Mirrors of Spain

by Terje Raa

Standing on Plaza Mayor in Madrid, with a firm grip on your wallet, the beautiful square acts as a mirror of present-day Madrid. Other Plazas Mayores might similarly reflect distinctive qualities of their host cities - as observed in the cities of Salamanca, Valladolid and Segovia.

These three cities are, like Madrid, situated on the Meseta plateau. Madrid forms a region of its own, whereas the other three are contained in the autonomous region of Castilla y Leon, the capital of which is Valladolid. The three of them serve as provincial capitals. Segovia is a popular day trip from Madrid, but fits perfectly in as the third stop of a round trip, too. In Salamanca and Valladolid, they compete to speak the purest Castellano, the official language.

By train or bus, a couple of hours is what it takes to reach the golden city of Salamanca, La Ciudad Dorada, at the river of Tormes near Portugal. Sun on sandstone, especially the rays of a setting sun, turn its buildings into gold, also the arcaded Baroque buildings framing a magnificent Plaza Mayor from the 18th century. Part of its uniform design are iron balconies and - between the arcades - a series of medallions portraying personalities who had a share in this World Heritage gem, a Renaissance mirror in which history and modern life are integrated.

Imposing gates link it to the outer world, the stateliest opening onto Plaza de la Verdura, the Market. Incoming visitors head for the City Hall or the many cafés to meet friends over a Cortado. La Oficina de Turismo is prepared to answer questions; shops of every kind receive customers with open doors; a temporary Book Fair is waiting for its small white huts to be manned. Those leaving Plaza Mayor will surely come back in the evening - to see the buildings turn golden and every window be gradually lit from below, and for all they know, there might be a rock concert.

Sporadic groups of young people are most likely students. Salamanca, since 1218 a university city, is annually sought by over 30.000 students, a vast number considering that the total population is 160.000. Two of the youngest apparently slept it off on top of a trailer parked on the square this morning. They left by the southern gate for Rua Mayor, heading for Catedral Nuevo y Viejo, the new and old Cathedral, or for the tiny Hostal Catedral, where a lady called Conchi would wrap them in crocheted bed-linen.

Valladolid

The regional capital lies 200 km north of Madrid, an hour and a half by bus from Salamanca. Valladolid is a university city and at the same time an economic engine for inland Spain. A population of mere 320.000, active and enterprising people, know how to organize and yet keep things simple. Just take a look at their Plaza Mayor: clean, empty, almost anonymous, leading one's attention to the handsome red buildings lining it, among them the City Hall. Whereas the buildings themselves seem to withdraw a bit to make room for traffic and the big crowds that occasional stars attract.

Skilled workers transform the square into a concert hall in no time, followed by lengthy sound tests. At this point in May, they are busy preparing a large stage for "San Pedro Regalado 2007"; eleven days of celebrations for the patron saint. The partying side of it culminates the coming three nights with the band of M-Clan, the Copla singer Isabel Pantoja and the Fangoria group. Involved in a corruption scandal and recently released, La Pantoja is the hottest name.

A media circus and supporters from all over Spain are the forerunners of Isabel Pantoja, herself claimed to be invited by the Lord Mayor - on election in two weeks - to bring attention to his city and himself. Vallisoletanos with a balcony on Plaza Mayor have other expectations: they put up price signs ranging from 4.000 to 6.000 Euro, counting on the media's need for an overall view. Others disregard the hysteria. "She's a fine singer", some people say, emphasizing that the rest is none of their business.

An experienced artist, La Pantoja probably picked Valladolid for the restart of her career deliberately, as this place has an ability to attract big names in showbiz. By dropping the major cities, she furthermore displays a becoming modesty. However, there is nothing modest about Plaza Mayor Saturday night when an estimated 20.000 people fill it to the brim, waiting to see the admired star, currently accused of public funds mismanagement and money laundering.

The music strikes up - two minutes early, that's how a master in artistic effects demonstrates her earnestness. In golden garments, imitating a lump of gold, she ironically lives up to her media-created image. The repertoire is Copla, songs about hopeless love and wild passions, a tradition with golden days under Franco. Thrusting her arm and head into the air, La Pantoja sings her lungs out, even explains her feelings - in a very subtle way - by adjusting an occasional word in the lyrics. “Me voy!” she sings out, as if leaving. But she remains, for Valladolid treats her with respect and admiration, drowning any critical voices.

Segovia

Segovia lies on the way back, 90 km from Madrid. Again, you are confronted with a central Plaza Mayor, this one very different from the other two, a difference caused by Segovia's special shape, often described as a ship plowing through a wavy, green countryside. Perched on a rock 1000 meters above sea level and surrounded by two rivers, Eresma and Clamores, it does remind you of a stranded ship, a likeness most obvious when admired from a hot-air balloon, actually an available excursion.

This design limits the extension of Plaza Mayor, but in the case of Segovia, small is beautiful, and the way to go there is laid with World Heritage monuments: a Roman aqueduct, ancient city walls, a sky-high cathedral and a fairytale castle. Plaza Mayor, once reserved for noble families and the clergy, lies high up in the middle of everything, its buildings in absolute harmony, among them the City Hall and the Juan Bravo Theater. A music pavilion is not for rock concerts but for shouting children to play games in, serving as a band stand just once in a while.

Plaza Mayor is made for enjoyment - a paper from the old-fashioned kiosk or a coffee at your favorite café. A Gothic beauty will inevitably captivate you, the immense Cathedral at the open side of the square, bathed in the morning sun, its steeples occupied by storks in the evening. The general impression of wealth originated back in the Middle Ages when Segovia traded in livestock and textiles, produced money at the first mint in Spain and generously transformed its profits into palaces and religious institutions.

To tear you away from Plaza Mayor, there is the castle of Alcázar in the bow of the Segovian ship. Torre de Juan II, its 80-meter tower, will take you above everything, until the ship comparison falls into place. Back at the Aqueduct, you see it in a different light; as the gangway of a ship. Should you fantasize about a rock concert, the reason could be the spacious square down here at the entrance of the city, Plaza del Azoguejo, compensating for the petite Plaza Mayor.

Salamanca, Segovia and Valladolid make a great mix, also when viewed through the mirror of a Plaza Mayor. Joint efforts to attract tourists could be intensified by appointing an ambassador, a person who matches the qualities of the three cities - Salamanca's golden touch, Segovia's monuments, Valladolid's sense of business. One obvious candidate is Isabel Pantoja - a golden voice, a monumental artist, she knows how to make a living. Touring outside Castilla in the winter, shifting to Castilian Plazas Mayores in the summer - that would automatically generate seasonal invasions.