The main attractions we saw in Avila was the castle walls and the Convent and Cathedral of Saint Teresa. Avila is a relatively small city. What makes this location unique is the castle walls that surround the entire downtown area. The walls were built as fortification--the city endured some crazy battles! These were no small walls--it was incredible to think how they were built! We were able to walk about a kilometer on top of the walls. I love feeling like I'm in a different time period :). After climbing the walls, we went to the convent of Saint Teresa. She is a patron saint of Spain, and came from Avila. The cathedral included the her finger--that's right, we saw the mummified finger of Saint Teresa. It was not a pretty sight... haha. It is definitely interesting how Spaniards/Catholics glorify the saints of the church. There are so many sights through Spain that are dedicated to saints!
Salamanca is home to the third oldest university in all of the world! The "campus" there is huge--it basically spans the whole city. The university includes cathedrals as well as actual classrooms. For a long time, the university was only available to rich young men. Now, all can attend, but its a private institution. We were able to tour the old parts and new additions to the university. Fun fact: on one of the facades of the "new" cathedrals (you have to realize that new means it was built a few hundred years ago), an artist put an astronaut just a few years ago. There is also a devil eating gelato. Definitely interesting what they decided to add! On another façade of a different university building, a frog sculpture sits hidden. Students try to find the frog before taking tests; its supposed to give them good luck. I really enjoyed the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca. It was filled with students, and in the evening, it was beautifully lit. The next morning, we were able to go to an art-deco museum. In the 20s and the 30s, the poorer sectors started gaining more money. They wanted to have beautiful homes/furniture, but, everything they bought had to serve a purpose. Art decoration was born out of that idea! The museum had beautiful stained glass (it used to be a mansion) that reminded me of Barcelona. I really enjoy learning about that time period, so I loved the museum! Afterwards, we went to a cave, where the devil supposedly taught some students. I don't believe it, but they were kinda creepy caves. haha!
I had a great weekend, and I loved visiting these new cities. Also, as a side note, we got to see Lion King this week! It was incredible!!! I had never seen Lion King before, so it was super interesting to watch it in Spanish. There were some jokes I didn't understand...haha! But, I loved hearing people from South Africa speak in Spanish (it almost sounded like Portuguese), and hearing all the classics in Spanish. It was a great night!
Photos 1-2: Lion King
Photos 3-5: Avila
Photos 6: Salamanca University
Photo 7-8: Astronaut and Devil eating Gelato!
Photo 9: Plaza Mayor
Photo 10-11: Art Deco Museo
Photo 12: Lion King pals!
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