Apologies, Elderly Cows, and Bar Tabs

As I mentioned in a previous post, my DNA test shows my ancestry is less than one percent Spanish.  Somehow, the people here in León seem to sense this.

A few days ago, I was at one of my favorite tapas bars, Jamón Jamón (Ham Ham), enjoying an excellent glass of local red wine and a crusty white bread topped with an amazing Spanish ham, chorizo, and manchego cheese.  Holy week was not yet over and crowds were everywhere.  Inside the bar, people stood shoulder to shoulder.  I elected to move outside where there was a shelf against the window for patrons to place their drinks and plates of food.  Usually the space around the shelf is also crowded, but today I found myself alone in the outdoor space, with people rushing through the streets around me.

Jamón Jamón serves only one thing for tapas:  crusty bread with Spanish ham, chorizo, and manchego cheese.  (You can click on photographs in this blog for a larger view.  Use the "esc" or "escape" key to exit to a normal view.

For €1.30 ($1.60) you can have a glass of wine and tapas.

It was not long before I heard a commotion and looked around to see a young husband and wife with two small, extremely unruly children pushing my way.  It seemed that the husband's sworn duty was to be totally oblivious to everything going on around him, while the wife grabbed at the children's shirt collars and flailing arms, screaming, "No! Juan Pablo, no!  Javier! No!

Jamón Jamón is a popular destination on the tapas circuit in León.

In a split second, I placed my glass of wine on the shelf and braced myself for the inevitable impact. Sure enough, despite my attempt to move out of the way, the wife, who was bent over trying to control the children, backed into me.  She rapidly turned and looked up at me in horror.  The apology immediately followed, "Sorry!  Sorry!," she said with true remorse.

"No te preocupes. Estoy bien,"  ("Don't worry. I'm fine,") I immediately said as she turned again, crying, "Juan Pablo. Javier!  No!"  The father was looking around with his hands behind his back as if he were waiting for a bus.

Instantly, I was aware that something was wrong.  What had I done?  I hadn't uttered a word before she slammed into me.  Why had she apologized to me in English?  When I wasn't looking had someone secretly stenciled my forehead with text that said, "American. Please speak English!?"

I've had similar incidents happen to me at other times during my travels.  I've been over much of the world, and in some places, I'm obviously a tourist and elicit communication in English, or sometimes in sign language. But here, I thought, if I don't speak with my American accent, surely I will blend in.  Whatever the case, I decided not to dwell on it, and to put it aside so that I could enjoy the last couple of days of Holy Week.

I missed being with my family and friends back in Illinois on Easter Sunday.  I knew that they had enjoyed a wonderful Easter dinner with many traditional dishes, including my favorite: lamb.

On the Tuesday following Easter, my mother-in-law's cousin, Tomasina, invited my mother-in-law, María Rosa; my niece, Sofía with her fiancé, Ronnie; and me to a late lunch. (Lunches in Spain are always very late.)  We entered a very nice restaurant and were soon seated at a table next to a window.

After a few minutes, a waiter appeared and started placing menus in front of us.  I was last. "And a menu in English, for you, sir," he intoned.

I was stunned. How had he known?  I didn't say anything, but looked at him suspiciously.

Seconds later we were talking about other things and I let it slide.  But I must say that the menu in English was a mixed blessing.  Not only did I not know what everything was on the Spanish menu, I had trouble with the English menu, also.  We decided on roasted vegetables and morcilla (a Spanish blood sausage that is delicious, despite what it sounds like)  for a first course.  Then I started looking at the main courses.  After fish were the meats, with beef first on the list.

It was when I got to the third offering that I knew I wouldn't be having beef that afternoon.  "Carne roja de añojo deshuesada..."  The English translation was: "Deboned red meat from elderly cows..."

A picture formed in my head. I could see ancient and decrepit bovines tottering around a pasture waiting to die; the moment they dropped, someone would cart them off to be deboned and placed on a table before us. After getting the image out of my mind, I continued down the menu until I found the leg of lamb. That was my choice, and an excellent one, at that.  It wasn't a substitute for lamb at home, but it made things better.

A leg of lamb with potatoes, a roasted pepper, and salad.  It was far better than eating elderly cows.

A couple of days later, my mother-in-law and I stopped at one of the nearby restaurant/bars for a drink and tapas before lunch, as we often do. (Remember that lunch is late in the afternoon; it's not like we start pounding down drinks at 9 a.m.)  When we were ready to leave, I stepped up to the bar to pay.  The bar tender held up three fingers.  "Three Euros," he said in a heavy Spanish accent.

I sort of see myself as Indiana Jones describes his friend and colleague, Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot,) in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).  The Nazis realize that Brody has the journal page revealing the location of the Holy Grail.  Jones defiantly explains why the bad guys will never catch Brody.

 In truth, I think my case lies somewhere between the first and second scenes of the clip.

I keep looking in the mirror to see if something has been stenciled on my forehead, but so far, I haven't found it.

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

 

León's Storefront Displays of Devotion

Now that Holy Week in León is over, I want to share with you some of the fun demonstrations of devotion that I didn't have time to post before.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, storefronts celebrate Holy Week with displays that portray the processions and pasos (giant religious floats.)  Below are photographs of some of those displays, including more of the Legos.

