Thursday, 26 February, 2015:
This bright, sunny day started out like any other but would get interesting in the evening.
The Marina Española Tramvía Stop
I afforded myself the luxury of taking the tram to the Biblioteca Regional as I knew that I would be doing a lot of walking today in Murcia.
I just did not realize how much walking.
Returning and checking out
five videos at the library
Over the next few days, La Hacienda will be showing The 39 Steps, Istanbul, The Black Book, El Camino del Cid and Tierra de Toros El Campo Bravo Part 1.
Mix in two practices on Friday night, a Junior home game late Saturday afternoon and a Senior game Sunday morning and I have a full dance card it would appear.
Armed with my five new videos, I proceeded to walk two miles to the home of Oscar Constante, Rosa Talavera and their Cobra Junior QB/WR/FS son Alberto for another marvelous lunch. This family has been incredibly kind to me and I owe them much gratitude!
Along the way I saw . . .
I may need to shop here for
a new pair of sneakers
Matador roaming the streets
Now that's a first . . .
Homenaje a Paco Rabal
Rabal was a Spanish actor who was born in the Murcian seaport of Águilas that I visited last week.
Sam Spade?
La Verdad
Cookies
I wonder how of Albert's Movie
Nights I've missed since I left Camarillo?
I've always wanted to learn
how to play an instrument . . .
. . . any instrument
Murcia likes statues
During our fine dining experience at Casa Constante-Talavera, Oscar told me that the evening would be a special one as the huge statue of the Virgen de la Fuensanta was being carried on the shoulders of devoted followers all the way from its Sanctuary high up in the hills to Murcia's Cathedral.
When I visited the Sanctuary a few weeks ago, it was at least a 20 minute bus ride to the Sanctuary's closest bus stop and another 20 minutes to walk up to the Sanctuary.
This would be a long, arduous walk that I imagine many different people would have to rotate carrying the Virgen in shifts for the four to five hour stroll to the Cathedral.
The Virgen was being lowered to the Cathedral for the duration of Lent and would be returned to the Sanctuary sometime after Easter Sunday to much fanfare I'm sure.
I did not want to miss this and I thought that I should go back to La Hacienda to get my trusty Nikon camera to shoot the scene.
That was a three mile walk for me and I was sure that it would be easier than what the religious zealots were experiencing on their walk at the same time.
That made it five miles of walking for me on this warm day.
On the way to La Hacienda I saw . . .
An interesting building
A Colorao
This statue was across the street from both the Museo de la Archicofradía de la Sangre and the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen.
Sangre means blood, thus the members of this Confraternity will be dressed in red (colorao in the Murcian dialect) outfits like these during all upcoming Holy Week festivities.
The Virgen de la Fuensanta was due to make a stop to visit Nuestra Señora del Carmen inside the church at about 7:00 p.m.
I hope that they set her down so that the carriers could catch their collective breaths.
El Sardinero Statue
Soon after Easter Sunday, Murcia will celebrate with the Entierro de la Sardine. The people get dressed up yet again to celebrate the end of Lenten meatless Friday's.
Or to throw one huge fiesta just before the start of the even bigger, four day Murcia Fiestas de la Primavera.
I think that the word Spain comes from a Latin root meaning "having fun."
Locks . . .
Lots and lots of locks
You can just feel the love on the Puente de los Peligros that connects the Barrio del Carmen to Centro Murcia.
I arrived at La Hacienda with plenty of time to retrieve my Nikon camera and get back to the Barrio del Carmen and the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen.
Add another 2.5 miles to my day's walking exploits, that makes it 7.5 miles total so far this Thursday.
I was still seeing good things along the way.
Onion Dome
Cathedral Bells
They were pealing loudly up until the point that I got to the first spot to actually film them.
Oh, well . . .
The City Hall was decked out for the
Virgen's arrival to the nearby Cathedral
I have always liked this
Barrio del Carmen two-part fountain
Water is pumped into the top jar. The water is then slowly dropped into the bottom jar until it is so full that it tips over into the basin to start the process anew.
One of Iglesia de Nuestra Señora
del Carmen's steeples
I arrived about a half hour before the Virgen was due to arrive and got a good spot on the curb across from the church.
Dignitaries arriving
Nice Dress
Princess
Priests in their finest garb
People started to leave the sidewalks and poured into the now closed to car traffic street to get a closer look at La Virgen.
Fortunately for me, Spaniards tend to be short.
Unfortunately for me, the Sun was going down and with the rapid loss of light, shooting pictures would become tougher literally by the minute.
"HERE SHE COMES,
HERE SHE COMES!!!"
False Alarm
I think this means that
she is really here
There she is in all her glory!
La Virgen by the open door to the
Museo de la Archicofradía de la Sangre
La Virgen preparing to enter the
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen
She's in!
Nuestra Señors del Carmen can
be seen in the upper right corner
But, in essence, isn't the La Virgen Maria just visiting herself when it is all said and done?
La Virgen being carried
through the streets
La Virgen nearing the Museo
de la Archicofradía de la Sangre
La Virgen being showered
with rose petals
Look at me
Moving to the Iglesia de
Nuestra Señora del Carmen
Nuestra Señora del Carmen
Entering the Iglesia de
Nuestra Señora del Carmen
Nuestra Señora del Carmen
Wonderful Religious Pageantry
Next, she was due to be carried the last half mile to Murcia's Cathedral, her home for the rest of Lent.
I opted to walk back to La Hacienda as the light was getting poorer and my legs were getting tired.
Two and a half more miles of meandering put my final walking total at ten interesting miles for the day.
More Days . . .
Hey, that's only two weeks!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment