We took the train back to the coast from Oviedo and explored Aviles before heading back out on the Camino the next morning. Aviles is a port city and an industrial town with an old city center. We didn’t see too many other pilgrims there. The best thing about our time in Aviles is that I found a new pair of hiking socks. 😊. They are my new favorite socks. The guy that sold me the socks grew up near the monastery we plan to visit and told me we would would really enjoy our time there.
We decide to take a bus to the coast to shave off 5 kilometers from our 30k walk ahead of us today. We went to the bus station but no one was there. We soon found out it was a holiday today in Spain – it was Labor Day in Spain. The usual bus was not running. Our two Italian friends, Sylvia and Eugenio, who we met several nights ago walked by and we wished them Buen Camino. They were walking all the way and we decided to walk too, despite John’s hip pain. However, as we left the station, we saw 2 taxis sitting in front of us waiting for passengers so we decided we would take a taxi the 5 kilometers to the coast. It was a good decision. We had a 25k hike ahead of us – more up and down hills, but the weather was beautiful and we were looking forward to our walk. Labor Day in Spain is a day when many small towns have festivals and gatherings. We never knew what we would find as we arrived in a new town. Sometimes it was outdoor music or carnival rides. We saw pop up shops, lots of food and everywhere families were together enjoying the day. We arrived at our pension, rested a bit and headed out to dinner at the local sidereal. We got there just as the kitchen opened band soon the place was full. We wee the only non locals in the place. Everyone in town was having a great time and it was nice to see the families all together for the holiday.
