More about Avila and the lowdown on St Teresa

When we'd had our fill of all this history and wildlife, we went in search of sustenance of a more
culinary kind.
By now, it was evening, and we know that the Spanish eat late, so we walked a bit more, aiming to get to somewhere suitable by around 10:00 p.m. On the way we encountered, in the darkness of the streets below the walls, a marching band. They were playing a wild tune in a minor key on cornets and drums, practising for the Semana Santa Easter Week processions that will happen from Palm Sunday to Good Friday. they may also have been thinking about St Teresa, Avila's most famous holy person. Well then, at last we found a likely looking place to eat, el Portalon ; there was a big family group already tucking into their meal and drinks at the back of the old fashioned wood-panelled bar/dining room.
We went in, we sat down, we asked if we could we could eat ...... we were led downstairs to the very formal and empty restaurant!
It took a good ten minutes, with the help of our phrase book and hand signals, to explain that we wanted to eat where there was more company and that we didn't mind if all that we could get
upstairs was tapas, rationes or combinationes; no 3 course meals up there. Once he understood, the waiter was fantastically helpful. He served us as he cooed over the toddler who was with the family party. Now that he had us weighed up. he avoided speaking English, but led us through the Spanish menu, making us repeat after him what it was we wanted after, and checking our pronunciation as we went. We had an excellent meal and a memorable evening. We returned to
our hotel where, to our amusement, the bedrooms turned out to be hardly soundproof at all!
April 7th. We checked out, smiling sweetly at the demure couple who passed us in the lobby, and went to the little cafe across the road for a breakfast of hot chocolate and churros. On the way back to the car, the waiter from last night passed us in the street; he stopped and asked us if we'd slept well, and Faith got a kiss on each cheek, while I got a manly handshake. Next stop, Almagro, home of Spanish theatre!
(By the way, thanks for adding comments, and no Glain and Mark - we weren't sick on the crossing!)