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Camino Primitivo
Day 24 of our Adventure: WALK!!
CAMINO Day 16
Monday September 25, 2017

Expected: 17km / 10.6 miles / 5 hours
Actual: 18 miles / 7.5 hours
Total Ascent: 3248 ft.
Total Descent: 2625 ft.
Difficulty Rating: Terrain 5; Waymarking: 2
Scenery Rating: 5

La Pola de Allande to La Mesa

The guidebook says, “today involves a significant ascent and ranks among the pilgrimage’s most strenuous stages; it also has the potential to be one of the most memorable.” We started out with a 2000-foot climb, followed by an abrupt descent on a very treacherous downhill trail. It was indeed one of the most memorable days of our lives!

Besides breathtaking scenery, we passed cows ~ LOTS of cows ~ no longer fenced in, a few blocking the trail. There were very few towns, only a few places at the very end to stop for coffee and facilities. There was a 14th Century church in Berducedo, where most Peregrinos stop. We made it to our destination, La Mesa, only to find that there was 1 Albergue (nobody there), and what appeared to be a private home that served breakfast and dinner. We met up with a very friendly pilgrim from Italy, Fabio, who thankfully spoke English and helped us to get our daily “Pilgrim’s Stamp”, and then we had a beer with him (okay, I had wine, but the guys had beer). We had arranged to get a ride back to Pola de Allande for the night, and then we’ll start in La Mesa tomorrow.

On our journey today we passed fields with mushrooms that looked like the houses that you’d see in children’s nursery rhyme books. They were gigantic! I would only need about 10 of them for an entire batch of Mushroom Velouté. We walked through a very peaceful pine forest that looked totally out of place but had a calm effect after the strenuous miles we had just finished.

Tomorrow we will walk to Grandas de Salime, another “Difficulty 5” walk based on what we’ve read. I taped my knees and ankles in anticipation of the downhill portions. Good decision.

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Camino Primitivo
Day 23 of our Adventure: WALK!!
CAMINO Day 15
Sunday September 24, 2017

27km / 15.5 miles / 9 hours
Actual: 20 miles / 8 hours
Total Ascent: 1984 ft.
Total Descent: 738 ft.
Difficulty Rating: Terrain 5; Waymarking; 2
Scenery Rating: 4

Tineo to Pola de Allende

We left Tineo in the fog, but quickly ascended well above it. The walk was peaceful, even though it was steep early in our journey. Sundays in Spain are very quiet, and most (if not all) business are closed. Thankfully a few bars were open for coffee, but we didn’t come upon the first one until almost noon!

The time zone in Spain is the same as Germany’s, which is a little crazy if you look at the map. In 1940, Spain’s Fascist dictator, Francisco Franco, switched Spain’s clocks ahead 1 hour to be in line with Hitler’s Germany. When we leave for our walk each morning, almost always before 7:30, and sometimes even earlier, it is still dark. Very few hotels or bards open for breakfast before 9:00. The good news is we’re early risers, and we have seen some really beautiful sunrises. But starting to walk without coffee has been hell.

The Terrain Rating goes from 1 (basically a [very long] walk in the park) to a 5, which is what we experienced on this walk, and expect again on our walk to La Mesa. We had very steep, very rocky climbs both up and down (and up and down, and up and down….). Every once in a while we had stretches on flat, shaded dirt (not mud!) trails. No matter what the terrain was like the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.

We’ve been seeing many of the same people on our hikes each day, ever since we left Oviedo. On today’s walk we had 2 options: the higher altitude “Los Hospitales” route, or the lower (but much longer) route to Pola Allande, and then to Berduceo or La Mesa. The 2 come together toward the top. We took the lower route, and we will probably meet up with our Camino companions when we all travel from La Mesa to Grandas de Salime on the 28^th.

We are staying at Hotel La Nueva Allandesa for 2 nights, using a car service to drive us back after our walk to La Mesa, and then taking us back on Thursday to continue walking on our route. There aren’t many options for sleeping OR eating along this stretch.

