The Procession of Pain in León, Spain, Stayed Mainly in the Rain

To be totally honest, I was so certain that Friday night's single procession, marking the beginning of Holy Week, would be cancelled, that I had already written another article for today. The forecast was calling for a one hundred percent chance of rain at 8:00 p.m., the time the procession was scheduled to begin. When I left home with my camera a half hour earlier, light rain was already falling.  Then, as I got to the Church of Our Lady of the Market and the Road (Iglesia Ntra. Sra. del Mercado y del Camino), the narrow medieval streets were so crowded with umbrella wielding by-standers that it was impossible to get to the front of the church. There were only maybe a thousand people, but in narrow streets with hundreds of open umbrellas, navigation and visibility were virtually impossible.  Sardines are not packed so tightly.  I honestly wonder how many people may have been admitted to the emergency room Friday night due to umbrella-related blindness in one or both eyes.

As I had neglected to bring an umbrella from the United States, my mother-in-law, María Rosa, was kind enough to lend me an oversized pocket umbrella.  It was bright pink, with little light pink flowers stretched in a field along the center. Unfortunately, both my hands were necessary to control my camera, and I never got to use it.  At least, I'm not guilty of putting someone's eye out.

The street was lined with the faithful despite the rain and the promise of heavier rain.  (You can click on photographs in this blog for a larger view.  Hit the "escape" or "esc" key to return to nornal viewing.)

This was the first of the processions of León's Holy Week, Procesión de Dolorosa (Procession of Pain, or Sorrow) which always takes place one week before Good Friday on Viernes de Dolores (the Friday of Pain; in English, also known as the Friday of Sorrows.)  The procession marks the start of the ten day Semana Santa, or Holy Week, not only in León, but also throughout Spain. It recalls the pain and suffering of the Virgin Mary throughout the Passion. Of the 33 processions in León during Holy Week, the Friday of Pain is the only day that a single procession takes place.  Unfortunately, the weather in León is unpredictable, and with more than thirty processions, it is inevitable that some will be the victims of weather during the ten days.

At 8 o'clock when I saw no movement and heard no music, I was sure the procession would be cancelled.  The light rain was becoming heavier. Then, a few minutes later, I heard bells ringing and could tell there was movement at the front of the church.  Despite the downpour, and from a distance, I finally saw the cross of the one paso (religious float) sticking out above the umbrellas.  It swayed from side to side for several minutes.  I thought it likely that they would stay in front of the church for a few minutes, just to make a showing without cancelling the event; then they would return inside. But after a while, the procession moved forward through the street and I could hear the band moving in front of it.

In this procession, medieval hoods do not hide the identities of the participants.

Eventually, I worked my way through the streets and found a spot where the procession would pass by.  The soaked musician came first, followed by ladies carrying candles that somehow stayed lit. At the end came the paso, with the representation of the Virgin Mary, covered in plastic.  The procession turned a corner, and it was obvious they had turned back toward the Church.  The procession would soon be over,  hours earlier than scheduled, but they at least had made a showing for the umbrella-bearing faithful.

The paso depicting the Virgin Mary sorrowfully holding the body of her son was covered in plastic to protect it from the rain.  Some pasos date back hundred of years and cannot be exposed to the harsh weather.

Because of the plastic covering, it was impossible to view the beauty of the paso.  The procession soon turned a corner and headed back to the Church.

After such a procession, the crowds huddled into bars for drinks and tapas.  My mother-in-law and I met friends at El  Rincón de los Gauchos, a well-known tapas bar, and had wine and an excellent garlic soup for tapas.

We enjoyed wine and garlic soup as my camera dried out.

As I'm writing this the following morning, snow is falling outside, but melting as it hits the ground.  There are five processions scheduled for tonight.  We will see what happens.

The view outside my window as I write this blog entry.  It's hard to tell, but the white splotches you see against the road are falling snowflakes.

I will be blogging about Holy Week from León and much more in the upcoming days.  If you would like to follow along and receive a notification when a new post appears, please subscribe by clicking here and entering your email address.

You can view my fine art photography website at:  www.tombellart.com.

This blog has been named one of the top 75 fine art photography blogs on the planet.

Good Timing and Blue Skies Are Good Signs for Easter

I arrived in Madrid yesterday morning.  I flew in from Chicago. My mother-in-law, María Rosa, flew in from Guatemala.  However, our timing was excellent! 

