUARE IN SPAIN, SAVORING SOME OF EUROPE'S BEST PEOPLE-WATCHING. NOW, YOU COME TO A RESTAURANT AND YOU JUST -- YOU DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH A BIG MENU, YOU JUST WANT A LIGHT MEAL. THAT'S RIGHT. AND THEN YOU ORDER RACINES. RACINES ARE A LITTLE LARGER THAN TAPAS. OKAY. YOU GO TO A BAR; YOU GET A TAPA, IT WOULD BE LIKE A LITTLE, TINY PLATE. EXACTLY. YEAH, AND THEN HERE YOU JUST GET RACINES. OKAY. SO THESE ARE PATATAS BRAVAS. BRAVAS MEANS BRAVE, BRAVE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A VERY SPICY SAUCE. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE STANDARD THING WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT OF JAMN. JAMN SERRANO, MM-HMM. WHAT KIND OF WINE IS THAT? OKAY, THIS IS RIOJA. RIOJA'S FROM THE NORTH OF SPAIN. OH, THAT'S GOOD. RIOJA.

speaking Spanish

TOWN FATHERS GAVE THEM A MORE GENTILE FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT

SO IF YOU WANT A STRONG, SPANISH WINE, RIOJA IS A GOOD BET? YEAH, UN VINO CON CUERPO. YEAH, FULL-BODIED. FULL-BODIED. THAT'S A GOOD WORD. VINO CON CUERPO. LOOK AT THIS VIEW. ONE OF SALAMANCA'S TOP SIGHTS IS THE CHURCH OF SAN ESTEBAN, DEDICATED TO ST. STEPHEN, OR ESTEBAN, THE MARTYR. THIS IS A FINE EXAMPLE OF SPAIN'S PLATERESQUE STYLE, MASONRY SO INTRICATE IT LOOKS LIKE THE REGION'S SILVER FILIGREE. THE FACADE FEATURES THE STONING OF ST.STEPHEN. INSIDE, PRIESTS ARE DWARFED BY THE OVER-THE-TOP ALTAR PIECE. THIS IS A TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF THE 17th-CENTURY STYLE NAMED AFTER JOS CHURRIGUERA. NEARBY, SALAMANCA'S COVERED MARKET IS A MARVELOUS PLACE FOR A CULTURAL SCAVENGER HUNT. HERE YOU'LL FIND ALL THE THINGS

IMPORTANT TO DAILY LIFE IN CASTILE

FRESH LOCAL PRODUCE......SALAMANCAN SAUSAGE......AND HAM HOCKS. HAM, OR JAMN IN SPANISH, HAS A CULT FOLLOWING HERE IN CASTILE. SO TELL ME, CARLOS, ABOUT THIS -- THIS ENTIRE MECHANISM. IS THIS TYPICAL? YEAH, THIS IS TOTALLY TYPICAL. WE HAVE ONE OF THOSE AT HOME. EVERY FAMILY HAS ONE OF THESE. AND WE BUY A JAMN EVERY -- FOR EVERY CHRISTMAS WE HAVE A JAMN. AND WE JUST CARVE IT LIKE YOU DO THE TURKEY. IS IT DIFFICULT TO CUT? IT'S NOT VERY DIFFICULT. DO YOU WANT TO TRY? CAN I TRY A LITTLE BIT?

speaking Spanish

IMPORTANT TO DAILY LIFE IN CASTILE

SO WHAT IS THE IMPORTANT THING? TO MAKE IT -- TO MAKE IT VERY THIN. OKAY, SO THE THINNER, THE TASTIER BECAUSE YOU WANT TO -- THERE YOU GO. THAT'S NOT SO BAD. THAT'S PERFECT. THAT'S GREAT. JAMN IBRICO. THERE. YEAH, THERE YOU GO. THAT'S PERFECT. THAT'S VERY THIN. IT'S COMING, OKAY. ESTE SEOR, UN PROFESIONAL. AH, LOOK AT THAT. AND THEN WHEN YOU'RE WORKING HARD, YOU CAN EAT A LITTLE BIT, TOO. NEXT, FOR SOMETHING WITH A LITTLE MORE KICK, WE'RE TRYING SOME BANDERILLAS, POTENT SPIKES OF SPICY PICKLES. THIS IS AN ASSORTMENT OF EVERYTHING IN THIS ONE BANDERILLA IN ONE GULP. WHAT IS A BANDERILLA? IT'S WHAT YOU STICK ON THE BULL. OKAY, IT'S THIS FANCY LITTLE SPEAR? YEAH. AN EXPLOSION OF TASTE? EXACTLY. YOU GOTTA DO IT IN ONE GO, YEAH. ALTOGETHER. THERE YOU GO. MMM. GOOD? WOW. OH, THAT'S BUENO, YEAH. WOW! OL!