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Camino de Santiago del Norte
Day 22 of our Adventure: WALK!!
CAMINO Day 14
Saturday September 23, 2017

Expected: 20km / 12.5 miles / 6 hour
Actual: 17 miles, 7 hours
Total Ascent: 1968 ft.
Total Descent: 1017 ft.
Difficulty Rating: Terrain 3; Waymarking: 2
Scenery Rating: 3

Salas to Tineo

The guidebook says: “Today’s walk provides a welcome rest between yesterday’s hills and tomorrow’s mountains. The route leads along quiet country roads and forested footpaths, but beware that after rain the route into Tineo can turn from a pleasant stroll into a slow and muddy slog.”

They weren’t kidding! Mike almost lost one trekking pole, and I really did feel like the mud was going to take my shoes right off. There was no escape, no alternate route. I had switched to my second pair of trail runners this morning because my first pair was getting a little loose and a small blister was starting to form from the rubbing. After 200 miles it was time to change to a newer pair. Note how clean and new they look after about 8 miles. At one point Mike told me to stop. I figured he was going to wipe the mud off my legs. No, he wanted to take a picture of them!

We walked most of the day with an interesting man, Josephe from Verona, Italy. He is a retired airline pilot who lived in Texas for 3 years. He has done almost ALL of the Caminos! There are 12 “main” Caminos, and other less-traveled options. This is the first time he’s doing the Primitivo. He is in the 2^nd half of a 1500-kilometer Camino!

We are starting to see a lot of horreos, typical granaries mainly seen in Asturias and Galicia, built in wood or stone, raised from the ground by pillars, ending in flat stones to avoid the access of rodents. Many of these structures are thousands of years old.

We arrived in Tineo (not very well marked) and didn’t realize that all we had to do was walk down a steep cobblestone street to the town…. So we continued up an equally steep road, and finally asked someone if Tineo was ahead. She said no, it was back down the hill. AHA! As a result, we walked a little extra today to get to the Hotel y Spa Palacio de Meras.

It’s up through the mountains to Pola de Allande tomorrow.

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Camino Primitivo
Day 21 of our Adventure: WALK!!
CAMINO Day 13
Friday September 22, 2017

Expected: 19km / 13.7 miles / 5 hour
Actual: 15 miles, 6 hour
Total Ascent: 1500 ft.
Total Descent: 1100 ft.
Difficulty Rating: Terrain 4; Waymarking: 3
Scenery Rating: 3

Grado to Salas

Today marks the half-way point of our walk! Day 13 of 25. We expected rain, but we lucked out. A lot of fog, but that kept us cool. Now that we’ve switched from the Camino del Norte to the Camino Primitivo, there are a lot more people. It seemed that everyone we met was walking from Grado to Salas. We saw many of them in town when we arrived.

We met a very friendly Irishman named Garrett who I had a nice chat with for a bit. He made the observation that American films seemed to go through this phase where all of a sudden, and for no apparent reason, someone would start playing the accordion in the middle of the film. “It’s a Wonderful Life”, and “The Quiet Man” are two that he mentioned. I’ll have to pay closer attention now that I’m aware of this oddity. I’d have enjoyed walking with him for a while longer if Mike weren’t about a half mile ahead. I finally told Garrett that we’d see him at one of our stops (and we did!), and I rushed to catch up with the Big Guy.

Mike asked me at one point what day it was. He likes Fridays, because it’s the one day per week that I “let him” be in charge. He becomes a little power-hungry if you ask me. But it’s so typical on this journey, not knowing what day it is. We wake up, get our things packed up, get dressed and ready to walk, eat a protein bar and have some water, and off we go. We usually leave earlier than breakfast (or coffee) is served in our hotel or in any restaurant.

This morning our walk started with a very steep climb out of Grado. It seemed like it would never end! Mike’s a “stats” guy – loves statistics. He pointed out that today had one of the highest ascents in one of the shortest distances so far. At one point I was so tired, and I asked him if maybe the village at the top of a hill that we passed could have been Salas. It seemed like we should have been there already. That wasn’t the case, and we finally reached our destination after a treacherous climb down a hill filled with slippery rocks covered with leaves… and another few uphill climbs.

