Activities in Salamanca

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Festivals 2010 arrive to Salamanca!

Friday, August 27th, 2010

From 7th to 15th September, Salamanca’s streets will be full to bursting with residents, Spanish students and tourists here to celebrate the city’s festival in honour of Virgen de la Vega, the patron of Salamanca.

Click the image to download the 2010 Salamanca festival programme!

There’s an incredible amount planned for the week – from pop concerts in the Plaza Mayor (including Marta Sanchez, a Spanish hit), jazz recitals in Patio de las Escuelas (where the “lucky frog” is) and theatre (top broadway muscial “Chicago” in the Liceo Theatre) to the casetas (little huts belonging to the bars which sell tapas, typical Spanish food, drinks…) and street art (an international festival with acts roaming the city having arrived from a multitude of European countries…).

In the Mester reception you can pick up the programme (you can also download from the bottom of this page); here we pick out a selection of highlights for you:

Starting with music, the biggest act coming to the city is probably that of Marta Sanchez, a pop singer who’s hit “Colgando en tus Manos”, with Carlos Baute, stayed at number one for many weeks in Spain not so long ago! She’ll be playing in the Plaza Mayor at 10pm on Saturday 11th September, promising a great turn out and some ballads you’ll surely recognise!

Next up on the music scene is British group The OysterBand, who’ll play at 9pm in the Plaza Mayor as part of the Celtic Night organised on Wednesday 8th September. The night will also feature Castilla la Mancha’s Judith Mateo.

Something a little bit different and unique to this festival is the presentation of an award to Vicente del Bosque, the manager of the Spanish football team which won the World Cup this year. He’ll be presented with the title of “Hijo Predilecto de la Ciudad de Salamanca” in the Plaza Mayor on Saturday 11th at 12.30pm, an event which will bring together all the football fans of the city and will provide yet another excuse for the Spanish people to celebrate their win.

If you enjoy theatre you won’t be disappointed. One of the hottest shows of today, the musical Chicago, is at the Liceo Theatre – a must see!

Staying with theatre, the ferias will be including a mini-festival in the programme: Festival Internacional de Artes de Calle (an international street theatre festival!). The actors and performers will be doing their unique shows throughout the city. By downloading the programme you’ll be able to find out the exact timetable of when and where to find them. Highlights include Spasmo Teatro and the Little Band, who have been here before and have even made it to television – be sure not to miss it!

The festival is a great chance to enjoy a wonderful week in Salamanca, with a great atmosphere and plenty to do!

So enjoy the festival (which will start with a bang thanks to the stunning firework display planned for Tuesday 7th at 10pm on the Roman Bridge!), take lots of pictures and make the most of this special week in Salamanca!

Click here to download the 2010 Festival programme and plan your week!

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Tags: Activities in Salamanca, ferias salamanca, festivals salamanca

A weekend in the city! Spend it in Salamanca!

Friday, March 5th, 2010

What are you going to do this weekend? If you’ll be in Salamanca then surely you’ve got a lot planned? There’s so

Cultural Schedule

much to do! In fact for the whole month, you could do something different every day and never be bored!

Divers

If you’re into art, then there’s a selection of new exhibitions starting in DA2. Though you’ll have to wait until the 30th March, the exhibition “Artic Hysteria” is definitely worth the wait. New and up and coming artists, as well as some very well known ones, all from Scandinavia, will be displaying their work, all of which is a little strange and challenges our conception of utopia, the future, dreams, failure and the paranormal. Fear, solitude and conflicts in the state of mind play a central theme in this exciting exhibition which is as unique as it is stunningly memorable.

The white rabbit??

Staying with the art theme, there are some other exhibitions starting in DA2 (a venue with a story itself! It used to be a jail!). Juan Zamora’s “Where one sun” will be there until 2nd May – a strange collection of controversial cartoons, composed using materials as basic as pen and pencil. Also in DA2 is “Merrie Melodies“, a drawing and video exhibition from a collection of artists from 1931-1969, the Golden Age of animation for children. Telling stories through drawings, these iconic pictures will certainly make for a good afternoon’s entertainment!

If you’re more interested in music, however, then a concert of Estopa, on their Gira X tour, will surely appeal! They’ll be coming to the Multiusos Sanchez Paraíso venue on the 26th March and for 25 Euros, you can go see them. With a new style, their music is upbeat and you’ll certainly recognise a few songs from the radio and nights out in Spain.

