Red Pearl

Hola!

A very popular side excursion from the typical Loop journey is to go to the Bahamas, about a 50 mile ride. We had hoped to take a 2 week vacation and go. But we had to make a choice with our vacation days: The Bahamas or Spain to see Spencer. If you didn’t know, our son Spencer has taken a “gap year” after graduating and moved to Madrid to be an English Language Assistant in an all boys private Catholic school. We chose Spencer! So we closed up the boat and took a flight from Orlando to Madrid. I thought I would share some highlights from our “side trip”.

We went during Holy Week or “Semana Santa”. In Spain, there are huge celebrations every day surrounding Holy Week. They have large processionals of people with the focal point being a relic of either Jesus or Mary on a platform. These platforms, called Pasos, weigh 1-3 tons and are carried on the necks of 30-50 men.

These processionals last for hours through the streets. The Pasos are accompanied by marching bands, and the Nazarenos. The Nazarenos are the penitents and are covered in hoods and robes and often go barefoot to share in Christ’s suffering. The crowds were unreal! Think the most crowded parade you have ever been to and then add that the procession lasts for hours and there are multiple parades each day of the week! It was an amazing cultural experience.