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.