Our hotel, the Hotel Castillo de Valdes, is a historical building, very charming. I’m surprised it’s not a Parador. It is a “Rural Casa”, but nothing like the one we stayed in last night. Worth a look at the web site if you have time!

We had lunch at this bar across the street from our hotel. It’s not like they even offered us a menu. No. We were given the choice of what to drink, and served a basket of bread. And then they gave us a plate and a bowl, and proceeded to bring out huge serving bowls: first course, a sort of broth (probably chicken broth and fish, not really sure), and then in the same bowl, a garbanzo stew with 2 pieces of chorizo sausage, followed by some kind of meat stew (same bowl again) with vegetables. They cleared our bowls and brought out a huge platter of spaghetti with tomato sauce. We figured “okay, that was fun”… but then our waiter asked us if we wanted meat or fish. He thought that we didn’t understand (we were dumbfounded with the thought of more food), so he asked someone to explain that we were to choose either meat or fish for the entrée. We said that we were full, so we passed. We paid 20€ ($23.90 US) for the 2 of us, plus 8.50€ ($10 US) for our sodas and a café con leche.

Tomorrow is a very special day. My family in NJ is walking in the Alzheimer’s Walk in Point Pleasant Beach to raise money for Alzheimer’s Awareness and to find a cure. Last year we had a cousins’ reunion, our first ever, in honor of my Dad and all of his sisters who were afflicted with the debilitating disease. We’ll be walking in unity with my sisters, nieces and nephews, and my Mom in memory of my Aunts and my Dad tomorrow. We may be going from Salas to Tineo, and walking more miles and climbing more hills. But in our hearts we will be in New Jersey.

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Camino de Santiago del Norte
Day 20 of our Adventure: WALK!!
CAMINO Day 12
Thursday September 21, 2017

Expected: 25.2km / 13 miles / 8 hours
Actual: 15 miles, 6.5 hours
Total Ascent: 1181 ft.
Total Descent: 984 ft.
Difficulty Rating: Terrain 3; Waymarking 2
Scenery Rating: 3

Oviedo to Grado

After being awakened by very loud music at 2:00 AM (turned out to be the Gipsy Kings playing at the Plaza 3 blocks away from our hotel in Oviedo for the Feast of San Mateo), we were up and out by 7 for our journey to Grado. It was a gorgeous walk, with views of the mountains and valleys and some fog to add to the beauty. We met up with a couple from Alicante, a port city on Spain’s southeastern Costa Blanca who were starting their Camino today, and chatted with them for a short while. They want to come to the US to drive on “Route 66”. Too funny.

Our walk was like a roller coaster, up one hill, and down again…. For several miles. At one point we saw an elderly man who finished his walk and opened what appeared to be a wall safe (but without a lock) in the outside wall of his house. Turns out to be an actual “bread box” where apparently the panadería dropped off his bread. I wish I’d taken a few pictures!

We had no rain, and only a very small amount of mud – not enough to even coat our shoes. If I hadn’t made such a big deal of it in past posts I wouldn’t even bother to mention it. We stopped a few times for breaks and to consume caffeine (coffee con leche in the morning, Coca Cola in the afternoon).

During our walks the sounds are very calming. Songbirds, crows, roosters, ducks, donkeys, cows, dogs, the rustle of the leaves and babbling of the brooks and creeks, an occasional bicycle whizzing by, people wishing each other “Buen Camino!”, the sound of our footsteps and trekking poles, and the ever-so-occasional profanity (usually precipitated by mud and/or a never-ending steep uphill climb) out of one or both of our mouths.

Eventually we made it to Grado for lunch. I made the mistake of ordering a hamburger. WHAT was I thinking??? We had a salad to start, and then my “hamburger” was actually like a double whopper with cheese and all the fixings, but no bun. Given the size of the meal, plus another side salad and fries, I surely didn’t need to add a bun to the mix. I barely touched the burger, and for once I passed on the Postres.

