Quick stop in Avila

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After spending the day in Salamanca, I needed to drive through to my next town of stay, Segovia. On the way to Segovia, I decided to stop by Avila and see as much as the town I could. This town was probably one of the coolest towns you can drive up upon. As the picture shows, it is basically a town put within the castle walls. The border area between Spain and the Muslim empire is now being shown much clearer. The walls were built in 1090, and are still in good condition! This town is built up in a mountainous area, overlooking much of the plains in Spain. Contained within are various cathedrals dating from the 12th century.

As usual with this town in Spain, I did not get a chance to see all that I wanted to. In the schedule, when I arrived it was 5, I had to drive another 50 miles to Segovia, so I had only a small window for enjoyment. What I can say though was that the experience was awesome. I paid a few extra Euros and I was able to walk on the castle walls. This was one of my first experiences of walking along a castle, and if I had my way, I would love to camp out a night or so, have a meal and enjoy the fresh air and view presented.

Walking within the town was like going back in time. Many of the old European towns were built before the idea of cars, so the walkways are narrow and winding. With this in mind, walking through the town gives you a different feel for the city. I actually took a small tour train (all in Spanish), that highlighted the major buildings. Just going through the alleyways and walkways made for an experience though. Where I am from in Denver, the roads are straight and all allow for at least one car. It seems almost mechanized, or cold in its high efficiency (something which I can appreciate though when driving). I suppose I think back to the old Flintstones cartoons, in which they drive straight through roads and everything looks the same in the background. Here, it is fundamentally different. Nothing is the same, the road meanders, twists and I found myself constantly surprised (and pleasantly lost). When you walk through an old town like this, you are not really allowed to miss out on atmosphere or things contained within. Shops, buildings, they all stand out. Just walking though the old towns like Avila makes for great traveling experiences, and if I get the chance to do things over, I will set aside more time to get lost in the city.

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Photos

Lunch at McDonalds
Look to the left, and you will see how far advanced McDonalds in Europe is compared to the US. We live in the dark ages, THE DARK AGES!