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  • TravelerCamino 2023
    2
    Day 35

    Oviedo to Grado

    June 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    After leaving the city of Oviedo the Camino returned to rural roads and some shady trails. The most memorable thing about today's walk was all the new pilgrims on the trail who started in Oviedo.

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    Day 34

    Pola de Siero to Oviedo

    June 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    I'm a few days behind on posting, so this will just be mostly photos of Oviedo. The most memorable thing about this day's walk was that about halfway through it started pouring!

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    1
    Day 33

    Amandi to Pola de Siero

    June 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Today it was goodbye to the Camino del Norte, as I am transitioning to the Camino Primitivo which starts in Oviedo where I will be tomorrow.

    I left the albergue alone this morning, but soon two young women from the Netherlands who had been at the albergue caught up with me while I was attempting to fix a noisy squeak in my backpack. Hannah and Ans had already walked 1800 km from Belgium! We walked together off and on for a while, then I decided to take a detour that goes by a pre-romanesque church. I knew that it wasn't open on Mondays, but hoped to be able to see the outside. Unfortunately it and the adjacent monastery were behind a locked gate, so I had to be satisfied with a picture of the top of the church. As I climbed out of the valley I was able to see the monastery nestled in the valley below.

    After stopping for second breakfast I caught up with a young French guy, and we walked together the rest of the way to Pola de Siero where we are staying at the public albergue, which has mostly single (non bunk) beds. I'm in a room with Dorotée from France who is also my age. It's a comfortable building with high ceilings and plenty of space between the beds. Shortly after arriving it started to rain, then pour, then loud claps of thunder. I'll wait a bit before heading to the grocery to resupply my snacks.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    11
    Day 32

    Lastres to Amandi - goodbye to the sea

    June 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    After saying goodbye to the sea I walked about 45 minutes to rejoin the Camino in Colunga. It was already pretty warm and humid, and after stopping for breakfast I put my umbrella up to give me some shade and sun protection. But after a couple of hours of walking the Camino went off the road and onto the rarest kind of path on the Camino del Norte - a non rocky shaded dirt path beside a creek! It was wonderful to walk on after so much asphalt and stony trails.

    I met up with a very nice Spanish woman from Bilbao who patiently talked to me in slow clear Spanish. After a while we met a Spanish man, also from Basque Country, and the three of us walked together into Villaviciosa. They were stopping at the albergue there, but my destination for the day was a donativo albergue a couple of kilometers down the road.

    I was warmly welcomed by a young German woman who was volunteering there. I was a bit unhappy that all of the lower bunks were already taken, and had resigned myself to an upper bunk when the owner came in the room and folded another bed down from the wall because it was going to be a full house that night.

    The owner was a super nice and engaging guy named Sergio. As we arrived he wrote our names on a board accompanied by the flag of our nationality. He joined in a spirited game of Uno, then made a delicious vegetable paella for dinner, accompanied by a nice salad, bread, and wine, with homemade bread pudding for dessert.

    In the morning we were awakened by soft music playing on a speaker in the room at 6:30, then we all sat down to breakfast at 7:00. I haven't stayed in many albergues on this trip, but this was definitely one of the best albergue experiences I've had on any Camino.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    11
    Day 31

    A bit of Trompe l'oeil

    June 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Shortly after I began walking this morning I came across the house with some great trompe l'oeil paintings.

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    Day 31

    San Esteban de Leces to Lastres

    June 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    I ended up not walking on the Camino today. I realized that if I did I wouldn't see much of the coast again because I will be heading inland to connect with the Camino Primitivo in a couple of days. So I decided to take a coastal path and walk to Lastres, a picturesque little fishing town terraced above the sea. Tomorrow I'll have a few extra kilometers to walk to get back on the Camino.

    It was a beautiful sunny (but a bit humid) day, perfect for taking in the views.

    My only problem was finding something to eat after I showered and washed my clothes. It was the time of day that most restaurants were closing down after lunch, but there was one across the street that was open. No menú del día offered today since it was Saturday. Most of the dishes on offer were raciones, which are portions meant to be shared, so I had to settle on an overpriced salad.

    Per usual, by the time I had eaten and had a chance to walk to the closest beach the skies had clouded over and the temperature had dropped. But the afternoon was saved by an open ice cream shop. 😅    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    2
    Day 29

    Pendueles to Naves

    June 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Today didn't start too great. It started by being woken up at 5 am by the alarm of the only other person in the room, despite the large sign asking people not to make noise before 7:30am. The alarm was followed by the sounds of rustling plastic bags as he packed up for an interminably long time. I did manage to get about another 45 minutes of sleep, but not as much sleep as I would have liked before walking 27 km.

