Ávila: Parte Dos

Saint Teresa was born in Ávila, Spain (not to be confused with Mother Teresa, who was born in Italy). In my last entry, I talked about Saint Teresa and her illustrious finger, which has been preserved and is kept in the gift shop in Ávila near el Convento de Santa Teresa. I went there recently and wanted to post a picture of the finger, but couldn't, because taking pictures in the souvenir and the adjacent museum is strictly prohibited. This rule is enforced by the man who works in the tiny gift shop where the relic is kept.

Well, I decided to go back and sneak a picture anyway. My friend Sheri was visiting so we took a day-trip to Ávila. We walked up the stairs of the city wall to get a better view, and then ate some tapas at a bar we found on the way to El Convento del Santa Teresa. We each ordered two drinks and tapas, and the total only came to 9 euros, because the tapas were included with the drinks. (Why can't bars give out free food in Boston?)

Here's what our walk to the convent and gift shop looked like:







Finally, we stepped inside La Sala de Recuerdos (the giftshop).





Below is a display case containing several items that belonged to Santa Teresa. Her walking stick is there and so is her finger. It's right in the center, in the middle of something that looks like a candelabra. (The sign right above the display is hard to read but it says: "Fotos No - Videos No.")





After quickly snapping these pictures without flash, I zoomed in on the finger. But just before I was able to capture it in all of its ringed glory, the light which lit up the display case shut off, and everything inside it went dark! Needless to say, that last picture didn't come out.

Evidently, the man who worked behind the counter of the store had caught onto my plan, and had turned off the light. He must have heard the clicking of my camera. I kind of felt like a jerk but I'm sure it happens all the time there. The store clerk was really nice and nonconfrontational about it. I knew that he knew that I took pictures. He knew that I knew that he knew. But we didn't say anything about it. As I was leaving, all we said to each other was Adios, and my friend and I went on our way.

At last, the quest for the holy finger has come to an end. A special thanks to Sheri, my partner in crime, for helping to make this all possible.

Ávila

Just an hour-and-a-half long bus or train ride away, Ávila is a popular side trip from Madrid. It is famous for its perfectly preserved medieval walls, for being the birthplace of Saint Teresa, and for a sugary yellow pastry called yema.

I had Thursday off from work, so I took a train there from Chamartín Station in Madrid. From the train station in Ávila, I walked straight ahead and followed that road for ten or fifteen minutes to arrive at the city wall (la muralla).



It was odd seeing the cars and motorcycles up against the backdrop of an ancient city wall, like being in some weird vortex where the past and present collide into coexistence. The muralla is an anachronism, a piece of history left over from around 1100. According to Rick Steve's Guide to Spain, it is the "oldest, most complete and best preserved" fortified wall in Spain.



From the entrance, it was just a five or ten minute walk to the cathedral and Plaza de la Catedral.







Next, I stopped at a bakery on Calle de los Reyes Católicos to try some yemas (see below).



Yemas are pastries made from sugar and egg yolk. As you can see, only one of the pastries in the box is missing, because I didn't like them very much. (More on this later.)

My next objective was to get to the convent: El Convento de Santa Teresa. But my touristic instincts told me to stop at the plaza below and pay two euros to climb the stairs up to the top of the muralla to get more a better view of the city.





It was definitely worth it!









I also noticed a lot of storks nesting on the top of the cathedral.



Next stop: the convent and its adjacent museum and gift shop. It was a scenic five-minute walk to the convent.







Here is el Convento de Santa Teresa.



There was something in a display case at the gift shop next to the convent that I was dying to see. It's bizarre and kind of gross, but fascinating nonetheless. The ring finger of Santa Teresa! Complete with a fancy emerald ring. I'm not kidding. But photography is strictly prohibited.

So anyway, that's Ávila in a nutshell. I went back to work the next day and talked to one of the other teachers about it. A native of Madrid, she asked me if I tried the yemas while I was there and if I liked them. I said that I had but that I didn't like them.

Her reply was "Es cómo MacDónals." In other words, the yemas are like something from McDonalds. Yes, it's true; They are sugary and full of cholesterol. Kind of like sugar-coated Egg McMuffins without the bread.

Parks in Madrid

Spain's capital is a huge city with an estimated population of 6.2 million people. It has a population density of roughly 5,161 inhabitants per square kilometer. In other words, there are people everywhere. However, a large chunk of the city is devoted to parks, and they are far more elaborate than any other parks I've ever seen before. I'll focus on my two favorites: El Parque de Retiro and Templo de Debód. The statue above is known as El Ángel Caído, or The Fallen Angel.


Parque de Retiro

The largest and most famous of these is El Parque del Retiro. During the day, there are always people on bikes and on roller blades, or lounging on the grass. On weekends, you can find musicians playing instruments there, and at night, impromptu jam sessions.













Here are a few pictures of Parque del Retiro and the view from inside its gates at night:











Templo de Tebód




Below is a photo of Palacio Real, as visible from Templo de Debód.



The next picture is of part of an Egyptian temple rebuilt in Spain during the second century BC. This was because Spain had intervened in the building of the Aswan Dam in Egypt. During the construction of the dam, several monuments and archeological sites were displaced and Spain was one of the countries who helped to rescue the temples of Abu Simbel. Thus, Templo de Debód was a gift of gratitude.



Here is a picture of what it looks like at dusk, along with a view of the palace from the adjacent viewpoint.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city that was founded on personal freedom. It started out as a farming community, but then the early inhabitants turned to fishing, and by the late 1400s, the country had become a great sea power. During that time, the country was an independent republic, unlike other European societies, which were were dominated by Church-sanctioned feudal relationships. Even during the Protestant Reformation, while the Catholics were fighting against the Protestants, Protestants were still tolerated in Amsterdam. Essentially, Amsterdam has always had the sort of live-and-let-live ambiance for which it is famous. A few weeks ago, I spent a weekend wandering around the city.

Why do tourists go to Amsterdam? To stroll past the scarlet-tinted windows of the Red Light district or to linger in the coffeeshops? Well, yes, this is often the case. But there is a lot more to Amsterdam than just those things.

Amsterdam is an incredible city full of canals and bicycles. There's even a bike lane! Boston, please stand up and take note.







The architecture of the city is unique. Those facades adorning the roof are called gables, according to the 2009 Lonely Planet Guide to Amsterdam. They are all over the place and you can also find brick buildings decorated with horizontal stripes.





I didn't get to see any of the parks, but I highly recommend the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House. Both places are definitely worth your time and money. It's a good idea to buy tickets in advance, though, since the lines can be long.