Cathedral July 2015
[from FB post: July 27, 2015]
Oops...time to post something lest the social media zombie world think I've become Amish or something. Today was my last full day in Spain. I read that the tour of the towers of the cathedral here was THE thing to do, so I got there at opening and paid my fee and walked up a lot of steps. And yes... it is probably the best cathedral experience I EVER had. Looking at the roof, the towers close up, DOWN into the nave rather than UP -- I could go on. It was fabulous and I was alone. Then the best part, I was in the bell tower when the clock chimed the hour (11am). What a Quasimodo/enchanting experience. It was not deafening, but it sure was loud. You felt it through your body. For my very late lunch I had pulpo a la Gallega. Yum yum and more yum. And I had the treat of have two gay American guys sitting next to me bitching about everything under the sun (about their lives back in the USA) and I just thought - "you are in a plaza in Spain and it is sunny. How could you be unhappy??" The end. oh yes, tomorrow I fly back to Italy for a couple of days and then....USA.
One of the highlights of the Salamanca visit was the cathedral. The church was stunning in its own right. On my visit tours were offered to walk up to the high balconies overlooking the nave, then outside amongst the gothic details on the roof, and finally up into the bell tower. Among large church visits, Salamanca Cathedral may have been my best ever.
The first part was just climbing the scary, small, spiral, stone staircase to the top all the while trying not to slip on the well worn stone AND letting others pass on their return journey downward. There were small rooms to view along the way that made for natural traffic control points. At the base they did their best to manage the flow of people upward, so the stairwell didn't become hopelessly and claustrophobically clogged. The uneven stone steps seemed to go on forever. It was hot and stuffy, too - definitely not for the claustrophobic as the stairwell felt like some long, upended stone torpedo tube.
On the way up, access to a small balcony near the rooftop provided an overlook to the main sanctuary. That was my first experience in an old church to be high up and look down on everything. I loved having that chance since I was always curious about the view from above in a cathedral. Interestingly, because people were not intended normally to see that view, it was not as good as being on the ground floor and looking up. The perspective seemed off somehow and the details less beautiful. Nothing was bad, but it was clear that a cathedral was meant to be viewed standing at the bottom looking up, only. All the lines of sight and decorations were made for that purpose. Looking at it in the opposite direction was thrilling, but just not as beautiful.
Finally, a small door opened onto the leaden roof. There one was face to face with all those fancy spires, pinnacles, and gargoyles that Gothic churches were known for. It felt strange to be walking in a small forest of them on the rooftop. The views over the ornate roof with the orange-tiled city as background were stunning. Another first for me, and unlike the sanctuary view from the balcony, the decorations on the rooftop at eye-level were more wonderous than seeing them from the ground. In fact, I was surprised at their amount of detail considering no one could even perceive it from below. What a waste of effort to have carved all that stone with such detail when the only people who would ever appreciate it would be roof maintenance workers (and occasional tourists).
The highlight of the tour, however, was the bell-tower. Tourists could climb to the top for undoubtedly the best views over the old city. I noted the bell tower walls had some incredible cracks in them. Apparently the Great Lisbon Earthquake shook the tower and caused those cracks (Lisbon was far away!). I held my breath that Portugal would stand firm until I got down from the tower. Those cracks were huge! The views from the top were as magnificent as the cool breeze on such a hot day. The best part, however, was descending to the bell chamber and waiting for the hourly strike. I was there at just before 11am, so I had quite the treat.
I must admit I was nervous that the bell toll might be deafening, but it was not as loud as it was physical. The air literally vibrated all around and I could FEEL each bell strike. It was exhilarating and an extremely unique experience. For that reason alone the visit to Salamanca cathedral would have been special. Standing next to a several ton cathedral bell as it strikes is particularly impressive.
Among cathedral visits, Salamanca stands out in my life. The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the Washington Cathedral were the first huge churches I ever visited and I will always remember them. The cathedrals in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland were the first ornate churches I ever entered and hold a special place in my memory. The cathedral in Prague was my first true Gothic cathedral and it blew me away with its dark details. Salamanca, however, was the one and only time I had the chance to view a big, old church from top to bottom AND be in the bell tower when the hour was struck. It will be hard for any church to top that on future visits to other religious spaces no matter how grand.
Comments