The Humble Walker

Our original plan was to walk Camino Del Norte for 3 weeks and then in Oviedo switch to Camino Primitivo for the last 2 weeks. The Camino Primitivo has several long stretches with limited services. It also has a long stretch with a lot of elevation gain and no services. John has been having some issues with his hip and leg since we left Maine and it hasn’t really improved, so we made the decision to stay on the Camino Norte till Santiago as it seems to have a little more in terms of transportation if needed. We can return to do the Camino Primativo another time 😊. Also, we were enjoying our walk along the coast. There is also a cool monastery on the Norte we had heard about and wanted to check out. Since we had a nonrefundable reservation in Oviedo and we heard it was a really nice city, we decided to go for the night. We took a bus there from Villaviciosa and a train back to Avilés to resume our trek on the Norte.

Ovieda is a beautiful city – classy is how one native described it to us. It was very clean and organized with beautiful parks and tons of statues. Our pension, Pensión Oviedo, was right across from the train station on the end of the main Street heading toward the center of town and the cathedral. It was perfect for our needs. Oviedo is home to several pre Romanesque churches including the Camara Santa which is part of the Cathedral and home to many religious relics including the Holy Shroud, the cloth believed to be the one that covered the face of Jesus after his crucifixion. The Cathedral of San Salvador is also really old. It was founded in 781 AD. It is a large complex which includes a museum of religious artifacts dating back to the 8th century. Admission to the cathedral complex is 8 euros but because we were pilgrims and had our credential with all our stamps since we started in early April, we only had to pay 4 Euros. The tour thru the cathedral was really interesting and well with the admission.

Once we finished with the religious relics we decided to change things up a bit so we headed over to Calle Gascony, home to the famous cideries (sidrelia) and restaurants serving traditional Asturias foods. It is a fun place to people watch and also to watch the waiters pour cider from 4 feet above the glass without looking. The ciders are delicious and of course we stopped for a bottle and some traditional foods for dinner. We also talked with some women from Oviedo and a man and his son who were starting the Camino Primativo the next day. He heard us talking (and I’m sure recognized us as pilgrims from our hiking clothing) and asked us if they needed sleeping bags in the albergues. We talked for quite a while and I explained to them how they could get their credentials at the cathedral and to be sure they got a stamp from each place they stayed. I was happy to be able to give them information 😊. We saw them later that evening and they had picked up their credential and already had their first stamp. It is pretty easy to recognize pilgrims walking the Camino as we are always wearing hiking clothes, and at night are usually limping from blisters and sore feet and wearing sandals – usually with socks. 😀

Pouring cider to aerate it correctly

371 kilometers left to walk to Santiago de Compostela.

After a tasty breakfast of toast drizzled with olive oil and crushed tomatoes (a Spanish favorite) we headed out toward Villaviviosa, our destination, 24 kilometers away. It was a warm, sunny day, and a day of constant up and down hills as we passed through numerous small towns. We met Barb from Australia who was in her early 70s and hiking alone with a big pack. She had hiked the first part of the Camino Norte many years ago with her husband and had returned to finish it. She said her husband has hip and knee issues and a list of chores to do at home while she is away. When we caught up with her a second time, after stopping for coffee, we were walking up a steep hill and she was counting 35 steps and then taking a break. She was doing the Camino her way and thst is the beauty of the Camino de Santiago spirit. We all walk for our own reasons and in our own style. There is no judgement or correct way or speed to walk. She had o time constraints and was doing what worked for her.

While walking; we crossed paths with a young couple from Seattle and walked with them for a while. We had the usual conversation about politics but this time we were both coming to the conversation with an American perspective It was a day without a lot of services or shops. At one point an hour or two before our destination there was a sign for a vending machine ahead. We were quite excited for a cold ice tea to help us go snort 5 kilometers. We had the correct change but the machine wasn’t working. We tried numerous times as it looked like it had been recently stocked. We also checked and it was plugged in but no luck. We trudged on and, as we walked into the small city of Villaviciosa with another pilgrim from London, we noticed that none of the stores were open and they should have been as it was past siesta time. We found our hotel and the woman at reception told us we could just go to our rooms without checking in because there was no power anywhere in Spain and they were unsure of when it would be restored. We dropped our stuff off in the room and I went out to see what I could learn about the situation. I was told all kinds of things like it was a terrorist attack and the power could be out for days but no one really had any credible information. There was no Wi-Fi and for most people no cellular service. Of course no one had access to the radio. It made us realize how dependent much of the world is on the internet. I ran into Paul from the Netherlands who didn’t know what was going on and Gretchen from Germany who we met a few days earlier. She was talking with another pilgrim about a supermarket on the outskirts of town that had a generator and was open. I got directions and headed there to pick up something for supper and lunch for the next day just in case power wasn’t restored. I returned with 2 premade salads,Brad, cheese and ham for the next day and several iced teas in case we couldn’t get coffee in the morning. We had been walking past apple trees all day and I had read ciders were a big industry here. Gretchen encouraged

