Day 2.4/33: May 1, 2017: Mansilla de las Mulas to León

León, Spain


May 1, 2017
León

19.42km; 4:27hr; 27900 steps; 149m elevation gain

In my preparations, I had been worried that Lisa, would struggle with the itinerary. I'm not sure why, because we successfully navigated a four-month Europe exploration with backpacks back in 1982. But there has been a lot of water under the bridge since 1982, and we both have demanding desk jobs. I worried that long days of hiking would take their toll on her bionic knees.

Today I have to admit that Lisa left me in the dust. She showed up in Madrid trim and fit, while I had done absolutely no preparation. Lisa used walking sticks that seemed to propel her forward like a speed walker version of the Energizer Bunny. In my case, I was relieved to have an easy 13 mile hike today, and I hobbled into León with Lisa sprinting ahead of me.

We wanted to stay in León in order to enjoy the sights, mainly the cathedral. The cathedral here is a classic gothic monument and the stained glass windows are the highlight.

In León, and elsewhere along this segment we regularly encountered small hooded figures presented as images or small figurines. For us, it was disconcerting because of the similarity of the figures to Ku Klux Klan costumes. For us the images are imbued with hate and fear, while here the figures seem to be whimsical and fun, almost as if they are directed at children. Indeed souvenir shops are filled with figurines.  The effect was surreal, and frankly disturbing. We were told that these figures are Nazarinos, a religious brotherhood that has processions during the Holy Week. The pointed hood is a caparino and is intended to bring the mind closer to god. I'm not sure if these figures are left-overs from the recent Easter celebration, of if they are always available. But I was surprised at how effective they were at evoking strong emotion.

We enjoyed some tapas and wine and turned in early to prepare for a long hike tomorrow.

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