¡Hola! I´m Amanda O´Reilly, a mechanical engineering major with a Spanish minor, and I´m part of the group studying abroad in Spain.
On Wednesday the 15th of June we took the train to Ávila, a small city south of Valladolid. The city is known for the long, connected city wall surrounding the city and for Saint Teresa of Ávila.* We were headed there for a scavenger hunt as part of our University of Akron class.
We left Valladolid´s Campo Grande station after class, traveled through the Spanish farm fields and pastures (which made me think of the saying: ¨the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plane¨) at 150 km/hr, and arrived in about an hour. I felt so independent and adult-like because we planned our trip, bought our tickets, and took the train.
In Ávila we headed downhill from the station toward the city wall. We passed churches/basilicas, city buildings, cafés, and other stores. We climbed a good number of stairs, each slightly different in height and slope, and upon reaching the top we had an amazing view. The wall began at our feet and wrapped forward and around the buildings in the center. Every so often there were towers, some that we were permitted to climb and others that we were not. Ávila exists both inside the wall and stretching outward onto the surrounding hills.
After the wall we went in search of a sweet treat that Ávila is known for, called ¨yemas.¨ This sweet is made with egg yolk, which gives the color and flavor. I liked them, but for certain you could only eat about two and then they were too much.
While we nibbled on the yemas we walked to the Convent of St. Teresa, a stop on our scavenger hunt. Near there we were able to see the relics of this sixteenth century saint. Christian history is a very evident part of Spain, something we have seen as part of every single excursion (and even on our daily walk to school across Valladolid).
It began to rain, but we walked around the city for a while anyways before heading back to the train station. While standing on the platform waiting for our train, about two dozen chattering Catholic nuns, in their habits and garb, came and also stood on the platform. They were a simple reminder to me that Ávila, España is a place to visit for European history and for religious history, two histories which are very intertwined in Spain.
