The Fleeing Nun!

Somebody told me Mercury is doing strange things in the heavens and I believe it is true because this has been the weirdest two weeks and today tops it all.  To start with, the lodging I booked for the day we walk through Pamplona was not as they advertised, so I had to do a quick change of reservations. And since it's so close to the date of stay, I had to pay double. Ouch.  I had requested fragrance free rooms back in November and December. When I arrived to check the lodging out, I almost choked on the strong air freshener. My eyes and throat were burning. It was one of those things on the wall that shoots out fragrance every few minutes. Holy cow!  It was horrible! I was one hour too late to cancel three rooms, so I had to eat that charge. But there was no way I could put pilgrims in those rooms! I did manage to air out the rooms of the two pilgrims coming in early because it was too late to cancel those also. One lady was supposed to arrive today. Another tomorrow.  I paid for those two rooms and walked to Old Town where I had booked a bed for myself in a pilgrim Albergue.  Imagine my surprise when I arrived and was told, 'Sorry. We booked a large group and now we do not have a bed for you!"  Even though I had a reservation!   So I got online and found one of the last hotel rooms in Pamplona got more than twice my budgeted amount. But no choice here unless I wanted to sleep under a tree.  Ten minutes later, an email from my peregrina saying she could not make it here until tomorrow!!!  I could have used that room! Goodness. What a crazy day! And so I did what any red-blooded Anerican girl would do under stress  . . . I found some comfort food!

 

I am now sitting in my room, listening to the firecrackers boom!

It is Saturday night and that means fiesta in Pamplona!

There is a wedding at most of the churches and people are singing in the streets in Old Town. 

The skies are cloudy but no rain - just a few sprinkles. 

Perfect for walking. I hope this weather holds. 

 

I think I will go take a walk in the park. 

Here are some views from my window at Hotel Eslava. 

 

 

 

 

Something sort of funny just happened. 

I was taking photos of the park and trying to get a photo of the bride. 

See her in the white dress in the photo below?

Then suddenly, a nun stood up and tossed her habit over her head to cover her face

as she ran for cover. 

I didn't even know she was there until she stood up and ran! 

I guess she thought I was photographing her. 

 

I hope Mercury settles down soon!

 

Annie

 

Pamplona in Springtime

I walked to the Cathedral today. €3 for pilgrims.  If you go, you must take care to see everything listed on the map they give you.  Some things, like the house of the bellman, you must ask them to unlock.  Other doorways are a bit hidden, so explore any door that is open.  I began my walk through the park, which is bursting with color!  

 

 

 

 

Then through Old Town for a little shopping. 

 

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Then to the Cathedral. 

 

 

The imagery is quite striking in the Cathedral and is meant to evoke emotion. 

 

 

You can see Jesus has been whipped. 

 

Some statues were very simple. 

 

Others were quite ornate. 

I love the solar imagery. 

 

 

Crucifixions were life-sized for dramatic appeal. 

 

 

Emotions were apparent. 

 

Even wooden statues wept. 

 

The cloister was lovely. 

 

I climbed 62 steps to the bellringer's house. 

 

 

His floor was worn smooth and beautiful. 

 

A touch-screen computer allowed me to hear all the different bells. 

 

And Santa Barbara, who was also confined in a tower, blessed me as I walked by. 

 

I got a closer look at one of the stained glass windows. 

 

 

 My visit concluded, I stopped in for a Caesar salad before heading back to my room.  

 

 

Cuenca

Justin (Australia) and Han Korea) fixing dinner the night before walking to Cuenca with help from Maure (Italy) 

Maure is on his way to be hospitalero at San Anton. 

 A wonderful group of pilgrims, these were the Three Amigos. 

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That night two more pilgrims arrived from the Canary Islands. 

Tenerife, I believe. 

Photos of them tomorrow. 

The young leaves are red to attract the heat of the sun. 

That tiny speck is Justin up,ahead of me. 

And these two specks are Maria Jesus and Jacinta. 

The remains of the old castle made a perfect place for storks to nest. 

Then came 10 Kilometers of this -  giving me my first blister!

The Bar was honoring Santiago. 

It was a holiday, Mother's Day, and so we ate well. 

Paella and Bacalau. 

 Another great Albergue for €6. 

I even had a private room!  I'll post photos from home later. 

Today was perhaps my favorite stage on the Madrid route. The canal walk was just so uplifting.

There are some notes for those walking. If I already posted these, I apologize


Leaving Medina de Rioseca you must pay close attention because there are three routes. To go to Cuenca ...


Leave the convent and go straight through town. As you reach the edge of town there is a park on the right. You will see arrows pointing straight and also to the right. If you want the most beautiful and shortest route, go to the RIGHT.


FOLLOW THE CANAL. It is beautiful. It does not matter which side you walk on, but I walked the right side and there were no resting places. I did see picnic tables on the other side.


You just follow the canal until it basically stops and takes a sharp turn to the right. There is a big building there and plenty of signage. Now you continue on straight and just follow the arrows to Tamariz. There is a bar there. On Sunday it was not open until noon.


From Tamariz you have two choices. Follow the arrows out of town and to the left to the highway. At the highway you can follow the Camino signs to another small village and then around to Cuenca. 4 k road walking and 8 k on track for a total of about 12.


OR turn right and follow the road to Cuenca. 8 k of road walking but 4 k shorter. This was the choice I made.


On that road, you can watch the signs count down the kilometers and after you are down to one, you cross a highway and continue straight on a dirt road. There are no arrows and the village appears and disappears but eventually you reach another road. Turn left and walk into Cuenca.


The road splits. Take the lower road (see the arrow to your left on the tree after you turn). Walk all the way to the main square. Across the square and to your right is the Albergue Bar, where you get the key to the very nice, big,well-equipped Albergue. The hospitalero comes by later to collect €6. There are two dorms of beds and at least one room with two beds. Two bathrooms with two toilets and two showers each.


Having trouble with wifi. Will post photos tomorrow.

Museu de Semana Santa

 

 

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The Semana Santa Museum was beautiful. 

But the building was like a freezer inside so if you go, dress warm!

I had to leave earlier than I would have liked. 

 

By the way there is a ticket you can buy for under €10 that will get you into three museums PLUS a boat ride up the canal you will be walking next day. If the weather had been warmer I would have done this for sure. 

 

 

Each con fraternity or brotherhood carries their own light or farol. 

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Each brotherhood's penitents also have their own costume. 

 

 

 

The statues are all life size and are very heavy. 

They are what we would call "floats" except they are hand carried, instead of being on wheels. 

 

The handles can be plain or ornate. 

 

 

The sculptures are meant to evoke emotion and they are quite impressive. 

Remember, it wasn't too many years ago, maybe two generations, when many people did not read or write. 

They learned the Bible stories by looking at the art in the churches. 

 

 

 This old photo shows how the pieces are carried. 

 

 

 

If you go to Medina, this is a very interesting museum.