Days 86-88: Holy Week in Spain

Holy Week in Spain

Travel Days 86 – 88

March 24 – 26

Camino Day 20: Mansilla de las Mulas to León

Daily distance: 18.1 km

Total distance: 464.7 km

I didn’t realize the effects of yesterday’s 36 kilometers until this morning; I slept through my alarm and woke up late.  I had to skip my morning routine, and I dragged myself and gear downstairs to eat a pathetically small Spanish breakfast incapable of satiating my voracious American appetite.  Looking out the window, I could already see it was going to be a cold day.  Frost was still sitting on the tops of cars and roofs, and the weather report offered no encouragement: 80% chance of rain and snow with moderate winds.  Spanish Spring was off to a good start.  After the last few days of sunshine, I was back to a full bundle; at least wearing all of my warming layers removes some of the weight from my pack. 

It's not a foot of snow, but it's still too cold to be doing this.

This close to Leon, the Camino was reduced to a small dirt path parallel and adjacent to N-601, one of the major roads leading to the city.  And by the time I got to Villamoros de Mansilla six kilometers later, I was walking on the shoulder of the road, not even a sidewalk, with cars and buses and 18-wheelers flying by in both directions.  I became envious of how quickly they traveled.  I let out a sigh and told myself that I only had twelve kilometers before arriving in León. 

Two hours into my four-hour morning walk, the promised rain arrived, followed by the promised snow.  Then, a duet played, with snow and rain falling together as sideways sleet.  The winds played their part in this symphony of misery, dropping the apparent temperature below freezing.  I did not need a thermometer; my toes and fingers have become quite good at this measurement.  I gave a thought to stop and don my sunglasses to protect my eyeballs from the occasional laser-guided unpleasant snowflake, but I circumvented this urge in favor of keeping momentum.  My feet now hurt more from the cold than from the pounding against the ground, and I was afraid that stopping for a moment would prevent starting again.  Fortunately, this weather only lasted for as long as it took me to reach the albergue in Leon.  Besides, what is the Camino without discomfort?  What is joy in life without misery to help put it into perspective? 

And I would never get photos like these.  Look how happy I am that there is no
snow on the ground!

Camino Day 21: León

Daily distance: 0 km

Total distance: 464.7 km

Today is Palm Sunday.  Which, as I came to learn, is a pretty big deal here in Spain. 

Because today was my first day off, I decided to splurge on sleep, setting my alarm for 7:45 AM, one hour and forty-five minutes later than normal.  But I was still very tired when I woke up.  I’m sure it didn’t help that we stayed out until 11:00 PM last night (we’ve become a real wild bunch in León), but it definitely didn’t help that European Daylight Savings started today, which means my body thought it was 6:45 AM. 

All along the Camino, I saw advertisements for “Semana Santa,” the Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.  I heard there was going to be a precession in the streets, and I followed a line of various vendors selling products that always seem like poor purchases in hindsight. 

Like the various balloon characters that will deflate shortly after interest is lost
in them.

In front of the San Isidoro Basilica, I met Marilynn (a Canadian pilgrim) and we watched a precession of a nativity carried at a slow cadence by forty sharply dressed people.  They were followed by crowds from the basilica to the León Cathedral, where a 12:00 PM arrival synchronized a symphony of church bells with the arrival of the precession. 

I spent the rest of my Sabbath day exploring León’s gothic masterpiece cathedral, eating tapas (tapas alone are 1.20€, but are included with a 1.50€ purchase of a glass of wine, which essentially means they’re giving away wine here), and catching up on writing (which is always behind).  I messaged Christian to see if he and Barbara safely made it to León.  Not only were they here, but they had been here for the last two days.  When we left them in El Burgo Ranero, the only albergue open was a Donativo monastery with a massive hole in the roof.  Even during the day it was freezing.  They caught a train at 5:15 PM from El Burgo to León.  So this was good news!  They didn’t die yet. 

The Leon Cathedral is a spectacular Gothic masterpiece.

We made dinner plans for 7:00 PM, and I gathered Claudia and Rudolf (a different Canadian pilgrim) to join us.  We went to Green Corner, a supposedly vegetarian restaurant that didn’t have a single vegetarian item on the menu (Barbara is vegetarian).  I was not surprised; many vegetarian dishes in Spain contain fish (granted, some fish are as dumb as plants).  We didn’t realize these semantics shenanigans until after we ordered our first bottle of wine, which to our delight came with tapas (it’s like they’re giving away food here). 

We left Green Corner with still-empty stomachs, but had a lead to a recommended pizzeria that was bound to have a vegetarian option (e.g. cheese pizza).  But when we went to cross one of the streets, we had to cut through a thick crowd, which we discovered too late to be blocking the view of a night procession through the streets.  This one was far less jovial than the one in the morning.  A single snare drum played a punctuated drum roll, the only sound in the silent street.  There was an ambiance of a funeral.  We looked around wide-eyed; everyone in the precession was dressed in black robes and tall pointed black hoods with two oval eyeholes.  The crowds stoically stared at our foible; we just made a dumb tourist move.  We faded back into the crowd, taking in more of the scene.  Many of the pointy-hooded black figures carried large wooden crosses, and forty more of them were carrying a large altar of a crucified and bloody Christ.  A Spanish man next to us realized we had no idea what was happening.  He leaned over and told us: “They cover their heads out of respect for Christ.” 

I leaned back towards him: “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”  Probably because this wouldn’t happen in the United States without a riot and involvement from the National Guard. 

As the altar passed in front of us, the snare drum ceased playing.  A chorus of 30 women dressed in white gowns that was standing silently on a platform opposite of us began to sing a heavenly tune.  Sadness intensely filled the air. 

After the altar completely passed us, our new Spanish friend leaned in again: “If you want to escape, now is your chance.”  We were happy to take his advice.  In all of my travels, I have never been to a cultural event that had a tone anywhere as serious as this. 

Camino Day 22: Leon to Villar de Mazarife

Daily distance: 23.2 km

Total distance: 487.9 km

Leaving the concrete jungle of León was only a relief because of the existence of the Alternative Camino.  The traditional Camino Frances follows N-120, another major artery into the city.  But the Alternative Camino breaks away from this road and explores the remote countryside.  The others must have followed the traditional Camino, because I did not see them anywhere along the route or in Villar de Mazarife, a small hamlet surrounded by vast empty space.   

The return to solitude was welcomed after the last few days of excitement, and was accompanied with a return to my own thoughts.  Even the boring and lonely days carry a happiness about them.