Cherry Blossom in Spain

Cherry blossoms are usually associated with Japan or even Washington D.C. but Spain also has its own particular cherry blossom festival.  In a corner of Spain between Salamanca and Cáceres, close to the town of Plasencia, is a valley tucked into the mountains of the central system. Within this 70 kilometer long valley—Jerte Valley—is a growing region home to the Picota cherry, one of the sweetest cherries on earth. This cherry comes with a Denominación de Origin (Denomination of Origin) certificate that classifies this fruit as being of the highest quality and coming from only this area of the world.

Every year in spring this valley comes to life with the blooming of the trees and arrival of thousands of Spaniards that come to see a beautiful, fleeting event.  The region prepares an agenda of activities that range from bird watching to participating in the actual picking of the cherries. This area wakes up from a winter hibernation to a calendar of activities that is actually pretty dizzying.

More than 1.5 million cherry trees occupy this basin with many growing up steeply rising hillsides. These trees pertain mostly to small family farms (there are 3,737 registered growers) and are grown in a very traditional and sustainable manner. For example, it is very common to see during picking season the cherries laid out on beds of fern leaves which protects the fruit while it is being gathered.  Unfortunately for most Americans, tasting these incredibly delicious cherries is practically impossible: 60% of the productions is consumed domestically while the rest is exported principally to Germany and the United Kingdom.

Right now the trees are starting to bloom and the second act of a three-act play of nature is happening.  The locals have given a name to these three moments: Despertar el valle (the valley wakes), Cerezo en Flor (Cherry trees in bloom), and Lluvia de Pétalos (shower of flower petals). This is the moment when most people come to the valley to take in some incredible views and walk along the numerous paths that wind between the trees and the different villages within this area.

If you want to come and take part in an incredible show of nature, you better hurry because by the beginning of May the flowers will be gone and the fruit will be start to be growing on the tree. Not all is lost, though, if you come after the flowers have gone since the fruit will be ready and picked in June and July. You will then be able to taste some the best and rarest cherries in the world. I’d say that would be worth the trip.

How to get to the Valle del Jerte

To get to the Valle del Jerte from Madrid you can go north through Ávila or west, by way of Plasencia—either way the trip takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours making an overnight stay in a casa rural an excellent option. In spring, the weather is usually warm during the day with cool nights without the extremes of the neighboring areas due to the excellent micro-climate the valley creates.

University New Year in Salamanca

Every year on the penultimate Thursday of the academic term, thousands upon thousands of students from all corners of Spain descend on the small Castilian city of Salamanca for the annual Nochevieja Universitaria – translated as University New Year. This impressive celebration was inaugurated in 1999, when students wanted to be able to celebrate New Year with their university friends, before going home for the Christmas holidays. Since then it’s become a highlight in the university calendar, not just in Salamanca, but across the country. People come in busloads from as far as Seville just to be part of this magical night, before heading home early next morning (literally) after a whole night of partying.

A couple of days ago I was lucky to be able to experience Nochevieja first hand, going with some friends from work to see for ourselves what all the fuss was about. We all decided to meet at 10 pm, thinking that the Plaza Mayor – where the ‘countdown’ to the New Year takes place – would already be jammed with people. We were a little surprised to find that at this point it was only half full, if that. Regardless, the atmosphere was extremely jovial, with a raised platform and DJ underneath the famous reloj (clock), playing all our favorite tunes – with Avicii’s Wake Me Up receiving a screaming reception.

Nevertheless, the idea of standing there for the next two hours was not so appealing, so we went to a nearby bar and had a few drinks and some dancing. We stayed there for about an hour, before heading back to the Plaza Mayor for the strike at midnight. On our way there, we bumped into another friend from work who had unfortunately lost her phone, which reminded us all to keep an eye on our belongings, especially since by this point the Plaza Mayor was jam packed. We pushed our way into the center of the square, nestled between a group of Spanish students, and some sweet Americans. There was still about half an hour left before the “big moment”, but it flew by with more club classics from the rather excitable DJ.

