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在线翻译:
szdaily -> Budding Writers -> 
My fascination with Salamanca (I)
    2017-12-06  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

Elizabeth He

There used to be an incredible blue sky, somewhere abroad. So blue that I had forgotten everything else.

There used to be a splendid beautiful city, somewhere abroad. So beautiful that I had felt I was in a fantasy.

There used to be a period of unforgettable time, in Spain. Besides academic lessons, we had been immersed in the listless sunshine of Europe. Though we only spent seven days there, the memory extended far longer than that in my mind.

As soon as I got off a Swiss airline, I felt in love with Spain. The half-desert landscape of Madrid emerged from its veil, as someone unfolding a picture scroll.

Mountains and fields stretched for long distances, with exposed sandy soil some places and thick grassy marshlands elsewhere. The rolling hills as well as the highways attached to them were embellished with lots of small verdant bushes and plenty of oaks around. I saw livestock spreading out all over the land and horses dotting the vast ranches.

There were also migrant birds flying in flocks in the sky. What an unimaginable view! It was almost impossible to see such marvelous scenery in Beijing.

After spending a little time in Madrid shopping, we headed for our target city Salamanca — a small town in western Spain.

Can you imagine how small Salamanca is? Only three times the size of Shuiwei village, in Shenzhen’s Futian District!

However, this is a secret town, lurking behind the neon lamps and noises of Madrid, enjoying its own history and tales. Cars are not allowed in most of its streets and the town is filled with buildings and towers in Baroque style, which are all exquisite and elegant. People here live a life of leisure as there are restaurants and cafes at almost every corner.

Here was our schedule. Firstly, we lived with a host family, where our Spanish parents only spoke Spanish. Secondly, we had classes from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Tia Tula (a small language school in Salamanca).

Generally speaking, the Spanish have lunch at approximately 2:30 p.m. and we started our extra curriculum activities at 4:30 p.m. everyday. In Salamanca, there were a number of activities such as city exploring, flamenco lessons, a room-escaping game, cooking class, horseback riding, tower climbing and farewell parties.

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