Amity in Ávila

Today has been about seeing and experiencing a little of Ávila, old and new. This view seemed to encapsulate some of the layers of this place - a satellite dish atop a terracotta tiled roof in front of the mediaeval ramparts.

It’s also been about making provision for the next stage of our different journeys - a train ticket to Madrid for Sarah, a session at the laundromat to freshen Neil’s pilgrim wardrobe, and beginning to get Keith’s eyes attuned to the search for yellow arrows. 

Our way to the laundromat took us past the lovely octagonal tower of the Iglesia Santiago.

And our way to the train station took us past the Monasterio de San Tomé which Sarah decided we needed to visit, especially since reading that St Teresa herself had trod the stone cloisters, along with the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada! Like many of the Spanish religious establishments, it’s on a massive scale hard to capture in photographs.

A range of interesting rooms off these cloisters, including an old fashioned natural history museum stuffed full of stuffed animals, and what looked like a teaching space with some lovely frescoes.

The church itself was enormous and fairly gloomy. This is the view from the upstairs choir stalls where the Dominican friars sang the office,

And this is the carved wooden ‘hood’ which crowned the chair in which the king sat alongside the friars.

The enormous wooden door to the church was embossed with iron knobs ... you can never be too defended I guess.

And as ever the storks making use of any available high point. Here was a veritable stork hotel.

Not far from the monastery is a statue of St Teresa of Ávila, with her fiery eyes and wild hair. And below her, St Sarah of Bruce with her flapping right arm and hobbit toes. Keith commented that Teresa looked more relaxed!

In the afternoon the rain came again. We retreated into a pastelaria and then back to our rooms. In the evening it cleared and we had the most enjoyable walk down the route Neil and Keith will take tomorrow to the ponte (bridge) and glimpsed the route stretching ahead...

The bridge and nearby wood ...

And here is some of the view from the top of the muralla, the city wall, an extraordinary edifice beautifully conserved, which surrounds the entire old city,

The walk along the walls brings you right up to the side of the cathedral, allowing for close vision of the Rose window.

And we capped off a great day with a festive dinner, though at the traditional Spanish hour (which means nothing is available till 8.30pm at the earliest!).

Tomorrow our ways part again for a time, which is a little hard. But I (Sarah) am much consoled by the fact that Neil will be walking on with his great friend Keith and to know how much they are already enjoying sharing the journey together.

Buen Camino,

Sarah, Neils and Keith