Exploration and assorted scribbles part 1: Salamanca

Despite having three times as much time this week as last, my exploration has been disjointed, aimless and random, so this is broadly the structure I intend to adopt while telling you about it.  The intention has been to tread the streets with a vague destination in mind, and in so doing to build up my mental map of the city.  When travelling underground, as I have been when time has been limited, you discover distinct locales but never the spatial relationships between them - this is what I've sought to rectify.

Early in the week, possibly on Tuesday, I left the office at lunchtime and proceeded to explore the streets around my office.  The district of Salamanca is a wealthy place full of designer outlets and sharp suits, largely built in the 19th century, with a large degree of homogeneity in the building stock.  A typical street looks like this - rows of cars, lines of small trees, street level restaurants and shops and flats or offices above.  Save for the occasional enclosed balcony it could also be any district of the same period in Europe.

What really distinguishes one from another, I've begun to notice, is the varying intricacies of the ironwork on the building.  I love the detail, and the variation - it's such an expression of craft, and yet another one of those skills that will only exist now, if at all, in niche artesanal workshops. I know that modern building has other things to recommend it; not least modern materials, fitness for modern purpose and decent wages for those constructing the things which make similar details now both superfluous and unaffordable. It still just makes me sad to contemplate.

This also brings us back to Cibeles.  I can't believe I didn't notice and therefore didn't mention the entrance canopy when I wrote about the Palacio de Comunicaciones last week.  That is one hell of a light fitting.

Also have a look at the support for these lights in the side entrance colonnade.  Again I didn't initially notice this - but now it's a favourite feature.

More in a bit.