In fact it’s a busy month for music in Salamanca – as well as Estopa, Bilbao’s Fito & Fitipaldis will also be coming to the Multiusos venue. Hits include “Antes de que cuente a diez” and they currently hold more than four months in the top ten of top sellers. Furthermore, they’ve been nominated as the “best rock album” and some recent music awards! High praise, no?

Tricicle

For something a little quieter, however, then why not see what’s new in theatre? On Friday and Saturday 9th and 10th of April, the Garrick tricicle will be coming to the CAEM. For only 16 Euros, you can enjoy a great comedy. David Garrick is an English 18th century actor, so talented in comedy that doctors recommended his acts as a magic remedy! It is said now that children laugh up to three hundred times per day, whilst adults laugh only 15 times! Something we have to change! So go and see Joan Garcia, Paco Mir and Carles Sans in this briliant comedy act and have some fun!

If you’ve not found anything which appeals to you here, or if you have yet want more information, then download the full culture programme for March here! And make the most of you time studying Spanish in Salamanca, it’s there to be taken advantage of! To follow our activties, see our Google Calendar for events in Salamanca

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Tags: Activities in Salamanca, spanish course in salamanca, things to do Salamanca

Churros and a dinner at Mester!

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

The activity season’s in full swing at Mester Spanish schoool Sand it’s mainly revolving around food! On Tuesday 2nd March, the students at Mester enjoyed a hearty breakfast of churros and chocolate – a typically Spanish snack made from something similar to waffle mixture. Though not incredibly healthy, churros are certainly delicious! In fact, when the weather’s cold – as it is in Salamanca now! – the churrerías (the places to buy the churros) are often packed, with long queues of hungry customers!

girls enjoying their churros

so many churros!

We’ve got several groups at the school who all enjoyed the breakfast surprise, including a group from Torino in Italy. Having travelled from the IMS Regina Margherita, the group are here doing a Spanish course and enjoying Spanish life in Salamanca.

Taste it!

enjoying breakfast!

We also have a group of teachers here, who enjoyed the churros and chocolate too! Coming also from Italy, they’ve come with many students in tow (in fact there’s a group of 41!). Group Spanish programmes, once again, proving to be very popular at Mester Spanish school Salamanca. We’re sure the teachers Paola Villa, Mila Folch Berti, Francesca Marcozzi and Emanuela Cassinari would agree!

The activities such as the churros and chocolate are a great way to get an idea of what Spanish life is and how the people here live. It’s a cultural experience, is a great way to make friends, have interesting conversations and enrich your language learning trip.

Another recent activity has been the meal our Spanish students went on! This is a fun tapas tour around the city, giving the students the chance to try a whole host of Spanish food – from tortilla española to a rich paella to croquetas! Should you decide on doing a Spanish course here at Mester, then our activity programme’s a must! You can enjoy the free activities every night – films, art conferences, history talks for example…An excursion at the weekend (the beach in Portugal, Madrid, Segovia…) and a couple of fun nights out during the week (typical Spanish meal, tapas tour through the city, the welcome party at Camelot…). These activities will be the highlight of your trip – doing something new, meeting new people and seeing your Spanish improve with every day!

even a Dj on the night!

students with teacher Francesco

The churros and chocolate are a much loved tradition at Mester and we’re glad to say that for any students looking to come to the school to do a Spanish course, they can look forward to having this gorgeous Spanish breakfast one day in the week!

What we’d like to know is – what other activities would you like to see organised by our Mester Spanish school? Make us your friend on Facebook and let us know!

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Tags: Activities in Salamanca, churros, mester dinner

What’s New in Salamanca for 2010?

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Now we’re in the New Year , there’s a whole host of new activities and events that have come to Salamanca – ideal for those doing a Spanish course in the city who will benefit from the cultural insight and have a chance to use the Spanish they learn in their Spanish school outside of the classroom.

When are you free?

There really is something for everyone – from theatre to art exhibitions and dance to concerts. Some is of a very Spanish nature (the flamenco show of “Flamenco en 4 Estaciones” for example) whilst some of are a more international nature (“El Holandés Errante” for example – a Czech opera from Prague). So whatever it is you feel like seeing, Salamanca´s activity programme have something for you.