Our hotel for the night is about 10 miles away from the Camino, so we had a car pick us up and drive us to what is a very charming, very clean, first class B&B run by a charming couple, Bea and Pablo. Casa de la Veiga, is a “Hotel Rural” in Sama de Grada. So far, this is my favorite place that we’ve stayed on our trip. We’re the only guests staying here tonight, so it’s very quiet. We skipped dinner but did have a cheese platter of Asturian cheeses, including the famous Cabrales Blue Cheese (very strong, but delicious if you like blue cheese) and some Rioja tinto vino.

If you ever want to stay in a place that is convenient to the Asturian beaches as well as the Picos de Europa and some of the ancient caves, I’d highly recommend this lovely Inn.

We’ll be picked up tomorrow to go back to Grado to continue our walk where we left off, and we’ll head to Salas on Day 13 of 25. Almost to the half-way mark!!

 

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Camino de Santiago del Norte
Day 19 of our Adventure: Stay in Oviedo
Wednesday September 20, 2017

Oviedo

After finding a new Fitbit for Mike, his old one started working on its own. So we have an extra one in case he has another issue. No luck on the camera lens cover. After we ran some errands we walked around town for a bit, had a café con leche, and then found a laundromat.

Then we had a delicious comida at Casa Fermín, one of the best. We didn’t do the “Menu del Día” today. Typically, the menu includes a starter such as soup or salad, an entrée, dessert, and a bottle of wine for 12€ per person. By the time you leave you are very full! This restaurant didn’t have that option, and we ordered from the menu. The tuna tartare with wasabi “ice cream” was a huge appetizer which we split. And the cochinillo wasn’t what we expected, but it was good nonetheless. I guess you really have to go to Segovia for the real deal.

We had a lovely stroll through the Campo de San Francisco, a park in the center of Oviedo, densely shaded and a very popular thoroughfare, and visited one of the 3 churches in the city. And we saw some fun sculptures throughout the city!

Eventually we made it to the Cathedral, specifically the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Saviour, or Cathedral of San Salvador. The exceptional portal is framed with 12^th century statues of saints, smiling and in conversation with one another, in the style of the Pórtico de la Gloria of the Cathedral in Santiago. The Capilla Mayor has an acclaimed, enormous retablo on the life of Christ. The inside was breathtaking. We got there a little too late for a guided tour.

Getting ready for our 15 and a half-mile trek tomorrow. It was good to have an extra day of rest. Oh, the picture of the stairwell is from the top floor of our hotel (where our room is). Thankful for an elevator.

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Camino de Santiago del Norte
Day 18 of our Adventure: WALK!!
CAMINO Day 11
Tuesday September 19, 2017

What we expected: 31km / 13 miles / 8 hours
We got lost… 16 miles, only 6 hours!
Total Ascent: 1378 ft.
Total Descent: 1312 ft.
Difficulty Rating: Terrain 4; Waymarking 3
Scenery Rating: 4

Ribadesella to Colunga, then on to Oviedo

We left the beautiful town of Ribadesella before dawn, very happy that we didn’t need our ponchos! After cutting briefly inland, the Camino returned to the coastline early today. We walked in bright sunshine, and we were making good time until we made a wrong turn in La Isla. We literally walked around in circles….. On our route we walked through this cute little town (I think it was La Vega) that had beautiful murals painted on houses. And we saw bags of bread hanging on the doorknobs of houses along the way. Fresh bread is very important here in Spain!

Eventually we made it to Colunga where we had lunch (Sopa de Pescado for me, Fabadas Asturiana for Mike). We then did our final “jump-ahead” to Oviedo. Altogether we’ve skipped about four to five days of walking, partly to avoid the hustle-bustle of larger cities (Bilbao, Santander, Gijon), but mostly to make time to see my family in El Pais Vasco.

I specifically wanted to stay longer (2 nights) in Oviedo because of the wonderful reviews on the dozens of Camino blogs that I’ve read. It will also give us a chance to find a Fitbit for Mike. His stopped working last week, probably due to the exposure to the rain. We’ve also lost the lens cap for our camera, and we know for sure that there’s a camera store in Oviedo.

My cough, sore throat, and cold have worsened, and Mike went out after breakfast to find a pharmacy. My hero brought back medicine for me. I’m sure that I’ll feel better soon! It’s good that we have an extra day of rest.