We had been walking past apple trees all day and I had read ciders were a big industry here. Gretchen encouraged me to be bottle of cider at the store as well. Under the direction of the woman working at reception at the hotel, we learned that the cider had to be pored from at least 4 feet above the glass so it gets oxygen and that it is only poured an ounce at a time and you have to drink it all down quickly. She of coyotes wouldn’t let us pour it in the hotel cafe as half of it gets soiled on floor. We went out side to park bench and even though you were not supposed to pour it or drink it on the street, no one cared as they were all dealing with the power outage. Luckily at around 8:30, power was restored and crisis averted. I am still unsure of the cause. Portugal was blaming Spain and Spain was blaming France. Others blamed it on extreme temp fluctuations in Spain. I’m sure some even blamed it on the Trump Administration. I wouldnt be surprised As we headed off to sleep it dawned on us that the power outage was reason for the vending machine not working and somehow that made us feel better. 😊

393 kilometers more to walk to Santiago de Compestella

We left Ribadesella by way of the Santa Marina Beach promenade . We knew we were going to leave early and no stores or cafes would be open until 9:00 am, especially on a Sunday, so we bought yogurt the night before and left them just outside the window to stay cold. There are no screens in most windows in Spain and the window ledges are a great place to keep food cold overnight if we don’t have access to a refrigerator. So far we have had no problem with bugs or insects flying in. We also bought a loaf of bread, cheese and ham for lunch as well as a couple bottles of iced tea for the morning to drink on the way in case we didn’t find an open cafe with coffee for a while. We were in luck, however as a cafe was getting their pastry delivery and even though they were not officially open he was able to make us a cafe con leche “take away” and we were able to sip on our coffee while walking on the promenade. .

We walked for a couple hours thru forest and pastures, and saw dozens of horreos, which are little buildings on stilts designed to store grain and vegetables to protect them from rodents and moisture. They are very common in this part of Spain. Soon we could see the ocean in the distance and the cute town of Vega de Ribadesella.

As we started walking toward the ocean we saw a sign in front of an old stone building with beautiful roses that read, “ welcome peregrinos (pilgrims). Coffee and breakfast available. Donativo.” We were ready for another coffee and went inside. There we found a young couple – Madeline from France and Alfonso from Italy. They had a thermos of coffee and milk and a couple of cakes. The building used to be an alburgue but was currently closed. Madeline was the caretaker and was offering refreshments for pilgrims as a way to earn money to fix up the building. Apparently Alfonso was in Spain for work and he met Madeline and decided to stay for a while ❤️. They said they served a lot of pilgrims the day before but not too many that day. We left energized by our unexpected cup of coffee. As we left a group of pilgrims stopped to read the sign uncertain if they should stop. I encouraged them to stop and they did. Alfonso thanked me for the advertising.

We made it to our alburgue by 2:00 pm. We only walked 15 k today. The alburgue was spotless and run by a woman our age who has walked several Casinos and does not speak a word of English. Once again Google translate came in handy. She ran a tight ship but was very nice. She washed the clothes we wore that day and we had a delicious supper of unlimited homemade lentil soup, rice, salad wine and dessert. It was all donativo. We were there with 3 young people from Czech Republic and they appreciated the unlimited soup. There were also two Italians, Silvio and Eugenio who appreciated the wine. We had a great conversation at supper – mostly about US politics of course. The bunks were very comfortable with room between each. The albergue was not full which was also nice as it is still early in the season and it was a kilometer off the Camino up a big hill (I didn’t realize that when I booked it) but it was a great place to stay.

409 kilometersrill we reach Santiago de Compestella (more than half-way there).

We left Llames via the coastal variant, a walk that went on a cliff side path along the coast. The weather was beautiful as were the views. We just couldn’t get enough of the sea, the rocks, the lush green landscape and of course, the cows. We met a young Italian couple who were walking the Camino in sandals as they heard it was better for their feet. We were happy with our Hoka trail runners, especially me as I frequently trip and am sure I’d stub my toes more than usual in sandals.

