Avila is an old, walled city, northwest of Madrid. The wall surrounds the center of the city and, like many similar castles and fortresses in Spain, is newly refurbished. On the day we visited, the walled part had recently been reopened to tourists. Basically, you walk on the outer part of the wall that overlooks the surrounding countryside.

It was a forbidding day, with dark clouds hovering and the promise of imminent rain. This tower stood up from the wall, cast against the background of the sky. It looks like it was once part of a church.

Shortly after this, it began to rain, and we sought shelter in a small pub, just down the street from the castle. We weren't expecting much in terms of food, perhaps just a pizza or some other snack food. But it turns out that they had an excellent paella, made with crawfish. That and some local beer. Delicious.