To Oviedo

Yesterday, as we were walking around the city, I came across a restaurant that I had been unable to find the week before. I remembered it as a place with varied food, nothing gourmet, but a very nice atmosphere. There are about six of these restaurants scattered around Madrid, Lamucca. I had a Poké bowl, Charlie had a pizza, and David had some sort of stuffed pasta. Not very Spanish, you might say, but we started with a great serving of patatas bravas and some very authentic croquetas de jamón. After dinner, we walked back to the Plaza Santa Ana, which is where David and Shannon got engaged. Unfortunately the square is under construction, but the cafés were up and running, and the saxophone busker was happily doing his thing. Still blue sky at 10 PM!

The day started out with a taxi to the train station. This station is undergoing massive renovations, but we somehow happily landed in the right departure point. Our destination was Oviedo, “starting point” for the Camino Primitivo. It’s also the city where David spent a year as an undergraduate, and the home of one of my dearest Camino friends. A good destination in so many ways.

Although we weren’t on the fastest train, our Alvia did go through the controversial Pajares Tunnel. It connects León to Oviedo through the mountains (which all Salvador pilgrims love), but it has had some horrible environmental impacts on the towns on the León side. For reasons that I don’t understand, the engineering of this tunnel has altered the flow of water, so that many towns are losing their aquifers. Here’s an article from the Spanish press in case you’re interested in the geology of it. https://www.lanuevacronica.com/opinion/adif-agu…

We arrived in time in Oviedo, checked into our hotel, and then headed out on a tour of the town

First stop —David’s dorm, the San Gregorio, where the recepcionista remembrad David. Then we headed over to the beautiful Parque de Invierno, where unfortunately the mountains were covered in clouds. Then Charlie’s first cachopo.

After lunch, we went around the old town, got Charles credential, stamped at the cathedral, and saw some of the many statues that are all over the city. Time for a rest and hoping to see some good friends soon.Read more