A young Salamantina in typical costume	After Sunday Mass	In Salamanca	In the bodega, Boecillo	In the college bar
In the College Patio	In the Parador in Segovia	In the Parador, Segovia	Salamanca	Segovia from the Parador
Segovia	Storks flying over Salamanca	The Acqueduct, Segovia	The Alcazar, Segovia
The college bar	The college dining room	The college reliquary, Valladolid	The Parador, Segovia	The Plaza Mayor, Salamanca
The Plaza Mayor	The Roman Acqueduct, Segovia	The Valley of the Fallen	The walls of Avila	Through the acqueduct, Segovia

In August 2006, Fr Clements and a number of parishioners from St Aidan’s and further afield visited Salamanca, Spain, staying at the Royal Scots College. We enjoyed the hospitality of the college, which was then under the direction of Fr Joe Toal (now Bishop Toal of Argyll and the Isles).

Salamanca is one of the gems of Spain. It is a medieval city, with one of the oldest universities in Spain, dating from the 13th century. Salamanca has two cathedrals, the ‘new’ cathedral dating from the 16th century, the golden age of Spanish history. The Plaza Mayor, the main square of Salamanca is acknowledged as being the best in the Hispanic world. It is surrounded by cafes, restaurants and shops, and is the meeting place for the local Salamantinos.

We visited the historical city of Segovia, with its picturesque castle, cathedral and 2000 year old Roman aqueduct, and enjoyed lunch in the local Parador.

The city of Avila is a short trip from Salamanca, and we paid a visit to St Teresa’s convent and to the nearby Valley of the Fallen, a monument built to the memory of the fallen of the Spanish Civil War

We were privileged to celebrate Mass in the old Scots College in Valladolid, where Fr Clements was ordained. After Mass we went to the village of Boecillo, the site of the old Scots’ country house, and had dinner in the bodega.