Hotel Blue Longoria Plaza is very close to the Cathedral and the main Plaza. I’m sure that we’ll have a great day exploring!

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Camino de Santiago del Norte
Days 16 & 17 of our Adventure: Stay in Llanes

Sunday September 17, 2017

Llanes – NO Walking today!!

Llanes is nestled between the coast and the Picos de Europa. Beaches (on the Bay of Biscay / Golfo de Vizcaya) are the major attraction. It is a bustling summer resort with a tiny port ~ its entry is barely one boat wide.

We had such a fun time with my cousins, who drove 2 hours to see us again and have dinner on Saturday night. Mike had made such a big deal out of them giving me a lovely bracelet and earrings, and giving us a gift to take to my Mom (but nothing for Mike) last Saturday, that they gave him a choice of 2 caps. He chose one and wore it around Llanes the next day. Meanwhile, we caused a ruckus at the restaurant (Covadonga), laughing and talking very loudly…. We were very sad to see them go, but as I’ve mentioned, Mike has said that we can come back in 2 years.

On Sunday our first priority was to do laundry. We found the laundromat, which doesn’t require you to use your own laundry detergent. The washing machines dispense the soap automatically, and if you don’t happen to like the scent, well…. The important thing is that we have clean clothes. Thank goodness!!

Then we walked around the town with its small alleys and restaurants, had a meal of Fabadas Asturiana, a traditional bean stew (delicious), meat, and fish, and went back to our room to take a siesta. Boy did we need that extra sleep! We walked out to where people have painted large squares of cement – pretty cool! Later, we walked a few miles to find where the Camino started so that we wouldn’t get lost on Monday. And we climbed up a walkway, from where we could see our room. I always tell Mike to shut the blinds when we’re in a hotel room. Maybe now he’ll believe me when I say that people can see in!

CAMINO Day 10
Monday September 18, 2017

33km / 20 miles / 8.5 hours
Total Ascent: 492 ft.
Total Descent: 525 ft.
Difficulty Rating: Terrain 3; Waymarking 2
Scenery Rating: 3

Llanes to Ribadesella

I was awake half the night with a terrible head cold and sore throat, and when Mike said it was 5:00 AM, I just got up and got ready. We were on the road (in the rain) by 6:30, and we had to use Mike’s headlamp to find our way along a very muddy pathway. Smelled like cows, and hopefully it was just mud that we were stepping in (YUK!).

We passed by Playa de Poo, an unfortunately-named town…and a few other towns, none of which had a restaurant open. We also saw some beautiful beaches, as we are still walking along the coast. Our first stop was at 11:00, when we finally came upon a bar that was open for Café con Leche and some food. Have I mentioned that we’ve only had one day that has started with coffee? This has been a real issue for me, walking for several hours before my first cup of coffee.

I’ve included photos of some of the mud and puddles that we’ve been dealing with since we started our Camino. Mike laughed when my reaction was “Seriously???”, as if someone had placed that puddle there on purpose.

Ribadasella is located on the banks of the Río Sella at its exit to the sea. There are many grand houses from another era – tall and awkward with pointy roofs, towers, turrets, and gazebos. The river runs around the town to the open sea. The highlight of this port city is the Tito Bustillo Caves, where tourists can visit. Regular guided tours lead deep underground, through the stalactites, to a room filled with paintings 15,000 – 20,000 years old, depicting horses, deer, bison, and more. Tours are in the morning, so we won’t be able to take advantage of being here to see the caves. Another thing to put on our list for next time!

We had another lovely lunch before heading to our hotel. The soup of the day happened to be chicken noodle soup, exactly what I needed for my cold. Hotel Don Pepe is on the water, and we’ve gotten here early enough to enjoy the beautiful scenery. We’re going to skip walking on the beach, because today was a really long day, and our feet are pretty sore. Our walk to Colunga tomorrow won’t be as long, but it promises to be more strenuous.

