Ávila is a town in the south of Castile, the capital of the province of the same name, now part of the autonomous community of Castile and Léon. It was called 'Avela' in Roman times. Following the Muslim occupation, it became definitively Christian when it was taken by Raimundo de Borgoña, son-in-law of Alfonso VI. It is mainly known as the birthplace of Santa Teresa de Jesús. It prides itself for being a UNESCO Heritage site, for its well-preserved city walls. In fact, many specialists argue that Ávila is one of the best preserved medieval walled towns in the world. It was Raimundo de Borgoña himself who began constructing the walls in the year 1090. Their size is imposing, a fact that is demonstrated by a perimeter of almost two and a half kilometres, a height of twelve metres and an average thickness of three metres. They have 88 towers, 6 gateways and 3 gates. The apse of the cathedral is inserted into the defensive wall as another large tower and it is known by the name of 'Cimorro'. The town's monuments are not limited to the walls. It has a cathedral - one of the most atypical in Spain - more like a fortification than a cathedral in the true sense of the word. The Basilica of San Vicente, originally from the 12th century and finished in the 13th, has three doors in a beautiful Romanesque style. It also has several churches whose towers and bell-towers are scattered along the skyline of the town: San Pedro, San Andrés, San Segundo, San Juan, Santiago, etc.

It is endearing to see the walls as you enter the city. It is like being in a movie. I can almost imagine the Christians making a decision to safeguard the city with walls in order to protect it from further attacks, making it difficult for perpetrators to overcome its ramparts. The wall ignites some points for spiritual reflection. It occurs to me that the soul needs to have the same protective walls that can hinder destructive spiritual bondages to take over. The wall of prayer is important to prevent sin from coming in. The wall of patience is important in order to keep the forces of anger and violence out of the heart of the soul. The wall of humility protects the soul from the claim of vainglory. This is something I should probably reflect about more thoroughly; certainly there is something rich about the spirituality of the Avila Walls.

During the mass, the five couples who came to the pilgrimage renew their marriage vows. Even with the spontaneity of the celebration, the result is quite good. The Carmelite priest that attend to us and help us setup for the mass is very friendly and even goes to the garden to pick some roses from the garden of Saint Teresa. The deep red roses smell extraordinarily good; I have never smelled roses as fragrant as the ones in Avila.

Avila is a really beautiful city, and is really worth a visit. I wish I can have time to stay longer in this place so that I can enjoy the view of the walls from all angles, and also see its beauty in different seasons and times of the day. Avila is also set on a hill, but outside the walls, down the valley, there are also many houses and churches. I think this city is still growing, and I can see some good potential for this city to really prosper, but I hope that as it happens, the medieval quality of the city is preserved and not overtaken too much by the marks of modernity.

One image that I cannot forget here is that old woman that begged by the door of the church. In this pilgrimage, I have already seen several of these beggars roaming in the churches.

I run one of batteries for my camera here. For trigger-happy people like me, that is a state of emergency. It is important to have a good camera when visiting places like this because the pictures become a point of reconnection and a way to preserve some memories.