A day in Avila...

Yesterday, I visited the pequeñita ciudad of Avila with my friends Julia, Vania, and Meredith.  In about seven hours we were able to see all of the most important sights and walk around the entire city.  It genuinely was an adorable little city.  Avila reminded me of a toned-down version of Salamanca.  Both cities are the epitome of old Spain but Avila is more quaint and less outstanding.  You won't find towering cathedrals or an impressive plaza there, but it was beautiful in its own way.  Avila is right in the middle of Salamanca and Madrid and takes about an hour and a half to reach by bus.  Not too bad for a day trip.  Angelita, my Spanish mom, told us that we had to try the "Yemas de Santa Teresa" while in Avila.  "Yema" translates to egg yolk...and that is precisely what these candies were.  Basically, it was candied egg yolk rolled in sugar.  Sounds tasty, right?  Wrong.  I'm glad that I tried it but one was more than enough.  It was very, very rich.  We girls saw the Avila Cathedral, the Basilica of San Vicente, and the Convent of Santa Teresa during our afternoon in this little city, which is surrounded on all sides by the Murallas.  The Murallas of Avila are splendid twelfth-century defensive walls and are among the best-preserved perimeters in the world.  The four of us walked atop these walls for a couple of hours.  The views were beautiful during the day and even more so after nightfall. 

I leaned against those walls, looking out across the landscape, and thought to myself, "I'm on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, but I could be in Iowa right now."  When we were in Consuegra earlier in the week, I had a similar thought.  Farms and fields dominate the landscape of western and central Spain.  Sometimes I forget that we live so close to a city as big as Madrid, and that on the other side of the country the Barcelones probably haven't even gone to bed yet after a night of fiestas.  I am so happy to be living in Salamanca.  This city is a perfect fit for me.  But I do really miss being home every once in a while.  This semester is going by so quickly.  I am incredibly grateful that I get to come back in the Spring.  The regular semester begins on Monday for me so I might not have anything very exciting to write about for a little while.  I will keep everyone updated on daily life here, but for now we have a break from busy weekend excursions.  I'm excited for things to settle down.  New pictures are up on Facebook!  Besos y abrazos.