The rest of the group boarded the Paris-Orleans Night Express at 8:40 P.M. from the Gare d'Orsay station.
Their journey was comfortable in the two compartments they occupied exclusively. The Pickford travel agents had done a fine job and handled all the tour details by having their agents meet them along the way. Baba and the group arrived in Irun, Spain, on the morning of 23 October at eight o'clock, and thereafter changed trains for Avila. There was some mix-up regarding their seating which left Chanji, Adi Jr. and Quentin having to stand for the rest of the journey.
Arriving in Avila that evening at six, Baba and the group stayed at the Hotel Ingles . Baba appeared very happy to be in Spain, which he said reminded him of India more than any other country he had thus far visited. "Baba loved Spain," Norina later wrote. "Its atmosphere and the people." Before dinner, Baba went for a walk with the men past the house of Saint Teresa.1
"I feel at home here," Baba remarked. "It is like Assisi. It is the spiritual atmosphere that you feel which gives value to the shrines of saints."
Pointing to his wrists and arms, Baba commented, "Saints are like the nerves of my body; they work for me and I guide their lives."
Baba and the men returned to the hotel and had their last meal for the next 24 hours.
Baba had explained to them, "I have very special work in Avila. You must all fast and we must walk together over the hills, although no one should touch me."
The next morning, they visited the cathedral there, and Baba instructed them as they were leaving that four silver coins be given to the sacristan. Led by Baba, the group then walked through the surrounding countryside. The scenery was magnificent. It was to them as though they were walking with Jesus through the hills of Galilee.
Baba revealed, "Long ago, before the cathedral was built, I was here in Avila. I used to walk on this hillside, and quietly rest and meditate here. There were no trees there at the time. It was more desert than countryside."
They returned to their hotel at 4:00 P.M. and broke their fast with fruits.
Baba was in a very good mood and revealed further, "My spiritual work is successfully accomplished. How fortunate you are to be with me! Even those of my followers who are not with me will share in the spiritual benefits of this work.
Footnotes
- 1.Teresa of Avila (1515–1582) was a Carmelite nun, and although a mystic, she was endowed with great personal charm, tact and boundless good will. Her writings, notably The Life and Way of Perfection are among the greatest in Christian literature.