A new production to Salamanca!

Something we would advise not missing out on, however, would be the aforementioned flamenco show. “Flamenco en 4 Estaciones” gives a real image of this dance-art as fun, accessible and enriching musical expression. For children, it is an ideal introduction to an art form which really could change their life!

The most traditional of Spanish dances!

Another highlight of the recent activity programme is the Erwin Olaf exhibition at the DA2 gallery. The Dutch artist presents “Darts of Pleasure” – a selection of his best work from 1984 to 2009. Described as classic, contemporary, ironic, transgressive (and much more) – it would seem he is an artist not easily defined. His impacting photography reflects our conception of identity, fashion, consumerism and other major themes in today´s ever changing world. Having been given the whole ground floor of DA2, Erwin Olaf is an important artist with something to say and until 21 February, you can find out what.

Staying with art, why not check out a product of the University of Salamanca’s Bellas Artes faculty, Pablo García. His show, Desideratum, is also showing at DA2 – this time until 24 January. He presents us with a selection of photo-paintings, texturized on canvas. His art searches for the sinister aspects of day to day imagery – with rabbits and batman featuring in his work, it´s surely like nothing you´ve seen before!

If exhibitions aren´t for you, however, then there is still plenty going on in Salamanca to entertain you! “Me Llamo Rachel Corrie” (My Name is Rachel Corrie) is showing at the Liceo Theatre and tells the story of a North American lady who travelled to Palestine and was subsequently killed. Considered a martyr by some yet a traitor by the American people, this true story discovered through her personal diary and e-mails and is something to remember.

A tense true story

So whatever it is you feel like doing outside of class time, take advantage of the cultural programme – it´s a great way to meet like-minded people and open your eyes to new cultures!

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Tags: Activities in Salamanca, Study Spanish in Salamanca, things to do Salamanca

Autumn 09 Activities Program in Salamanca!

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

It’s cold outside but there’s more than one good reason to wrap up and get out the house in Salamanca! There’s a great selection of activities and events on offer right through Autumn and into the winter – the main problem will be choosing which to go to, there are so many!

The Culture Aquí programme provides a thorough guide to exactly what you can find where in the city and here we give you our top selection which you should most definitely not miss! It’s a great chance to get an idea of Spanish culture if you are here studying in Spain – with not just the typical music and art, but dance, theatre and monologues too…All activities which would make any language learning trip ever the more memorable!

Our first selection is flamenco from Eva Yervabuena. Awarded the National Dance Prize in 2001 and armed with a new show “Lluvia“, dance lovers from all over the region can enjoy a spectacle set to make great impact. The show will take place on 27th December in the CAEM theatre and for just 15 Euros, spectators can enjoy 1’5 hours of Eva’s special version of typical Spanish dance.

Download Salamanca program 09 Clicking on image!

Staying with music, but moving to a different theme, we highlight the international Opera of Carmen, which will be shown in Salamanca’s CAEM on the 15th November with entry price set between 15 and 20 Euros. It will be the National Spanish Dance Company performing, with music specially composed for the occasion by famed guitarrist José A. Rodriguez. An opportunity not to miss, the Carmen opera is a classic for all ages to enjoy, whether the spectators be opera fanatics or not.

Famous opera arrives to Salamanca!

Moving to cinema now, we recommend anyone with an interest in Spanish film and history to check out the “Tristina” showing in the Liceo Theatre on 22 December. By the famed Luis Buñel, it is a representative film about stunning Spanish city Toledo.

Students can enjoy a taste of Spanish humour with Shown Park on 26th December, Boxing Day. In the Liceo Theatre for just 12 Euros, spectators can see skits of typical Spanish chracaters from the gossiping grandmothers in the parks to the teenagers with their far-fetched dreams. A great and fun taste of Spanish humour, the show really is an eye opener.

Our last recommendation is that of Joaquín Sabina, a singer, author, poet and musician famed in Spain who Salamanca residents will be able to enjoy on 20-21st November for 26-46 Euros in the Multiusos venue, Salamanca.

So take your pick and make your langauge learning experience the most enjoyable possible – all whilst learning about the culture of Spain!

Joaquín Sabina (Cantautor famosisimo en España)

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Tags: Activities in Salamanca, spanish course Salamanca, Study Spanish in Salamanca

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