ungkler: Northern Spain: A Pilgrimage and Food Trip

Spain : Salamanca, Zaragoza, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Santiago de Compostela, Madrid, Cuenca

Winter 2025

Visita Iglesia to the Catedral de la Asuncion de la Virgen in Salamanca
(jan, feb-2025)

Travel Journal... Barely made it home to the Philippines for the country's pandemic lockdown last March 2020, flying outbound from Madrid. Here we are, flying back to Madrid, post-pandemic 2025, for a third visit. Third visit is the charm, they say.

January 28, Tuesday: 3:51pm, Etihad Airways check-in counter, NAIA Terminal 3. It was swift for business class passengers, like us (ahem). We were pointed to a separate immigration entry way, soon after parting temporarily with our luggage (...see you in Madrid!) No lines, no fuss, love it!

4:11pm, PAGGS lounge. My attention was drawn to the 'Christmas tree' adorned with lights and 'red ampao envelopes' as I entered. It dawned on me, and after Google confirmation, that our outbound flight coincided with Chinese New Year's eve, and by midnight, "Kung Hei Fat Choi, 2025!" The must-try 'arroz caldo' which I paired properly with Chinese cuisine of 'siomai and asado siopao' befitted the upcoming turn-of-the-year celebration.

Tránsito aéreo de Manila
a Madrid con conexión
en Abu Dhabi

5:57pm, boarding time for priority passengers. Found my seat: 6C, window side. Flight route: Manila - Abu Dhabi. Estimated arrival time in Abu Dhabi: 11:36pm. (Time at Abu Dhabi: 3:26pm) I had eight hours to enjoy my reclining seat, till the Abu Dhabi interlude. I looked forward to Etihad Airway's typical in-flight meal, the 'arabic mezze' - a selection of hot and cold Middle Eastern appetisers. I last had a taste of it on a 2016 trip flying with the same airline. I opened up the Menu, and it was still listed in there. Great!

January 29, Wednesday: 12:19pm, Etihad Airways lounge, Zayed International Airport. Time allowance was brief for the lounge. I was not able to enjoy to fully enjoy its 6-floor lounge. Save for drinking a bottle of sparkling water, and a golf cart-ride to the lounge, courtesy of the same airline-- I remember hearing someone calling my attention, "Madame! Madame!..." And thanking the Etihad staff, "Shukran."

Etihad Dreamliner

1:47am, re-boarding aircraft. It was a Dreamliner. I took to my new seat, 10A; window side. Flight route: Abu Dhabi - Madrid. Estimated arrival time in Madrid: 7:13am. I had seven hours to enjoy my reclining seat, till landing time in Madrid. I was already in a sleeping timezone. I clicked the 'Do Not Disturb' button on the panel, and dozed off to dream land shortly after takeoff... 7:41am, touchdown Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.

My third time in Spain... (Previously, in 2011: Barcelona, Montserrat, Madrid, Cordoba, Toledo, Segovia, Siguenza, Avila, Seville, and Granada; in 2020, Madrid.)

Hola! España. On this trip, we are bound for Northern Spain. Let's go!

Salamanca, 2025

January 29, Wednesday: First stop: SALAMANCA. Transit: 9:05am, cercanias-commuter train from Madrid international airport to Chamartin station; 12:40pm, Renfe high-speed train from Madrid to Salamanca; 3:17pm, taxi ride from Salamanca station to the hotel; 3:26pm, check-in: Salamanca Suite Studios, Room 305 (inclusive of: bedroom, t&b, kitchen, living room and balcony). Room balcony overlooked the Plaza de la Libertad, a town square located in the city centre of Salamanca. Only west of Madrid, winter in Salamanca was unusually biting that January, than Madrid, I had quickly observed. A wool scarf was mandatory.

Room balcony overlooking the Plaza de la Libertad in Salamanca

Salamanca's Plaza Mayor next door was not to be outshined. The square-Plaza Mayor was beaming, radiant with lightbulbs all ablaze at night. The city of Salamanca did not scrimp on electricity to showcase its Plaza Mayor, to say the least. I took various photos of the square, but not one captured the Spanish baroque style Plaza Mayor with justice. I found myself standing over a corner of the square, mesmerized by the grandiosity of it all.