Despite the size of Madrid's Barajas airport, despite the large crowd going through baggage pickup and customs, my mother-in-law was the first person I saw as the automatic door to Luggage Carousels One through Six slid open.  She had already retrieved her suitcases, and within a couple of minutes, I had mine.  Two years ago when I came for Easter, it was the same; she was among the first I saw when I entered the luggage area.  She had been scheduled to arrive a couple of hours before me, but various delays put us together at the most opportune time.

It could have been worse, I assure you, much worse.

Had I chosen to go on the same flight  one day earlier, it would have been a disaster.  My plane was scheduled to depart for Madrid at 5:30 p.m.  However, I arrived at Chicago's O'Hare Airport at about 10 a.m.  I was surprised that there were about a hundred travelers in line before me and the airline desk hadn't even opened yet. An employee of the airline told me that these were passengers from the previous day's flight, which had been cancelled due to mechanical problems.  She suggested it would be quite a while before passengers for today's flight would be served, and that I might enjoy waiting in the Starbuck's on the lower level.  When I returned an hour later, there were a couple of hundred more people waiting in line, and there was still no one at the counter to serve them.  As I watched, more and more people kept arriving and the line kept getting longer and longer.

Passengers of a delayed flight that I was fortunate not to be on. (You can click on photos in this blog for a larger view.  On a full size computer hit the "Escape" or "esc" key to exit full size.)

To make a long story short, when I finally went through the security gates after 3:00 p.m., those passengers from yesterday's flight were still waiting.  Before I boarded my on-time flight, I heard someone say that parts for the plane still hadn't arrived and that the poor passengers would be delayed for a second day.  I felt very fortunate, indeed, not to have chosen to leave a day earlier.

María Rosa and I took a bus from Madrid to León, in the north of Spain, where she has an apartment.  Since I didn't sleep on the plane, my moments of consciousness during the five hours on the bus were few.  However, at one moment, I awakened to look out the window and see that we were surrounded by recently-fallen snow.

A view out the bus window somewhere between Madrid and León.

We arrived in León just before 4:00 p.m.  I opened my eyes just before we pulled into the bus station, and was surprised to see sunshine and clear streets.  For me it was a promising sign that the weather might hold out for the upcoming Easter processions, which can easily be cancelled because of inclement weather.  As I was planning my trip, most of the extended forecasts had called for snow or rain in León.

This is the view from my mother-in-law's apartment window last night.  Note the crescent moon and the clear skies.

The same view of the Plaza de la Inmaculada this morning.  The skies are blue and the temperature is 41 degrees F. (5.5 degrees C.).

The extended forecasts still calls for rain and even more snow over the next few days, but this isn't stopping the people here from preparing for the amazing Holy Week processions that occur the ten days leading up to Easter.

A Legos model of a Holy Week procession in a shop window near my mother-in-law's apartment is a tradition in León. The scene changes from year to year.  The shop was closed when I went by in the early afternoon, and the shop lights above the display were not lit.  I'll return for better photos when the lighting is better.

A closeup of the window scene.

I'll also be writing more about food and the amazing tapas here in León.  The city has been named: Capital Española de la Gastronomía 2018."  Or in English: 2018 Gastronomic Capital of Spain. (See my post from October of 2017). It's only my first full day in León, but that hasn't stopped me from having a drink and trying out some tapas.

These tapas of toasted bread, cheese, meat and other toppings served at the Cambalache restaurant are typical of what you might get when you order a drink.

This baked ravioli is another of the tapas at the Cambalache.

This red wine is a Rioja.  Rioja is one of the great wine producing regions of Spain.  If you order a glass like this, the cost is only about 1 Euro ($1.25), and you get a tasty appetizer (tapas) like those above at no additional cost.

As I said, I'm hoping that good timing and blue skies are good signs, but come rain or shine, I'll be blogging about Holy Week, tapas, and much more over the next three weeks.  If you don't want to miss any of my blog entries, please enter your email to subscribe to my blog.  You will automatically be updated when I post something new.  Also, feel free to make comments below.

You can view my fine art photography website at:  www.tombellart.com.

This blog has been named one of the top 75 fine art photography blogs on the planet.

 

An Ice Storm

An ice storm has the power to keep most people indoors, especially if they don't have to be out and about.  However, it can also offer opportunities for photography.

Here in Makanda, it's a cold, miserable day.  But a few minutes ago, I stepped outside with my camera and captured some images only a few feet from my house.

I processed the images in b&w for a dramatic look. A bit of vignetting around the edges completed the look and feel of the photo. You can click on images in my blog for a larger view.

I can certainly see that any of these images would look great as a large print framed and matted on almost any wall.

These are the first three images I processed.  I still have plenty more to keep me busy when the weather is not cooperating.

You can view my fine art photography website at:  www.tombellart.com.