#358: Salamanca's Plaza Mayor (pg 259, 2nd Ed pg 264)

 

Salamanca's Plaza Mayor in all it's night-time lit up glory!

We totally lucked out, because the Junta de Semana Santa de Salamanca, which usually only happens once/yr during Holy Week, but was also for some reason happening the night we arrived!  It was so cool.  Each of the cathedrals in town had a "float" (that's my word for it; I'm not sure what it's actually called?) showing a part of Christ's life.  These were carried by dozens of men underneath the float.  Most had candles on them to light them up and most of them had musicians in front of or behind their float.  They paraded throughout the plaza and the surrounding streets and it was truly a sight to behold!

Here are just a few.  

Our hotel (NH Collection Salamanca Palacio de Castellanos, which I highly recommend!) was located directly across the street from a church, so even after we retired for the night, we were able to see the "float" and surrounding fanfare return to it's "home" from our rooms, which was super cool!

The next morning, we went back to the Plaza again.  It was very different seeing it in the natural light without all the crowds and parade.  But also able to soak in the history and details of it a little more.  It's a huge plaza!

Here's me leading our little group in a little history tour telling us all about the plaza.

Plaza Mayor was built from 1729-1755.  Bullfights were actually held here until 1893.

The plaza is known as Salamanca's "living room" where it's residents come to hang out, have a coffee and socialize.

I know this entry is supposed to only be about the Plaza, but it's worth commenting on a few of the plaza's surroundings such as Calle Rua Mayor.

And Casa de las Conchas (to the right with the seashells encrusted onto its facade) with La Clerecia Church to the left.

The inside courtyard of Casa de las Conchas with La Clerecia Church in the background.

Salamanca Cathedral

Climbing to the rooftop - totally worth it!

It's always fun to look down and see the sign of the El Camino since Salamanca sits on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route from Seville to Galicia.

And the University of Salamanca

Try to find the frog on the entrance facade for good luck!

We had a long full day with lots of things I didn't post (since the focus is only on the Plaza) but the Plaza was so awesome that even after a loooong late dinner, we still made our way back to the Plaza just to see it one more time before leaving the following morning.

VERDICT: Yes!  I've been to a lot of European plazas at this point, but this one was truly memorable and spectacular.  It was huge, but still held charm.  I loved the flags, the banners, the lights, the archways, the details, the gelato shop, the history, the cleanliness.  It had it all!  Everyone should experience a European plaza at least once in your lives and this one is as good as it gets!  And if you can purposely (or accidentally 😉) time it to coincide with the Junta de Samana, then all the better!

#357: Avila (pg. 262; 2nd Ed pg 257)

 

Sept. 26, 2026

Avila is known for it's 11th century walls that are still standing and in such good condition that you can still walk on them and get great views of the city.  What a cool entry to a city!

So cool!

There are 90 of these semi-circular guard towers. The cathedral in the background is half fortress/half church as is also from the 12th century. 

My friend and travel partner Sheralyn (Dave and I are ahead of her) just out for a stroll on an 11th century wall....

St Theresa was born here in Avila in 1515. She is now the female patron saint of Spain.

Keeping a look out for oncoming Moors. 

The other "must do" in this town is to try a yema.  In fact Avila is famous for three major things 1) it's Medieval Walls, 2) Being the birthplace of St. Teresa and 3) these yema treats. Yemas are pastries made by local nuns.  They soft boil the egg yolks, then cool and sugar them.  In fact "yema" means yolk.  We of course had to try them.  I'll be honest, they weren't my fav. It was a one and done for me!

VERDICT:  No, you don't need to visit Avila before you die.  The walled city is super cool, but there are plenty of other even cooler walled cities and the yema treats were medi-yolk-er (😜) at best imo, so unless you're a die hard St. Teresa fan, this is a city that you can add to your "if I have time and am looking for a day-trip from Segovia, Salamanca or Madrid" list. 

#356: San Juan Islands (pg 732; 2nd Ed. pg

 

September 2-5, 2026

After flying into Seattle where I met up with my three college roommates, we drove a little over two hours to the coastal town of Anacortes where we boarded the ferry and headed out to the San Juan Islands! (Tip:  If you are just walking on to the ferry, you can likely do this spontaneously as the ferries are huge and there was tons of extra space and seats on our ferries even though we were traveling over Labor Day weekend.  However, if you are planning to bring your car, then I highly recommend reserving your tickets well in advance.) 

The ferry will make several stops at the various islands, but plan on about an hour ferry ride depending on where you are getting off.

We decided to stay on Orcas island.

Our first morning there, we headed to Mount Constitution, located within Moran State Park.  

  At 2,409 feet, there are some great views!

From there, we drove to the trailhead of Rustic Falls and Cascade Falls.

We made it!

You know what puts me in a good mood?  Getting another ✅ in the 1000 Places book so that I can update my travel blog 😉

Then we made our way down to Cascade Lake and walked all around.

After building up an appetite from all that walking, we headed into town and enjoyed a delicious home-cooked meal at Lone Pine Larder.

The following morning, we headed to the Western part of the island to Deer Harbor.

We hopped on a boat and headed out whale watching in search of the famed Orca pods!

Success!

We wrapped up the day with shopping in the fun boutique shops in Eastsound and dinner at Mijitas Mexican Kitchen.

Don't worry, we saved room for dessert!  I highly recommend ice cream from Clever Cow Creamery, which offers over a dozen flavors from locally sourced Lopez Island Creamery. 

And then we enjoyed one last epic sunset from the balcony of our Air BnB 😍

Verdict: Maybe it was the amazing weather or maybe it was the delightful company of dear friends or maybe it was a combination of all of that in this beautiful, remote location.  But it was definitely a winning combo and I give the San Juan Islands two thumbs up 👍👍

I highly recommend!  Well played on this one, 1000 Places book!  

#355: Lake Myvatn and Iceland's Grand Canyon (2nd Ed page 353)

 

Lake Myvatn: 3/31/26 - 4/2/26

As we made our way around the Ring Road, we spent two nights at Lake Myvatn.

We did a small walk/hike through the Hofoi forest, which provided some great vantage points of the beautiful lake.

We also went to Dimmuborgir, known for its lava-formed landscape including caves, pillars and arches.

There are many craters and psuedocraters in the area as well.

We were planning on going to the Myvatn Nature Baths, but unfortunately they are currently closed for renovations, so we had to settle for the geothermally-heated spas at our hotel (Sel-Hotel Myvatn - highly recommend - it was a great place to stay!  Friendly staff, nice large on-site restaurant, includes a delicious buffet breakfast, two hot tubs and a sauna, free hot chocolate/tea/coffee machine in the lobby and more).  

And it was here that we got to see the Northern Lights!

So, so happy we got to see this amazing ethereal wonder!