    Fortunately today's walk took me past several beautiful beaches, and eventually the alarm clock offender eating breakfast - I chose a different place for breakfast. 😉

    I had reserved a hotel for tonight in what can be best described as a hamlet, as it's too small to be called a village. I'm waiting for one of the two bar/sidrería/restaurantes to open at 8 so that I can eat dinner. I'll be joined by Tamara from the DC area who decided to stay here rather than walk farther at 4:30.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    12
    Day 28

    San Vicente de la Barquera to Pendueles

    June 7, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    I was really hoping to stay at the donativo albergue Aves de Paso in Pendueles because I had read really good things about it and its owner, but I messaged her yesterday and she wrote back that the albergue is closed until tomorrow due to a death in the family. I ended up at another place with a very nice owner, and the room that I'm in has only four single beds (no bunk beds!). It's after 8 pm and there are only two of us in the room, so it's very comfortable.

    The walk today was on country roads which led to the ocean, so I had nice views most of the way. There was cloud cover which kept the day fairly cool for walking, and it even rained for about 15 minutes.

    Edit to add - I had a great meal at the Mexican restaurant down the street, Casa Flor. Really delicious enchiladas suizas and a margarita.😋. A nice change of pace from the standard menú del día.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    111
    Day 27

    Comillas to San Vicente de la Barquera

    June 6, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    My decision to "wing it" paid off. I ended up walking a short distance of about 12 km and having a semi rest day. When I walked this route in 2018 I took note if San Vicente de la Barquera, not because it was the most beautiful or historic place, but because it just looked comfortable to me. I had wanted to stay here, but didn't think that I would want to only walk 12 km, but when I arrived around 9 am today I just knew that I wanted to be here to rest and relax.

    While I was having breakfast at a local restaurant I consulted my guide book, apps, and booking.com to see where I could stay. One of the least expensive options was described as a 1905 stone mansion. I looked up from my breakfast and saw that it was right across the street from where I was sitting. I had noticed it while walking into town and assumed that it would be over my budget.

    After paying for my breakfast I walked over to the hotel to ask about a room, and not only was one available for the night it was ready right then at 10 in the morning, and was only 40€!

    It has a lively foyer and a grand staircase. The receptionist indicated that I could use the elevator, but I thought "forget that - I'm taking the beautiful stairs!"

    My room is good sized with high ceilings and large windows. After washing my clothes I settled down to a short nap that I didn't realize I needed.

    After the nap I went up the hill (there is always a hill!) to see the old church and the tower.

    Then back down to enjoy the menú del día at the same restaurant where I had breakfast.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    11
    Day 26

    Santillana del Mar to Comillas

    June 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    I walked from one tourist town to another today, though Comillas is nowhere near as touristy as Santillana del Mar. It does have a house designed by Gaudí that is very interesting.

    I had been hoping to "wing it" today and stop whenever I felt like it, but I began hearing from others in the albergue last night that accommodation was tight in Comillas, which was 22.5 km away. My other option was San Vicente de la Barquera - which would have required at least another 2.5 hours to get to, and it was going to be a warm day. So I caved and booked a room in a pensión since the only hostel in town was fully booked.

    I did enjoy arriving early enough to go down to the beach, then tour the Gaudí house.

    This is what my guide book says about Comillas and the influence of the aristocracy from Barcelona:

    "Comillas boomed in the 19th century when the Barcelonan aristocracy started summering here – and brought their architects along. The local shipping magnate, Antonio López, made a fortune from the Cuban slave trade, bought the title of Marquis de Comillas, and married the daughter of Barcelona’s richest man. With money to burn, the marquis became Antoní Gaudí’s primary patron, and Gaudí left his mark in Comillas. The Capricho de Gaudí was entirely his own creation. Built as the marquis’s summerhouse, it is a stunning combination of iron, brick, and ceramic, displaying Spanish and Arabic influences. Sunflowers are prominent on this surrealist structure. Gaudí assisted with the general design and furnishings of the Palacio de Sobrellano, which is more properly attributed to Joan Mortorell. An impressive neo-Gothic building, this dominates the left hill as you follow the camino out of town. The interior is considered even finer than the exterior, particularly the grand salon. Regular tours run daily (€3). Gaudí also contributed to the Capilla-Pantéon, which holds the crypts of the marquis’s two sons."

    My plan for tomorrow is no plan. There are several towns that I can stop in along the way.    Read more

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