When we arrived in Avila, the first thing we noticed was "La Muralla," a massive wall along the perimeter of the city. Nobles, soldiers and members of religious orders, like the order of Carmelite nuns to which Saint Teresa belonged, would have lived inside the wall, while peasants and farmers lived outside.

This is a view of Avila from a hill outside La Muralla.

My friend Sunny liked the statue of this lion. There are stone statues lining the streets around churches when one enters Avila.

This is a view of the roof of a gothic church from the outside.

And this is the inside, where many paintings and statues of religious figures or scenes from the Bible are displayed.

While inside the different churches and buildings in Avila, we saw a painting of Jesus being crucified while wearing a skirt, which is more common in certain Latin American indigenous cultures' depictions of Jesus. So, our guide concluded, the artist was probably Latin American and shipped the painting to Avila to display in the chapel of the church. Many in our group were either shocked to see this, or thought it was funny. It just goes to show that cultural norms and styles differ from place to place.

We then went into a room with artifacts that belonged to St. Teresa. We were not allowed to take photos, unfortunately. But the most shocking thing was that in a display case was a finger. Yes, you heard me correctly, a real, decaying FINGER enclosed in airtight glass. The locals say it is St. Teresa's index finger. Now, I realize the woman had masochistic tendencies due to her mystic beliefs, but somehow taking her finger and enclosing it in glass for all to see seems a little extreme. I only wish I could have taken a picture. It's one of those things you just have to see.

Leaving the chapel of the nine-fingered saint, we then climbed a stone walkway that snaked across the tops of buildings in Avila. From there, we could see spectacular views of the city.

After leaving Avila, we traveled to nearby Segovia, which is much smaller. Segovia's prime tourist attractions are the Roman aqueduct and the palace known as the Alcazar.

Here is the aqueduct. Local folklore ignores the presence of the Romans and says that the aqueduct was built by the devil when he made a bet with a local woman to give him her soul in exchange for finding an easier way to transport water instead of carrying it back by hand. The legend says that the woman then tricked the devil and he ended up building the aqueduct, but failing to win the woman's soul.

This is a close-up of the aqueduct. Our program assistant Cristina said the Spanish flag was draped across the statue of Mary and the Baby Jesus in remembrance of the two-year anniversary of the March 11, 2004 subway attacks committed by Al-Qaeda.

This is one of many gothic-style churches and cathedrals throughout Segovia.

The Alcazar served as a palace and residence for the kings of the Castille region. Each new monarch added new parts to the building, transforming it into a massive palace and fortress.

This is a view from the Alcazar, surveying the land below. The Alcazar stands more than 1000 meters tall.