Kiwi Pilgrims

October 28, 2023

Ávila to Gotarrendura - 24 kms

It is quite fitting that we started our Caminos Teresianos today, the 28th October, as it is Grandma Teresa's birthday. I wonder if her mother named her after St Teresa.

A note about the name of this pilgrimage route. The Association who manages this route has named it Ruta Teresiana, de la cuna el sepulcro - St Teresa, from the cradle to the grave, however our credentials have the name Caminos Teresianos and many of the markers use this name, and one or two have Camino Teresiano. I have decided to go with Caminos Teresianos as per our credentials and majority of the signs.

It's been a fantastic day. We started at the Convento de Santa Teresa and walked out of Ávila through the Puerta de Santa, the St Teresa Gate in City wall.

Most of the day's walk was gently undulating scrub covered country with some farmland among it. We walked through three small villages, the first, Narrilos San Leonardo, had a panaderia but it was somewhat off route so we were very disciplined and kept walking. The second village, Cardeñosa, had a bar and we stopped there and had a small meal of tortilla, croquetas and bread plus hot chocolate drinks, and the third village, Peñalba de Ávila, had a bar but we didn't stop .

As we walked through and out of Peñalba de Ávila the landscape drastically changed. Suddenly, in front of us, was the wide open, seemingly flat, land of the meseta, just like we walked through on the Camino Francés with vast land and skyscapes as far as we could see. The change from what we had walked through for most of the day to the landscape we're in now is massive.

As we walked we were aware that this was St Teresa's country. That we were walking through areas that she had traveled through so many times. We're in the small village of Gotarrendura for tonight, the village were she spent most of her formative years. In fact, one of the locals said that St Teresa was born here. We were told that all of Teresa's siblings' baptisms are in the Gotarrendura parish records - just the page of when St Teresa would have been baptized is missing from the church registers. The feeling in Gotarrendura is that church authorities in Ávila removed the pages and changed history to claim St Teresa as their own. Whatever is the truth doesn't really matter but it means a lot to the village of Gotarrendura.

As well as walking through lands that was part of St Teresa's life we were also walking through land that the Romans had walked through. At one stage we walked on a Roman road and crossed a very small Roman bridge.

We're in a very basic community pilgrim albergue tonight - for pilgrims on the Caminos Teresianos and the Camino Levante - we're the only pilgrims staying tonight. Today there were markers for both pilgrimage routes, meaning there were markers for both, but the Camino Levante and our route diverges tomorrow so we will lose the the yellow arrows and will have only our red Teresianos markers.

When we left Ávila the path climbed for a way, taking us quite a bit higher than the 1132m at Ávila, but nearing the end of our day's walk it dropped down to 931m at Gotarrendura.

We had dinner in the only bar, the only shop of any sort, and the wife spoke excellent English. She has already run through to our albergue for tomorrow night to let them know we're coming, and that we don't speak Spanish.

The photos are a bit of a mess. The majority have uploaded in reverse order - the top nine - for the end of our day's walk - are in correct order but at the top of the others! Also, I'll have to add captions another day. Go down to the bottom of the photos then scroll up.

Gotarrendura

Walking into Gotarrendura.

A sculpture of St Teresa as we came into Gotarrendura.

The main entrance to our albergue in Gotarrendura.

This was our camino angel - he showed us the way to the bar where we had to sign up to stay in the albergue and collect the key.

Our albergue for the night.

A carving of St Teresa in our albergue courtyard.

The nine photos above are in the correct order so go to the top of then scroll back down to here - sorry about the muddle.

The roads went on and on.

Out into the open spaces of the meseta.

The bar we stopped at in Cardenosa.

First real autumn colours.

Penalba de Ávila

There are markers for both directions - to Abla de Tormes and to Ávila.

In Narrilos San Leonardo.

Cows free-roamed.

And the very small Roman bridge.

A section of a Roman road.

Out the middle of nowhere was this wonderful entrance way.

The sky looked so dramatic.

A painting of St Teresa copied from the sculpture of her outside of city wall in Ávila.

Fantastic art work.

Coming Narrillos into San Leonardo.

Our first concrete Caminos Teresianos marker.

The rectangular Caminos Teresianos sign as well as the red marker. The other sign, the red triangle with two red circles are for a cycle path.

Then we had 2 or 3 kilometers of busy roads to navigate before we were out in the country.

A last look back at the city walls.

The Cuatro Postes - the four posts - gives a good view back to the city of Ávila. As a 7year old, St Teresa was fascinated by stories of saints and martyrs, so much so she convinced her brother that they should run off to the Moors to be martyred. It is said that their uncle found them at this spot and returned them home.

The two different markers - the red Caminos Teresianos marker and the yellow arrow of the Camino Levante.

We walked past several hundred meters of the city wall when we first set off.

We left Ávila through the Puerta de Santa, the Gate of St Teresa, opposite the Basilica. Looking back from the other side is the statue of St Teresa above the entrance of the Basilica - see next photo.

The official start of our Caminos Teresianos, the Basilica of St Teresa.

October 27, 2023

Our last day in Ávila, tomorrow we begin our new pilgrimage. First thing this morning we went for a walk to find the start of our route out of Ávila. It really will be like stepping out into the unknown.

Having sorted out our exit from Ávila, the rest of the morning was spent in visiting the Convento de Santa Teresa - the Convent of St Teresa.

The most prominent part of the Convet which we were able to visit is the Basilica of Santa Teresa de Jesus. The church was built over the site where Teresa was born on 28 March 1515. The Convent was opened on 15 October 1636, 54 years after her death on 4 October 1582.

As well as the church, we also visited the reliquary and the museum - also parts of the Convent.

Not far from the Convent of St Teresa is the church of San Juan Bautista - St John the Baptist - where Teresa was baptized on 4 April 1515. Sadly, the church is locked outside of Mass times but we were able to see in. We returned to the Basilica of St Teresa for Mass.

The rest of the day was spent in organizing ourselves for tomorrow - making sure we have cash as many small places only accept cash, and buying a few food supplies as we don't know where or when we'll be able to find food along the way.

We also had a late lunch in one of the many restaurants. Shop and restaurant hours are so different from those in NZ. Most shut mid to late afternoon and reopen a few hours later. Having lunch between 4 & 5 pm means we don't need a meal later. They don't start serving evening meals until 9pm - far too late for us.

On our walk to find our route out of Ávila tomorrow.

We've seen many Camino signs in and around Ávila as the Camino de Levante passes through the city and the first day of the Ruta Teresiana shares the Levante route.