We walked along the cliffs as far as Poo where we stopped for coffee and a tortilla. We then continued inland a bit – still with glimpses of the sea thru Celerio, Barrio and Naves. We walked again thru pastures near the coast where we stopped to ear our lunch. At one point we lost the train and a man saw us from the distance and called out to us in Spanish “Camino Santiago while pointing us the the right direction. This actually happened to us several times. The locals are very happy to show us the way. Our destination was Ribadesella which was a total of 30 plus kilometers. This is pushing it for us so we decided to shave off a few kilometers and caught a train near the end of the day. We met a mother and her son from San Diego at the train station who had the same thought as us.

we arrived in Ribadesella and headed for our Pensión. It was quite unique. It was a group of tiny homes or individual rooms built into the hill in the old town. Very cool. We did our usual Landry and showers (and nap for one of us) and headed out to check out the town. It was split y a river with a mountain backdrop and very pretty. There were lots of shops, bakeries and traditional Austrian food. It wad several beautiful promanades along the water and a large besufptuful beach the promanade on the beach was lined with brpeautiful “Indians” style homes. I’m sure it gets quite busy in the summer. After checking out the town we headed for dinner and had our first “chop salad” and I had the traditional Fabada, a bean stew with sausage. We struggle with the menus here. Google translate often translates the items in away that has no meaning to us. But “chop” salad and potata con tres salsas we understand. The 3 sauces with potato usually includ cabreles cheese cause, spicy tomato sauce and mayo with garlic. Of course John always asks for ketchup. 😊

After a great breakfast at the alburgue we headed out for Llanes – only about 15 k away so we will have a shorter walk today. Llames is on the coast and is a town where many Spaniards vacation. The first part of our walk was thru pastures and some forest and we again had ocean views from time to time. Through out the morning, we crossed paths from hikers the night before and even some from the days before.

when we made it to Llanes we had lunch while waiting to check in and then John went to rest while I checked out the town. I was on a mission to find another pair of socks. I had left a pair of socks drying on a chair a couple days ago and was having a hard time making do with just two pair. My feet sweat a lot and I like to change socks half-way thru the hike. It helps prevent blisters. My Darn Tough socks are great but take a long time to dry when washing by hand. The stores all close from 2:00 to 4:30 in Spain for siesta. Unfortunately the only socks I could find were Camino souvenir socks which are very thin but better than nothing so I bought a pair.

We met up with George from Czech Republic for dinner and conversation about classic rock and roll. George isn’t his real name but we couldn’t pronounce his name so he told us to go with George. He is our age and has seen a lot of change in the Czech Republic over the years. Of course we don’t speak Czech and he speaks only limited English but it was a great conversation nonetheless. On the Camino Norte. There are many people who speak no English. This was not the case on the Camino Frances which I walked about 5 years ago. We also have only met a handful of Americans on this trip it is nice to talk to people who have different cultural experiences and perspectives of the world and Americans. It shows that we really are all have a lot in common.

We headed out of Santillana Del Mar early after drinking our instant Starbucks coffee we brought with us. We like a cup of coffee before heading out but sometimes there is no cafe open before 9:00. Maria Joseph had provided us with a tea kettle and biscuits in the room. As we headed out of town we still were amazed at how beautiful and medieval it seemed.

Shorty after we left it started raining. It was a soft rain and not too bothersome. We even saw another rainbow as the rain stopped. Soon after we left town we were walking through rural farmland. The sky turned blue and it really was a buaetiful walk so I took lots of photos.

Along the way we saw beautiful old churches, lots of grazing cows, goats and sheep, and frequent views of the blue ocean in the distance. We talked with other hikers from Northern Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, and Hungry as well as more Germans. It was one of my favorite walking days so far.

After 24 kilometers or a little more we finally made it to our destination, Comillas. We are staying in a dormitory style albergue tonight called The Magic of the Camino. They had a real washing machine. It will be so nice to have clothes that were washed by a machine. The sun was still shining brightly at 5:00 pm and we hung them on the lines to dry before heading out to check out the town and find something for dinner.

We left Santander on a rainy morning with 561 k left to Santiago de Compestella. We had planned to walk a 28k coastal variant but decided against that as the forecast called for rain and heavy winds. Instead we walked the traditional Camino route to Boo. It was a short day, only 14 K and we arrived in the early afternoon noon after a somewhat boring walk thru the Santander industrial zone and suburbs. We did talk with a guy from Austria at our albergue who said the coastal route was beautiful but it was extremely windy. We arrived at our albergue, Albergue Piedad, in the early afternoon and had to wait to get in. We had a coffee in the adjacent cafe and talked with other hikers from the Netherlands; Germany and Pau from Taiwan. Even though most of the people there were in a dormitory room we were lucky enough to get a private room. The albergue was very clean and like many of the private albergues we stayed at, run by a family. It was in a rural area and since it was Easter Sunday everything was closed.

Tomorrow we head to Santillana Del Mar, along with most of the people staying at the albergue. We may be walking in the rain but have our rain gear and backpack covers. The weather seems to be unpredictable here. We are enjoying out time in northern Spain. 😊