Spanish New Year's Traditions

It is a Spanish New Year’s tradition to eat twelve grapes at midnight, one for each time the clock chimes ding dong. On our way into the Plaza Mayor we had each been handed a little box of twelve grapes (for free!) for us to reenact the tradition at “New Year” – or, in our case, when Thursday became Friday… With about five minutes to go, the DJ stopped doing his thing, and was replaced by a spectacle of lights and drumming music. The Plaza Mayor was changing different colors – red and green – and the façade with the clock had a visual show projected onto it. The main theme of this production was a series of dates, but none of us knew what the dates stood for, and my research has so far proved fruitless. Maybe it was key dates in Salamanca’s history, or Spain’s, or of the night’s sponsor, Brugal? Anyway, the point is it was really cool.

The final segment of this 3D mapping show was a 10-second countdown to midnight, at the completion of which we all hurriedly ate our grapes. The task was significantly harder than we’d expected; eventually I found myself with about four grapes in my mouth at once because the clock was dinging faster than I was eating! And then that was it… once midnight had passed it was the end of Plaza Mayor’s turn to host the thirty thousand students, who then went out into the large number of bars and clubs that hug the center of the city – but only after a ten-minute struggle to leave the Plaza Mayor, a difficult task with so many people going in so many opposite directions. We found ourselves at a bar very near to the Plaza Mayor which was playing typical Spanish club songs. I didn’t recognize any of them, but happily danced away for the next few hours.

When we left the club – slightly deafened from having spent all our time next to the speakers – we thought about going to another, but the Englishness in us had work the next morning firmly at the back of our mind, and the thought of partying until 6 am Spanish-style didn’t appeal. But, we were glad we’d experienced one of the highlights of the academic year in Spain, and it will definitely be a great memory for years to come.

The school year's kicking off soon, and if you're considering the possibility of taking a course in a Spanish university, it may help to have a little information on the most interesting university locations. Remember, university life is not just about classrooms and libraries. This is a time to get out, meet people and explore the "cultural" life the city has to offer...

The following is our list, in alphabetical order (so we don't hurt any sensibilities), of the top ten Spanish university destinations, where you can enjoy a productive year… on all different levels.

1. Barcelona

The cosmopolitan center is on Las Ramblas

Ever since the mythical Hercules founded this city, Barcelona has been a Mediterranean hub, and its wide variety of universities (public and private) covers all options imaginable. The city's cultural and animated social life speaks for itself: a stroll down Las Ramblas, a vistit to Parque Guell or a drink with friends in the Puerto Olímpico area will open up the doors to an enjoyable city and a unique atmosphere in which to study Spanish.

2. Granada

Incredible tapas

Considering the size of the city in which it's located, the University of Granada is among the top schools in Spain. The city itself is a giant campus, where the students, the monuments, and the places to hang out in all come together in a unique mix of life. Granada also offers something unusual: here you can go skiing in the morning (the Sierra Nevada ski station is just 40 minutes away), have tapas in the city (they're free!), and later that afternoon go down to the tropical coast (Motril, Almuñécar or Salobreña) to take a dip in the Mediterranean. The international flavor of Granada makes it a perfect place to learn Spanish, meet people and feel at home.

3. La Laguna

Endless salsa dancing

The old capital of the island of Tenerife is set on top of the depths of the old lagoon. This is a perfect city for taking relaxing walks along its colonial style streets, where you'll find plenty of spectacular monuments. The University of La Laguna brings together many students, who come not only from the Canary Islands, but also from the rest of Spain and Latin America. La Laguna is one of the most prestigious international astrophysics centers in the world. The permanent connection between the Canary Islands and the Caribbean produces the friendliness, the sweetness of the accent and the warm musical rhythms that all invite visitors to stay and learn Spanish while Salsa dancing in the bars of the Cuadrilatero neighborhood, right in the center of town.

