1. Do not, I repeat do not leave every weekend for another city. You will miss out on plenty of opportunities to make friends with the locals, and you probably won't be able to accomplish this in one night. If you were to go out one night with the goal of making a friend or two in one weekend that you have free, its going to be very difficult. Things like this take time- you will have to learn the slang, what Spain defines as cool, and how to connect with another person. Just be a carefree vagabond (think Jim Morrison) and you should do just fine.
2. Eat at all three Leonardo's late night restauruants. You will thank me later. Each one has a different menu and each is incredible. At the one that serves hamburgers north of Amadeus, definitely get the number nine and do not let this opportunity pass you up.
3. Never walk in the grass on streets. There are many dogs in the city and... well you get the idea.
4. Bring a towel, toilet paper, kleenex, and any other items you will normally take for granted at your home in the united states. They will not be provided for you.
5. Comfy shoes are a must, or some sandals with silken straps like Reefs. You will walk an average of 5-10 miles a day and will go through hell if you bring just classic rubber sandals (although I have developed some wonderful callouses).
6. Do not wear the Spainish flag around town, especially in northern europe. This signifies a higher class person with a lot of money. Very bad.
7. Take a siesta every day for at least 30 minutes. After 5 days of continuous clubbing, you will appreciate this. Trust me.
8. Bring earbud headphones. I have over the ear DJ headphones and could never watch movies before bed as it would be extremely uncomfortable to sleep with giant earmuffs of rap on.
9. Bring a very good alarm clock. After a couple weeks of living like a Spaniard, its going to get progressively more difficult to wake up
10. Have no reservations, no second guessing, never feel sorry for yourself, never beat yourself up, and so on. Keep your chin up because you will encounter a lot of failure your first few weeks in the city. Be strong and have a wonderful time!
Good suggestions, Tyler. I like to emphasize shoes with people before they comes because, as you note, there is a lot of walking in Salamanca. Leonardo's is new to me (and it still is elusive). Alas, perhaps it will not reveal its secrets to me on this trip.
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