Rick laughs

IMPORTANT TO DAILY LIFE IN CASTILE

MAYBE A LITTLE WINE. A LITTLE VINO?

speaking Spanish

IMPORTANT TO DAILY LIFE IN CASTILE

GRACIAS.

speaking Spanish

IMPORTANT TO DAILY LIFE IN CASTILE

EXPLOSIVO! SALUT. SALUD. YEAH, THAT HELPS. GRACIAS. ADIS. SO LONG. WHOA. A HIGHLIGHT OF ANY VISIT TO SALAMANCA IS ITS FAMOUS UNIVERSITY. THE OLDEST IN SPAIN, IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE EARLY 1200s AND WAS ONE OF EUROPE'S LEADING CENTERS OF LEARNING FOR 400 YEARS. TODAY, WHILE NO LONGER SO PRESTIGIOUS, IT'S LADEN WITH HISTORY AND ESPECIALLY POPULAR WITH AMERICAN STUDENTS FOR ITS EXCELLENT SUMMER PROGRAM. THE UNIVERSITY'S ORNATELY DECORATED GRAND ENTRANCE IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF SPAIN'S FANCY PLATERESQUE STYLE. THE PEOPLE STUDYING THE FACADE AREN'T ART FANS. THEY'RE TRYING TO FIND A TINY FROG ON A SKULL THAT STUDENTS LOOK TO FOR GOOD LUCK. OKAY. UP THE COLUMN, TAKE A LEFT, FIND THE SKULL. THE FROG'S ON TOP. NOW FORGET HIM. LET'S FOLLOW THE FACADE'S SYMBOLIC MEANING. THE BOTTOM PART THANKS KING FERDINAND AND QUEEN ISABEL FOR THE MONEY TO MAKE THE BUILDING. THE MIDDLE SECTION CELEBRATES CHARLES THE FIFTH WITH THE COAT OF ARMS OF HIS HAPSBURG EMPIRE, THE WORLD'S ONLY SUPERPOWER IN THE EARLY 1500s. FINALLY, AS A STATEMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S OPEN-MINDEDNESS, THE TOP HONORS THE POPE WHILE PUTTING HIM IN THE COMPANY OF PAGAN GODS. THIS VENERABLE ARCADE LEADS TO LECTURE HALLS WHERE SPAIN'S BRIGHTEST MINDS GRAPPLED WITH ISSUES RAISED BY THE DAWNING OF A NEW AGE. IMAGINE GOLDEN-AGE HEROES PAGING THROUGH THESE BOOKS AND PONDERING THESE GLOBES. CORTEZ CAME HERE FOR TRAVEL TIPS. THE NARROW WOODEN TABLES AND BENCHES, WHITTLED DOWN BY CENTURIES OF STUDIOUS DOODLING, ARE ORIGINALS. PROFESSORS SPOKE BOLDLY FROM THE PULPIT. IT WAS HERE THAT THE FREE-THINKING MONK LUIS de LEON TAUGHT IN THE 1500s. HE CHALLENGED THE CHURCH'S CONTROL OF THE WORD OF GOD BY TRANSLATING PART OF THE BIBLE FROM LATIN INTO THE PEOPLE'S LANGUAGE OF CASTILIAN. BECAUSE OF THIS, HE WAS TOSSED INTO JAIL FOR FIVE YEARS. WHEN FINALLY RELEASED, HE RETURNED TO THIS PULPIT AND BEGAN HIS FIRST LECTURE WITH, "AS WE WERE SAYING..." COURAGEOUS MEN OF TRUTH LIKE LUIS de LEON BELIEVED THE FORCES OF THE INQUISITION WERE NOT EVEN WORTH ACKNOWLEDGING. TRADITIONALLY, SALAMANCA'S STRUGGLING STUDENTS EARNED MONEY TO FUND THEIR EDUCATION BY SINGING IN THE STREETS. THIS CENTURIES-OLD TROUBADOUR TRADITION SURVIVES TODAY AS MUSICAL COMBOS, CALLED TUNA BANDS, DRESSED IN DISTINCTIVE OUTFITS, PLAY LUTES, GUITARS AND SING. FOR A FEE, THEY SERENADE FANCY FAMILY GATHERINGS.

singing in Spanish

IMPORTANT TO DAILY LIFE IN CASTILE

AND CELEBRATING WITH A BEER AFTER THEIR GIG'S DONE, THEY CAN'T RESIST BRIGHTENING A BRIDE-TO-BE'S BACHELORETTE PARTY. AND THIS FUN-LOVING TUNA BAND, THE OLDEST IN SALAMANCA, GAVE US A MEMORABLE TRIP FINALE BACK ON THE PLAZA MAYOR. THANKS FOR JOINING US. I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED OUR HIGHLIGHTS OF CASTILE. I'M RICK STEVES. UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP ON TRAVELIN'. ADIS. A-HOO! OL! TORO, TORO, HI-YA-YA! WOW! OH!

Rick laughs