4. Madrid

Terraces and monuments

The capital of Spain is in the geographic center of the peninsula. It's also a place where people from around the country come together to study in its many universities and other learning centers. The Complutense University, la Autónoma, la Politécnica... Madrid is a political, economic and cultural center. The Madrid of the Austrias invites us to explore this metropolis which still retains the characteristics of a small town, where going for walks through parks and neighborhoods is still an enjoyable experience. The fact that in Madrid, almost everyone comes from somewhere else, guarantees that Madrileños will make you feel comfortable and welcome to chat in Spanish with the "gatos" in its many historical and charming cafés.

5. Malaga

Internationality and pescaíto

One of the main Mediterranean port centers, Malaga has permanent connections to northern Africa, and a colorful population that joins the jet-set with less exclusive visitors. The University of Malaga offers a great variety of attractive options, most notably in marine science studies. This is the home of Picasso, whose imprint can be seen all over the city. A short walk up to the Alcazaba (Arab fortress) offers us views of the port, which gives us the perfect excuse to head right down to the port on Palo Beach to chat with Malagueños over a nice plate of fresh sea food. Later, hop over to Marbella (a drive away) to have coffee among the economic elite, and take a few Spanish classes in an international atmosphere.

6. Pamplona

Healthy and direct people

The University of Navarra is one of the most prestigious private centers in Spain for health sciences. The old town area, with the aura of Hemingway floating about its streets running ahead of a raging bull, and the good natured Pamploneses are features of this city. You'll also find a combination of studies and the perfect simplicity of the most delicious vegetables you can imagine (Lodosa peppers, asparagus, artichoke…) and wine that describes the nature of the people of Navarra: robust and tangy, with a memory not easily forgotten, like the magical beech trees of Irati.

7. Salamanca

Bars with style

Style, that's Salamanca. A city dressed in the elegance of the Villamayor stone. Here you'll find one of the most famous universities in the world, not only for its age, but also for its prestige, and its distinction of having been the home of Spanish as a second language studies that it is today. Imagine an enormous museum, where you can walk through and discover hidden gems within the surprising monumental city's detailed decoration, which remind us that we're in the city of the Tormes. Here, bars seem to have come right out of a decoration and design contest, where contact with Salmantinos is not only easy, but inevitable.

8. Santiago de Compostela

Seafood and albariño

If all roads lead to one place, that place is Santiago. For more than a thousand years, this wonderful city has been joining people on pilgrimages to different sights of interest: The Cathedral and the saint's tomb, the university and a jar of Ribeiro. The peacefulness here, along with the musical tone of the Galician way of speaking invite us to drift along the rúa Raíña and the Praza Roxa to meet these friendly people. After a long history of migration, they know how to take in outsiders better than anybody.

9. Seville

The very best flamenco and tapas

During spring time in Seville the aromas of incense and orange blossom speak of Holy Week, gardens in bloom and the Feria de abril. The University of Seville echoes the sounds of Carmen la cigarrera. The royal tobacco factory is one of the most evident buildings in the landscape of the capital of Andalusia. The benevolence of winter in Seville provides a great reason for studying Spanish in this city, which houses the Indias Archive and the main port connection with the New World. Flamenco music appears on every corner of the Triana neighborhood (almost an independent city) on the other side of the river, and in the bars in Santa Cruz. Here, cantaores fine tune their voices with a sip of fino or manzanilla while gazing out the window, taking in views of the Giralda, the magnificent bell tower of the biggest gothic cathedral in the world.

10. Valencia.

The Mediterranean and modernity

This is the capital of the Turia, crossed because of the spectacular vision that R. Bofill had of the riverbed, now the heartbeat of the city and the center of a university known for its architectural and technical studies. We can admire the talent the university produces by exploring the works of Santiago Calatrava in the City of Arts and Sciences. By going to la Albufera, checking out la Malvarrosa or wandering about El Carmen we will get to know Valencia, a town that's always been open to the sea –and to other people-, where if there's anything more impressive than the raucous ringing of firecrackers during festivals, it's the friendliness and smiles of the people.

Take advantage of the options that a combination course offers Spanish students. don Quijote allows you, if you like, to enjoy an almost entirely complete panorama of the most important university cities, while experiencing the esthetic and cooking pleasures that a richly diverse country like Spain has to offer.