SPAIN // There are innumerable Plaza Mayors in Spain, from the terracotta terraces of Valladolid to the rectangular facades of Madrid, but none are as extraordinary and spectacular as the broad central square in Salamanca. Rendered in golden sandstone and designed in the second quarter of the 18th century by Catalan architect Alberto Churriguera, this giant plaza is ringed by an unbroken ensemble of late-baroque terraces held up by 88 arches and adorned with 247 balconies. The overall effect is at once harmonious and monumental. Bullfights were held here from the plaza's foundation until well into the 19th century. These days the spectacles are mercifully less gory: classical concerts, meetings of old amigos, cafe crawls, bar blitzes and city tours. Slump down in one of the many alfresco cafes that ring the perimeter and admire Señor Churriguera's masterful ornamentation over a café con leche. The square has many moods. At sunset, slanting rays give the ubiquitous sandstone a warm romantic hue. At night, clever illumination lends the balconied mansions a glowing ethereal quality.