The biggest change in Salamanca, aside from the absence of all my IES friends from last semester, is that it's now illegal to smoke in the bars. This is a HUGE deal for a European country - I'm still shocked that it actually passed. Anyway, since the bars are kind of the heart of the social scene in Spain, this improves my quality of life immeasurably. No more secondhand smoke for me!
At the end of my England trip, I took a day trip to Bath. It's the site of the Roman baths and has been a popular tourist attraction and spa resort since the 1700s. I visited the Roman Baths Museum, the Fashion Museum, and went on a FREE tour. The mayor's office hires volunteer tour guides to show tourists all the sights - I was very impressed with the program. They had two guides so that the groups wouldn't be larger than 15 people (I can't imagine how many guides they must need in the summer!) and the tour lasted a good two hours. Our guide was hilarious
This was my first experience traveling alone. I met lots of American guys last semester that were traveling around Europe alone but, since I don't have the luxury of being a guy, I figured a day trip to a relatively small city would be the safest way to go. It was very liberating to travel alone, and very satisfying to successfully navigate a new city and public transportation without anyone's help. However, I definitely prefer traveling with companions. I really wanted to talk with someone about all the things I was seeing - I'm so glad I went on the tour because I was really craving some human interaction! Also, it's difficult to take photos without a travel companion - always a little awkward asking a stranger to take a photo of you... That said, I'm glad I experienced traveling solo - I just don't plan to do it again while I'm here.
Here are some photos from beautiful Bath.
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