Avila

Avila is a popular side trip from Madrid. Avila is the birthplace of St. Teresa, one of the Catholic Church's greatest mystics and reformers. It features a perfectly preserved Medieval wall and a wonderful Parador. It has a nice old town with a few fine churches and monasteries. A local dessert treat, called a Yemma, is like a soft boiled egg yolk, cooled and sugared. Definitely an acquired taste. These pictures were taken on a fine Fall day in November of 1998.

Do Not Adjust Your Set: These pictures were taken in between 1997 and 1999 with a first generation digital camera. They are as big and as good as they'll ever get.

Panorama of Avila from the highway to Salamanca to the west. The wall surrounding Avila is 2 km long and has 88 turrets.
Garden and fountain, just inside the main gate. At 3,700 feet, Avila is much higher than Madrid, therefore cooler in the summer and colder in the winter.
This tree stands in the courtyard in front of the Monastery of the Incarnation.
This is arguably the best preserved medieval wall in Europe. From the gardens of the Parador, you can climb to the top of the wall and walk along a short stretch of it. On weekends, the promenade around the wall is where the people of the city walk to see and be seen, an interesting glimpse into Spanish culture.