With feelings of great excitement, we finally arrived at “Country House” which is 14 kilometres outside Valladolid and was to be our base for the week. What a lovely surprise greeted us, “Country House” is set in its own grounds and has an open air swimming pool and facilities for pool, table tennis, basketball and tennis. We were greatly impressed by the atmosphere of calm and tranquillity as we strolled around the grounds and visited the charming, peaceful chapel.

During our stay, the hospitality we received was superb. The meals were excellent and the staff so happy, obliging and friendly, even though they did not speak English and we did not speak Spanish - except for Canon Alf who was our official translator.

To recuperate from our journey out, we had a rest day on the Wednesday which was spent first attending Mass, then sunbathing, swimming and generally becoming familiar with our surroundings.

On Thursday we visited Segovia, one of the most monumental and picturesque towns in Spain. Canon Alf celebrated Holy Mass for us at the “Convent of the Discalced Carmelites”, founded in 1558 by St. John of the Cross, whose tomb is in the church. Then we looked at the Church of La Vera Cruz, erected in 1208 by the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre – dodecagonal (twelve sided) on the outside and circular in its interior. Segovia is world renowned for the ship-like appearance it projects, the Alcazar standing at its bow, the Cathedral tower being its mainmast and the Aqueduct its helm. There are over twenty Romanesque churches and dozens of Renaissance fortress-residences and palaces in the city. The most adventurous in our group climbed “The Tower of John II” in the Alcazar which has 156 steps to the top (we know because we counted them) but what a view!!!

Friday was our visit to Valladolid. The main attraction here being “The College of St. Alban” which is the English seminary where Canon Alf trained to be a priest. He trained here for six years, spending four months each year at “Country House”. Canon Alf was in his element showing us around the College, reliving his days there as he reminisced and entertained us with anecdotes as we viewed the Chapel, the Martyr’s Corridor, the Refectory etc. His first hand experiences really brought the college to life. The highlight of the visit to the English College was seeing the statue of “The Vulnerata”. In 1596 during hostilities between Spain and England, some English sailors sacked the town of Cadiz. From one of the Churches a statue of the Virgin and Child was dragged into the street, hacked and mutilated. What remained was a figure with sabre cuts on the face, part of the nose and mouth missing and both arms reduced to stumps, and all that remained of the Infant was a tiny foot attached to the Mother’s knee. In 1600 the statue was obtained for the English College in Valladolid to show reverence to the image which had been abused. “ La Vulnerata” means “The Wounded One “. A golden crown now adorns it.

Salamanca was our venue for Saturday. First we attended Mass at the Scottish College and then we explored the city. The Old and the New Cathedrals are buildings not to be missed, after which a rest in the impressive Plaza Mayor was welcome. It is said to be the most beautiful arcaded square in Spain. A few of us also visited the Dominican Contemplative Convent which was partially open to visitors. It had a lovely garden, cloister and museum. This visit had special significance for Sister Maura who belongs to the Dominican Order.

Monday brought our long awaited trip to Avila. First we visited the “Monasterio De La Encarnacion”, where St. Teresa had her vision and spent almost 30 years of her life. Here she changed the style of the convent with her Carmelite reform and planned her journeys to different cities to found new monasteries. It was at “ The Encarnacion” that St. Teresa met and had many conversations with St. John of the Cross. The Encarnacion is a simple building, free of luxuries as would be expected of a place destined for monastic life. St. Teresa continues to play an important role in the life of the city of Avila. At each crossroads, in every street and corner, there is something to remind us of her. The religious spirit of Avila is displayed not only in the cathedral but in numerous monuments, churches and souvenir shops.

Part of Avila is surrounded by high walls. This powerful Mediaeval defence, entirely preserved, delicately winds its way around the city. The more energetic of our party (although by no means the youngest) climbed the walls to see the magnificent views, however, some of us preferred to take a guided tour of the city on the tour train.

As we left Avila we stopped at “Cuatro Postes” (four columns). These are four Doric columns united by a cornice decorated with the arms of the city and a central stone cross. It is said St. Teresa and her brother Rodrigo were found in this place when they fled from home as children, to go to the land of the Moors, to offer themselves as martyrs. From the Cuatro Postes you can view a beautiful panorama of the city of Avila.

Our final sightseeing day arrived - our visit to Madrid. The Cathedral of the Almudena is magnificent and breathtaking. Inside, there was a fabulous exhibition to commemorate the150th anniversary of the Apostolic Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Statues, paintings and documents from all over the world were on display.

Madrid itself is a very impressive city and our few hours there only whet our appetite for a future visit. The shops, fountains, gardens and buildings were all calling us. However, we could not visit Madrid without admiring the “Estadio Santiago Bernabeu” - the Real Madrid football ground. Need I say more, but, a number of people were very pleased with the gifts they purchased here and you may see quite a lot of “Real Madrid” supporters around Preston !!!

All too quickly Wednesday August 10th arrived. We were all packed and ready to leave “Country House”. We all felt sad to leave this beautiful country with its rich religious heritage, and lovely hot weather. Our few days were not enough to see everything.

As we waved goodbye to Father Michael (the rector), Father Kevin and all the staff, we were envious of the next group of pilgrims to stay at “Country House”. The hospitality we received there was second to none. We can certainly recommend Country House, which is so easily accessible from Valladolid airport.

Our sincere thanks and appreciation to Canon Alf Hayes and Kevin Lonergan (our Pilgrimage Director ) for organising this wonderful pilgrimage.