Friday 30th March 2018

28,8 km (69.8 km)

Yesterday evening we ventured out to see the Semana Santa procession; in celebration of Holy Week. The procession is led by the brotherhoods or fraternities, with their origins in the Middle Ages, and followed by marching bands, so we were told.

We saw many of the procession patricipants dressed in robes; the nazareno or penitential robe. This consists of a tunic, a hood with conical tip (capirote) used to conceal the face of the wearer, and sometimes a cloak- they look very much like the Klu Klux Clan which is apparently a constant source of consternation for them as they are simply conveying a message of going from the dark to light. They can be of any dark colour but the ones here were dark green (velvet). The robes were widely used in the medieval period for penitents, who could demonstrate their penance while still masking their identity…the idea being they are in the dark (ie with their headresses on) until Easter Sunday. This was true to a point but we saw a few remove the head gear for a quick cigarette or to greet a friend.

The procession consisted of “Pasos” or floats with sculptures that depict different scenes from the gospels related to the Passion of Christ or the Sorrows of Virgin Mary…They were being carried by twelve people each and they had to keep stopping after a minute or so due to the weight. It all looked rather like an accident waiting to happen it has to be said as they swayed along the narrow roads. Everyone was done up in their Sunday best and so it was easy to spot the peregrinos! The “pasos” were accompanied by various marching ‘big bands’ who had arrived by bus earlier on. We eventually gave up watching the procession which we were informed lasted to well into the night…probably down to the fact that the floats had to be put down every minute.

This morning we were faced with a 16km walk along a road which has been named the highway to hell…which reminded me of a quote I once heard which said: “Why is there a Stairway to Heaven and Highway to Hell?(names of songs)… it’s due to anticipated numbers…” Anyway the weather was perfect, cool with a breeze so the trudge was bearable before we entered the lovely national park. After a perfect lunch stop we continued through the park, abundant in cork trees, stripped of their bark but still very much alive before a steep climb followed by an equally steep descent into Almaden De La Plata. We claimed our beds in the Albergue, had a quick shower and then headed out to the bar…where we encountered a small dog who after sniffing Dan’s feet made a howling sound before retreating under a nearby bush, whimpering, and that was after a shower…just saying!