A Procession

Thanks, Mom, for writing a blog for us.

Well, it’s about time! Mom’s been busy helping write Dad’s blog and forgetting all about us.

Now, Princess, don’t be so demanding.

Why not? You don’t get much if you aren’t! Yesterday we went out for lunch with Celia Dollmeyer, a visiting American professor doing research on women on the Camino. That includes me, of course. And SHE wrote Mom an email saying we were SO well behaved we should get to go out more often. And the wait-staff at La Codorníz seemed to really like us.

You’re right. We should get out more often. But enough of that. Mom wants to tell about life in our small town.

That’s right. This morning we heard band music—drums and some kind of horn—and looked out our balcony. We saw folks dressed like shepherds dancing with staffs around the plaza. They were leading a procession, followed by the band and then the Cofradía de Jesús Nazareno carrying a flower-covered paso of San José. He’s the patron of the brotherhood.

Living on the plaza is a real experience in small-town Spanish life. We sure are lucky!

It is indeed amazing how much pageantry there is in this little town of 2500 people. And there was our friend Paca, the matriach of the Luna-Tovar family! She's the short woman in the dark skirt and red sweater in the second photo, standing on the sidewalk, looking at the paso.

Mom went downstairs to learn more and ran into an acquaintance, who told her the Association of Pastores (Shepherds) of Joarilla de Las Matas were the folks wearing sheepskins and dancing with their staffs. Apparently it’s a traditional Leonese custom in that village.

Leonese? LIONS? OH NO!

Not lions. Leonese--the adjective for people of the province of León, named after the Legio Septimo, the Roman Seventh Legion, based here nearly 2000 years ago.

Well, that's a relief! Though I'm sure Brown Bear would have kept us safe if there had been lions! And we’ve got the PRIMO location, with a balcony on the plaza mayor!

We sure our having fun. But I hope we get out more often, now that Celia has encouraged Mom…. Just listening to the murmur of the crowd down below us makes me want to get out and dance!

Really, Brown Bear?

Really. You've heard of dancing bears, haven't you?

You are full of surprises!