When I return from a trip my Mom asks me the same question: “Don’t you get lonely eating alone?” It’s true, eating can be a social activity. That is the essence of going out for tapas, or tapeo, in Spain. It’s a communal experience. You share plates with your friends and family. Thankfully a tapas tour allows a solo traveller to get a taste of this tradition with borrowed friends for an evening. The photos below are from my fun tapas and flamenco tour in Madrid with Isabel from Devour Tours. Tapas aside, my Mom’s question is not about sharing food, but sharing a table at a restaurant. In truth,…

I arrived late in the day in Ávila. The medieval walled town was a short train ride from Salamanca and I planned to stay the night. My tardy arrival meant it was too late to climb the wall. Plus, I left my climbing rope, helmet and carabiners at home. I jest. Nowadays, the gates are always open in Ávila. I entered through one of the 9 openings in the thick stone wall. You don’t enter by tossing a rope over the wall and hoisting yourself up. It’s 12 metre high. Surely that can’t be safe? Would you even be allowed to scale a 12th century wall? All good questions. One…

My tour guide Maria pulls a set of keys from her pocket. We’ve walk up to an iron gate. It’s about 8 pm. There is only a trace of indigo in the sky. She opens the gate and the three of us walk through. We are in an open area surrounded by stone walls, but it’s hard to see anything in the darkness. Maria opens a metal panel on the wall and I hear some clicks. Nothing happens. The other woman on the tour, Juana from Seville, shines her iphone flashlight at the panel. Maria tries another switch and the lights go on. Olé! I still have no idea where…

It was Saturday afternoon. The entrance to Salamanca’s University was packed. Packed with tour groups like the one I was in and other visitors craning their necks to inspect the detailed facade of the graceful stone building. The facade is a feast of mythical creatures, archbishops, kings and queens, busts and skulls, decorative foliage, coats of arms. It warrants a good inspection. It’s a fascinating scene. But there was something specific people were searching for. A frog. Una rana. The frog is considered a good luck charm. If, only if, you can spot it without assistance. It doesn’t count if you have help. Some hopeful students search for it before…

Less than 2 hours by high speed train from Madrid, across the barren plains of Castilla y León, I arrived in the city of Salamanca. Nicknamed the Golden City (La Dorada), this university town practically glows thanks to the unique ochre stone of its buildings. (The golden sandstone is quarried from the nearby village of Villamayor.) Entering the historic area it’s easy to see Salamanca is very beautiful. Besides the radiance of the stone, there is an insane amount of intricate carvings on the buildings – on facades, rooftops, window ledges, cornices and columns. Everywhere. More than pretty stonework, the city is brimming with history so I signed up for…