Beautiful day on the Camino

The sun shined on us all day!! And we walked through beautiful countryside, smell of fresh cut hay and eucalyptus, sounds of the bells on cows, goats and sheep. We had a few climbs that left us puffing, but nothing compared to what we’ve already done. And we had many views of the sea, as well as the Picos de Europe mountains in the distance.

Just outside of Oruña, we passed the Church of San Pedro. Like most country churches, the entrance was locked. But just as we were about to walk away, a young man hurried up and asked us to come inside. In the shade of the portico, he offered us lemonade, an orange and a banana, “for strength.” Then he gave us a brief tour of the church.

He asked if we were married. Then he picked up a clamshell from a small table. The two sides were decorated outside and inside, with a small painting of the church. The young man said the two halves were like the two sides of marriage, “ups and downs.” He broke the two halves apart, threaded one with green cord and one with red, the colors of St. Peter, and told us to place them around each others’ necks. It was a nice moment, and if we had arrived 5 minutes earlier, it would never have happened.

Soon after that we arrived in Cobreces, had a nice brunch of eggs and toast, and continued walking toward the sea. We passed a nice beach, climbed a few more hills and finally arrived in Comillas. It’s also a tourist town, once favored by the Spanish nobility, and graced by several creations of Gaudí.

As we were having dinner near the church square, we could hear bagpipes playing. We learned there’s a folk festival going on, so we spent some time listening in. If WIFI cooperates, there should be a video below —Read more