Avila

After leaving Salamanca we traveled to Avila, the birthplace of the Spanish mystic Santa Teresa de Jesús. The city is surrounded by an amazing medieval wall.

Interestingly, the apse of the city's Cathedral forms part of the outer wall.

(Apse of Cathedral, part of wall)

(Front of Cathedral)

Santa Teresa de Jesús, her life and her writings are the centerpiece of the city. The Convento de la Encarnación is located just outside the walls of the city and is where the Saint began her life as a member of the Carmelite order.

Later on she would begin a reformation of the order and in the process establish nineteen convents throughout Spain. Her writings are some of the most interesting and enlightening with regard to her belief in the contemplative spirit and communication with God. Though criticized by many of her contemporaries, she was beatified and then given sainthood some sixty years after her death. She is now considered to be one of the "doctors" of the Church and was immortalized by Bernini with a statue entitled the "Ecstasy of St. Teresa" found in the Vatican.

One of the things that I have neglected, and apologize for it, has been to ignore the fact that right now Spain has been getting so much rain that the flowers are blooming everywhere. Here are some examples:

Oops, this isn't nature! What are these two doing romping through nature with flowers in hand and mouth?