Yesterday we went on a bus tour out of Madrid to the old towns of Avila and Segovia. Avila is surrounded by an impressive intact medieval wall and is the perfect place to stroll narrow laneways and soak up the history. We visited the convent of Saint Teresa who was the reformer of the Carmelite nun order.It was built in 1636 and her original bedroom as a child was turned into a very ornate chapel. Her ring finger (complete with ring) was removed after death and is now on display in a beautiful glass container (yuck). We also visited the lovely 12th century cathedral, the first gothic style church built in Spain. The market square was packed with locals buying their fresh produce as they have done every Friday for the past 8oo years. We then took a 60 minute drive to Sergovia and were greeted by the enormous remains of the Roman aquaduct (over 2000 years old) which was used to transport water 16 kms down the mountain to the city. Our next stop was the very impressive cathedral that contained many individual chapels, originally bought by the rich families of the day. These were highly decorated in gold and enclosed within ornate timber and metal gates. Next was a visit to the Alcazar (palace, or castle) that was built in the late 15th century by Emporer Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (who, incidentally, financed Columbus' voyage that led to the discovery of the Americas). Unfortunately Ferdinand wasn't all that impressed with the finished product and he had another palace built in the mountains. Nonetheless it is an imposing building which is said to have inspired Walt Disney (as you will see from the photo). Today is Elizabeth's birthday, so hopefully we will have a reasonably easy day, visiting the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (containing the best of Madrid's modern art, including works by Picasso and Salvador Dali) and the Thyssen Museum and having a nice dinner tonight. Tomorrow - Toledo.
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