Curious Incidents of a Flailing Mermaid

Whistle-Stop Tour Of Madrid (Part 2)

After my fantastic tapas by the city market, I caught a bus up to Avila. The journey took about an hour. On the way out of Madrid, I kept my eye out for the elusive giant baby's head.

I finally found it (well, it seems there's two!) outside the Atocha Train Station. Created by Artist Antonio Lopez, the statues stand three meters high, made of bronze and weighs 2,000 kilos. I'm still unsure of the reason for these statues. So random. I was euphoric I found them, though.

Not far from Avila, the bus stopped so we could all take photos of the excellent views. To be honest, I was reading rather than taking any notice of where we were. I hate these "stop to take photos" kind of thing. However, when I looked out the window, I was so blown away, I had to get involved in the picture taking frenzy. The sun was shining, and the scenes, from all angles, were just stunning.

On arriving to Avila, I knew I was about to fall in love. I have a real thing about ancient architecture. I find myself imagining how many people have walked the same path over the centuries. I also try and picture what such places were like back when they were first used. Because of this, I just knew the Avila Cathedral was going to blow my mind.

I had a chat to the tour guide when I got off the bus, who told me that the tour's next stop (Segovia) was completely inaccessible for any kind of wheelchair. Because of this, I made a deal with him that I would stay in Avila, doing my own thing, if they could come and pick me up on their way back to Madrid from Segovia. He agreed! I made him promise they'd definitely come back. I was slightly nervous they wouldn't, but at least I was free to mooch around at my own pace.

I walked around the UNESCO-protected city walls and towers, as well as San Vicente Basilica and cathedral. They were absolutely incredible. Here's what I learnt:

The Avila walls have a a perimeter of 2516 m, 87 turrets and 9 gates
These walls were built in the 12th century, but the mediaeval city had always been protected by walls
The walls include 88 semicircular towers
The Basilica of San Vicente was built at the end of the 11th century in a Romanesque style
'Inside is the tomb of San Vicente and the Santas Cristeta and Sabina. These graves are an impressive decoration narrating the martyrdom suffered by these Saints.'



I loved this trip to Avila and headed to a beautiful café to grab some local food (yum) while I waited for my bus to return. It is in this café where you find me now, writing this post.
I'm hoping for a good night's sleep tonight, in my Madrid hotel. I'm up early to catch a quick flight to Barcelona. My group did it via train, but as I'm still playing catch up, I thought a flight would be faster.

All in all, a lovely day trip to Madrid. I'll have to come back to explore further.