We started walking again today! The location of our "albergue" (read: college dorm room) put us 3k ahead of the map's starting point.
The walk in itself was fairly easy, and we were careful not to strain or push too hard. We took several breaks and let our feet air themselves at the breaks. I even used my boots and was fine! By the time we reached Hornillos, we probably could have continued, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Yesterday, we visited the monastery of las Huelgas. It was started by Alfonso VII and his wife, Eleanor (daughter of Richard the Lionhearted) of England. It seemed that it was initially to be a monastery for royalty and at a time, had 100 nuns. Now, the number is capped at 30 and royal titles are not necessary.
There were several interesting aspects to it. First, it also served as a place to bury the royals of Castilla y Leon. There was a time when the monastery was raided by the French, and nearly all the tombs were raided for the gold, since upon burial, the royals were dressed in their best. One tomb was not raided, as it was positioned behind another one, so when the tombs were reopened, the jewels were still there. Fortunately for history, the clothes were left in place, so now the Monastery houses a wonderful collection of mediaeval clothing that was truly fascinating.
Another interesting aspect, for me at least, was the relationship between Alfonso and Leonor. They were married at 14 and 10 years old, respectively and over the course of their 44 year marriage, had at least (documented) ten children. Alfonso died 6 of October 1214, and Eleanor died 25 days later allowing the two of them to be literally buried together. There were no pictures allowed, hence only the exterior shot I posted yesterday.
Fun fact about our albergue today: it opened yesterday! We are only their second group of pilgrims. They gave us a garlic soup traditional to the area upon entry, and it was delicious. I hope business goes well for them.
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¡Comenzamos a caminar de nuevo! La ubicación del albergue (dormitorio universitario) nos puso 3k adelantados al mapa.
La caminada era algo fácil, y nos cuidamos. Tomamos muchos descansitos y permitimos que los pies tomaran aire. ¡Hasta que podria usar mis botas! Para cuando llegamos a Hornillos, quizás podríamos haber ido más, pero mejor prevenir que lamentar.
Ayer fuimos al Monasterio de las Huelgas. Era comenzado por Alfonso VII y Elanor de Inglaterra (hija de Ricardo Corazón de León). Parece que era originalmente monasterio para los reales, y hubieron 100 monjas. Ahora hay 30 y no es necesario ser princesa.
Tenían muchas cosas interesantes. Inicialmente, era lugar para sepultar los reales. Hubo un incidente cuando los franceses entraron y robaron las tumbas porque los reales eran sepultados en ropa de fiesta. Una tumba no fue robada, ya que estuvo posicionada detrás de otra, y en abrirla años después, encontraron sus joyas intactas. Afortunadamente, los franceses dejaron la ropa en paz, asi que el monasterio tiene un museo de telas medievales que era increíble.
Otra cosa de interés, para mi, era el matrimonio de Alfonso y Leonor. Se casaron a los 14 y 10 años, respectivamente, y en sus 44 años de matrimonio, tuvieron mínimo diez hijos (documentados). Alfonso murió el 6 de octubre del 1214, y 25 días después, murió Elanor. Por esa razón, los dos están literalmente sepultados juntos. No permitieron fotos, entonces nada mas tengo el del exterior que subí ayer.
Sale que nuestro albergue de hoy apenas abrió ayer! Somos su segundo grupo de peregrinos. Al entrar, nos dieron una sopa de ajo tradicional al área, y era delicioso. Ojalá y les vaya bien el negocio.
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