Ávila

This happened a long time ago, but it was the most important part of my trip for me. I avoided writing it because I didn't think I could do the trip justice with my words, but I finally decided to write it today, on my 20th birthday. It seems like the perfect time.

The trip I anticipated most was the trip to the small town of Ávila. The reason I looked forward to this trip so much is because I happen to share part of my last name with the town. Even before I left for Spain, I knew that I had to go no matter what. Ávila is renowned for many things such as yemas(a dessert), a wall surrounding part of the city and most importantly, Santa Teresa de Ávila. I believed that going to this place would teach me a little more about my heritage.

The train ride there was a little over an hour long. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before because of my own excitement and even on the train, I did not let myself fall asleep. I didn't want to take any chances of missing my stop(although I had someone traveling with me) nor did I want to miss any of the surrounding scenery. The train finally announced it's arrival and when I got out, the first thing I was greeted to were giant letters spelling out Ávila. It was a weird feeling, staring at my own last name as an outsider. I left the train station and I was greeted to a sleepy(literally as it was siesta time) and peaceful town. I already knew what I wanted to see; the wall of Ávila. A wall that is one of the most complete and perfectly restored in all of Europe. I, of course, had no idea how to get there, so I did what I do best; wander around. It didn't take me much time to figure out that I would not be able to find the wall with aimless wandering. So me and my traveling buddy took a crash course in the city bus routes and 20 minutes and 70 centavos later we were at the wall. It was as impressive as I had imagined it to be, spanning as far as the eye could see. Another thing I noticed was that it was beautifully kept. There were no discernible imperfections anywhere. We made our way up and went into the area enclosed by the wall. The entirety of the inside seemed to be trapped in the past. While this statement sounds negative, I mean this very positively. Everything was beautifully kept and the entire area emanated a sense of spirituality and peace. A little bit of walking and we ended up at El Convento de Santa Teresa. Santa Teresa is an extrememly important religious and spiritual figure known for her strength of character. The outside of the building was humble enough. I walked inside and was greeted by an indescribable feeling similar to the feeling I got at El Escorial. There were paintings and figures of Santa Teresa and other religious figures everywhere.It's funny that this familiar feeling of spirituality was created by a place that wasn't even a fraction of the size of El Escorial. El Convento de Santa Teresa is by all definitions a small place, but within it, it contained a strength not matched anywhere else I visited in Spain. Being inside this place, you could get a clear idea of the overwhelming strength of character and spirit that Santa Teresa must have had.

Another place of interest that I visited was a museum that gave you an idea of how old Ávila really was. It spoke of a pre-Roman civilization, the Vettones, who inhabited the territory of Ávila(then known as Obila) long before anyone discovered it. It surprised me that such a small place could have such deep history.

The rest of my time in Ávila was spent exploring the city itself, outside of the walls. Everything was extremely beautiful. What surprised me the most was how clean the streets were. I have never in my life, seen such a clean town. There was not a piece of trash anywhere on the streets or sidewalks. Also, the houses were absolutely stunning. They were humble but with an undeniable Spanish flavor. The neighborhoods themselves gave off a serene, comfortable and overall friendly feeling. It made me think that in the future, if it is possible, I would love to own a home somewhere here. It would make a great getaway where I could go with my family.

Everything I experienced in Ávila gave me a renewed pride in my name. I had always felt that my last name held a strength to it and this little excursion reinforced that belief. The only regret I have from my trip is that it didn't feel long enough. But I doubt that even if I had spent an entire week there, it wouldn't have been long enough. To me, it was just a taste of Ávila and I look forward to the day that I may return.