September 9, 2013
Mansilla de Mulas: Cycling with ease
Last evening while we were exploring we came across the Museum of Holy Week and went in. Inside was the most amazing collection of huge floats on which were rather grotesque figures depicting the scenes of Holy Week minus the resurrection. They were made in the 16th century by the Brotherhood of Jesus of Nazarrene and during Holy Week they are carried through the streets in due ceremony. Each float needs about 20 men to carry it and they are dressed in a costume similar to those of the Klu Klux Klan but they are either in dark purple or black and the procession is accompanied both by bands and by black clad figures playing muffled kettle drums. The Brotherhood dates back to before Christian times and there are now only two operating chapters, the one in Sahagun and one in Santiago de Compostella. The whole thing gave me the absolute creeps reminding me too much of a Dan Brown novel – in fact I think I could write my own about it. I am very surprised that I didn’t have nightmares last night.
Today’s ride was well away from the track taken by the walkers so the small towns all looked somewhat dead and were largely devoid of services. We had our coffee at a small place which reminded me very much of a wild west town, just a bar, a pharmacy and a bank on either side of a fairly main road. Tonight we are in Mansilla de las Mulas which is beside the Rio Esla, our room once again cheap and lovely.
We stopped here because it is only about 20km from Leon so tomorrow we will ride through Leon and have a look at the magnificent stained glass in the Cathedral there and continue on to a smaller place on the other side of it.
Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 2,395 km (1,487 miles)
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