day 1 Dublin Salamanca

So a very early start as the flight from Dublin to Madrid left at 6:25 which meant getting up at 4am. Not great for me hitting my pillow at 11pm. We flew from the new Terminal 2 which I have to admit is very impressive.
After landing in Madrid we made our way over to the METRO line 8 which for 2 euro brought us to Minesterio Nuevo from there the train on the Cercanias line to Mendez Alvaro which is the National bus station.
we arrived there at 11:35 but were told the 12'o'clock bus was full so 2 tickets on the 1pm departure would do nicely.
After some refreshments (yes beer) we promptly boarded and slept through most of the 2:30hour bus trip.
The countryside wasn't all that inspiring but I did notice we were steadily climbing. I believe Salamanca is at 806 meters altitude. The drive into the city is impressive as the huge cathedral loomes high above the surrounding buildings and flats. We walking into town and quickly found Joost and Rob who had only just arrived there just before us, or at least with enough time to order and finish their first beer before we got another order in. After a lovely lunch for 12 euro and a bottle of wine we made our way to the hotel (Hotel Parador de Salamanca) and after getting refreshed made our way back into town for tapas, beer and wine. Tomorrow we will further explore this beatifull city and make our plan for the remainder of the week.