A wide view of the Legos procession. (You can click on photos in this blog for a closer view.  Press the "escape" or "esc" key to return to a normal view.)

Legos figures in black papones (hoods and gowns) carry a paso.

The Legos creations are so detailed as to include babies, bicyclist, dogs, musicians, and much more.

It's important to note that Legos characters with umbrellas can always be found in this display since the possibility of rain is a constant danger to Holy Week processions.

This much more realistic depiction of one of the pasos can be found in the window of a fabric shop.

Another of the model pasos in the fabric shop.

A pharmacy on the main street of León depicts activities of the processions with packaging from medicine, such as this pill box that serves as the table for the Last Supper.

A wide shot of one of the pharmacy windows.

A box for energy pills serves as the platform for one of the pasos.  Presumably, the hooded figures took the pills to maintain enough energy to lift and bear the heavy pasos.

Bottles of wine wear the hoods typical of Holy Week at a store that deals in typical wines, meats, and foods of León.

Another hooded bottle

Representations of women in traditional Holy Week dress in a cosmetics store.

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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.

 

Being There: Easter is Coming -- So, I'm Going to Spain...

I have been honored in a way that few Americans might understand.

I've been invited to march in one of Spain's traditional (and amazing) Holy Week processions.  To put it in perspective, for me, this is akin to Eliza being invited to the ball.

But I will participate fully so as to gain knowledge and understanding that can only be achieved through, as Peter Sellers playing Chance Gardner might refer to, as "being there."

I photographed most of the Holy Week processions in León, Spain in 2016.  I will be in León again this year for Easter, not only to photograph these amazing demonstrations of devotion, but also to participate. This is one of the major processions, organized by the Brotherhood of the Seven Words of Christ on the Cross.  It is with this Brotherhood that I have been invited to participate.

I have been both a reporter and photographer at many happenings and events in the United States and throughout the world.  However, viewing an event through a lens or interviewing others about their participation is not the same as experiencing it for yourself.

The Processions start on Friday the week before Easter, with as many as seven processions in a single day, everything ending on Easter Sunday.  They are sponsored by Catholic Brotherhoods, many of them centuries old. The processions take place both night and day.  The robes and hoods date back to the the medieval period.  Hoods were originally worn to protect the identity of the penitents as they carried the heavy religious floats (pasos) on their shoulders.  In this manner, only God would know their identity.

Just as Ernest Hemingway often gained knowledge of what he wrote about by being actively involved (such as volunteering to drive an ambulance in the Spanish Civil War), I hope that changing my viewpoint from that of by-stander to active participant will allow me to gain a much deeper understanding of the processions and what it means to march along directly with the members of a Brotherhood.

Some of those carrying the paso show their devotion to penance by walking the many miles and hours of the procession barefoot, just as my wife's grandfather did almost a century ago.

I will be blogging throughout Holy Week, hopefully with new insight into the processions and rituals, but also about tapas, and more!  If you want a reminder every time I put out a new post, click here and submit your email adddress.  Also, please feel free to post comments.

Tapas are one of my favorite subjects to blog about, so not only will you be getting religion, but also, food!

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I Told You So!

Over the past several years, I've posted several articles, complete with photographs, about the delicious food to be enjoyed in León, Spain.  My emphasis has been on my favorite variety: tapas.  For those of you who don't know, tapas are an ancient culinary tradition in Spain.  Tapas, in simple terms, are snacks served whenever you order a drink.  But as you'll see, they're much, much more!

However, tapas are only part of the culinary legacy of León.  The people of León love food.  You'll find amazing dishes everywhere, from small bars that serve only drinks and tapas, to fine restaurants that serve everything from traditional Spanish foods to modern, innovative creations.  That's why I'm pleased to tell you that my favorite culinary city has been named: "Capital Española de las Gastronomía 2018."  Or in English: 2018 Gastronomic Capital of Spain.

In the video below that promotes León's achievement, you'll see many of the places I've photographed and presented in this blog.

You can view the article from León's daily newspaper by clicking here.

My photograph Modern and Medieval is taken from one of the streets that radiates from the Barrio Húmedo (the wet district, which is the area with many bars and tapas venues.)  In the background is León's famed Gothic cathedral. In the foreground is a wall with a modern mural.  This photograph will be exhibited this fall and winter at the 2017 Shrode Photography Competition and Exhibit at the Mitchell Museum in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. The opening reception will be Saturday, October 21, 6:30 p.m. and the top award winners will be announced that evening. Three Cedarhurst galleries will be opening their new exhibits which will be celebrated with food, a cash bar and dessert.  The exhibition will be open from Oct. 22  through Dec. 31, 2017.  (You can click on the image for a closer view.)

Bars like the Camarote Madrid serve tapas along with every drink.

Below are some links to some of my previous article about the food and tapas of León.

Spain Means History, Tapas, more Tapas ...and Photographs

Photographing (and Eating) Tapas in León, Spain

Photographing (and Eating) Tapas in León, Spain - Part Two

Preparing for Easter Week (Semana Santa) in León, Spain – An Unexpected Surprise of Tradition, Legos, Family, Pharmaceuticals, Food & Drink

Holy Week in León -- Family, Tradition & Food

Photos from León

Are Tapas Evolving?

You can view my website at: www.tombellart.com.

 

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