Valladolid and the endless fog

The very first city I visited since officially living in Salamanca was Valladolid, sometime in mid-November. The truth is that besides the fact that it’s the capital of the region of Castilla y León and has a big mall, I wasn’t told any other reason to check out the city. On the contrary. I was literally advised not to go, because there wasn’t supposed to be anything that could have interested me (sorry for anyone who reads this from Valladolid). I actually got the feeling that there is some kind of unsaid competition between the residents of the two cities. Despite all of this, I was not willing to listen to anyone, no one could have demotivated me. It was high time we (my boyfriend and I) left the house for a while.

The circumstances

We planned the visit for a Saturday, but in the last minute we changed our minds because looking out the window, we had to realize that the weather wasn’t exactly the best for a full day trip – grey and misty. Unfortunately we didn’t get luckier the next day, either. To be more exact, everything just got worse outside. I keep laughing about how people back home are always mocking me for being in a Mediterranean country, while they are freezing in Budapest. To begin with, Salamanca is located way inside of the peninsula and 800 meters above sea level, which doesn’t create proper conditions for the city to be called Mediterranean; but on that foggy morning, I even forgot for a second that I was in Spain. The weather reminded me much more of Scotland.

In Valladolid

No matter what, we drove 120 kms to the northeast to end up in the world of an Agatha Christie book. By the time we arrived, it was already dark (yes, we left a “little bit” later than planned) and everything was so mysterious! But surprisingly, we loved it! The fog eventually gave the city that extra touch it needed to be amazing.

We took a nice stroll walking amongst the grandiose monuments, visited some of the most inviting bakeries and confectionaries and seeking after a shelter from the frost, we stopped by a cosy coffee shop. Finally, I wouldn’t like to omit a significant detail of our visit: in commemoration of the terror attack in Paris, we took a silent moment in the middle of the Plaza Mayor, which was dressed in the colours of the French flag.

I certainly cannot say that we got to know Valladolid very well, because we only stayed for 2-3 hours due to the circumstances, and I also doubt that I would be able to recognize the places we have been to in a sunny weather, but we never regretted giving a chance to the city – in spite of the negative preconceptions our friends held about it.

I have also tried my first roasted chestnuts in Valladolid! ;)

So for all those out there who are thinking about visiting the city, just do it! Ignore people saying anything different!

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