What will you be doing as 2009 turns to 2010?  If you’re lucky enough to be in Salmanca, whether it be for a holiday or as a student here to study Spanish in Salamanca, you’ll have the unforgettable opportunity to spend the last moments of 2009 in the Plaza Mayor, surrounded by the some 30,000 people expected to crowd the stunning monumental heart of Salamanca.

Can you imagine a better place to celebrate New Year?

The city’s already had their practice at hosting a New Year, only a couple of weeks ago on 10th December for the “Noche Vieja Universitaria” (Student New Year).  This was a chance for all the students who won’t be together for the real New Year to celebrate with the gongs of the historic clock and, rather than the twelve traditional grapes eaten at midnight, to enjoy twelve sweets instead.  It really was a success, even though the town hall didn’t provide the traditional concert of years past, and the weather was cold enough for snow, the estimated 30,000-40,000 didn’t let the atmosphere drop.  The bars also took advantage and were filled all night – many with various themes to help boost the “New Year’s” atmosphere.

First meal of the New Year - chocolate y churros

All of this makes Salamanca really a great city to pass the New Year holidays – the city’s got a new tree (this time more modern looking than the traditional pine with red and gold decorations they put up, the tree of the Plaza Mayor is a constant light display in the more alternative Christmas colours of blue and gold).  The hospitality of Salamanca is also more than able to cope with the great influx of visitors who’ll be arriving to the city to eat the twelve grapes at midnight under the Plaza Mayor clock.  Many hotels are doing special offers for this period, often including a New Year’s Day lunch or New Year’s Eve meal.  This is great news if you’re studying in the Castilla-León city and wanting your friends or family to join you out here for New Year.  There is also a new bus service going direct from Madrid airport to the city meaning a journey from afar is made a lot easier and less stressful.

There’s no doubt that if you pass the New Year in Spain you will have a great time – the Spanish people really do take the New year’s celebrations seriously – from the traditional meal with the family and then the fiesta with friends (called “cotillones”), wearing red underwear and eating twelve grapes at midnight (a tradition thought to have origins in Alicante where grape growers had to cut down large surpluses of grapes they had at the end of the year) – it really is a fun night and not one to be missed!

The next day, New year’s Day, is spent with the family, enjoying a chocolate breakfast in the morning and enjoying one of the last holidays of the fetsive season.

Salamanca really is a great place to start the year – and with a new year’s resolution of learning Spanish, there’s no better place to inspire you!