Avila: A Day Trip from Madrid, Avila, Spain (B)

Last month, just on the heels of our Central EuroTrip, we found ourselves face-to-face with yet another longer weekend (seriously, being a student here sucks). We decided to take advantage of the surprise days off and do a little bit of local exploring. So, early one Friday morning we found ourselves at Atocha station with tickets to Avila in hand.

For the next couple of hours, the Renfe Cercanías train (think long commuter train) took us 1,132 metres above sea level to the Town of Stones and Saints, Avila. The capital of the Avila province, the city of Avila is situated on the flat summit of a rocky hill right on the bank of the Adaja River. As the crow flies, Avila is only 86km north of Madrid, but on that early-April day, the temperatures couldn’t have been more different.

Before we’d even set foot outside of the train you could feel it, a bone chilling wind that was notably absent in Madrid – thank goodness I’d elected at the last minute to pack a toque and gloves. We bundled up and disembarked the train, making the 1km walk passed cafes and shops to the historic centre of town. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).