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Camino de Santiago del Norte
Day 14 of our Adventure: WALK!!
CAMINO Day 8
Friday September 15, 2017

27km / 17 miles / 7.5 hours
Total Ascent: 1444 ft.
Total Descent: 1132 ft.
Difficulty Rating: Terrain 3; Waymarking 2
Scenery Rating: 3

Comillas to Unquera

The day started out as several before: in the rain. Thank GOD for our ponchos! The good news is that we had an easy walk for the first 4 miles. During our training we walked at a 3.5mph pace. Our Camino walks have averaged 2.5-3mph (due to rocky trails, LOTS of hills, and ~ did I mention mud???)…. We walked the first 8 miles at a 4mph pace this morning. Wind, rain, and flat pavement are great motivators!

And then there was a rainbow! And then a double rainbow. Such a treat.

On our way to walk to San Vicente de la Barquera , we walked through the Santa Marina golf course before heading for a long uphill climb. In San Vincent, the 13^th century Gothic church of Santa Maria de los Angeles supposedly plays Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’ in the church’s bell tower every 15 minutes. (Exhausted locals suggested that this was the work of a town enemy.) This may have been old information, since I definitely would have recognized the Ave Maria. My Dad used to sing it in the shower….

After stopping for a soda and to rub tired, sore feet, we walked (in the rain of course) past a railroad track, through plenty of mud, before reaching our destination for the day, Unquera (“a minor shopping town with little to see” according to the guide book). Turns out there’s a terrific restaurant, Casa Sein, about half a mile away, where we had a delicious meal and a lovely bottle of Ribera del Duero Tinto (Red).

In the distance you can see glimpses of the Picos de Europa. The last time we were in Spain (2003), we went to a little town called Fuente de, and stayed at the Parador there. I hope that we won’t be climbing too many of the steep hills in the Picos de Europa on this journey. We took the funicular up to the top in Fuente de…. No need to climb up those mountains on our own power!

Hotel Canal is a decent stopping-off point, from which we’ll make our way to LLanes tomorrow for a 2-night stay. Really looking forward to that!! Hoping to find a store that sells Fitbits. Mike’s stopped working last night, probably because it got wet as we walked in the rain. Also hoping to find a laundromat….

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Camino de Santiago del Norte
Day 13 of our Adventure: WALK!!
CAMINO Day 7
Thursday September 14, 2017

33km / 19 miles / 7 hours
Total Ascent: 750 ft.
Total Descent: 1247 ft.
Difficulty Rating: Terrain 3; Waymarking 2
Scenery Rating: 3

Santillana del Mar to Comillas

I wish that we’d taken photos of Santillana last night, because the weather prevented us from much of anything when we left this morning. But our electronic devices all needed charging, so we don’t have photos to share.

Waymarks are limited in Santillana, and we had to wing it to walk through the Plaza to get back to the Camino. To say that it was raining is an understatement. Not like a gentle Seattle rain. Wind (30 mph gusts), torrential rain, ponchos practically airborne…. At least we didn’t have muddy paths during the first part of our walk. Eventually the rain subsided somewhat, and we actually had sunshine by the time we reached Comillas.

We couldn’t take many photos until we had a break in the weather. The beautiful mountains and view of the sea were spectacular!

A highlight was Cóbreces, which “lights up with color”, dominated by 2 pastel-colored buildings:

• the red Church of St. Peter ad Vincula, a striking Neo-Gothic structure with 2 prominent towers and an octagonal dome. A monument to pilgrims stands behind it.
• The sky-blue Cistercian Abbey of Viaceli, distinctive for its rows of pointed windows.

All in all it was an easier walk, and we got to Comillas in time for a lovely “comida”, the main meal of the day. Once again we had robadallo, turbot, grilled whole. SO delicious!

We schlepped to our hotel, Hotel Comillas, only to find that they didn’t have our reservation, It had been changed (unbeknownst to us) to Hotel Marina de Campios…. Close to where we had lunch. All is well, and the room is very spacious!! (Unusual for rooms in Spain.)

A seignorial town of palaces and noble homes, Comillas was frequented by the Spanish royal family at the beginning of the 20^th century. Its main attraction is an odd villa called El Capricho (The Whimsy”), created by Antonio Gaudí and covered with green and yellow three-dimensional flowered tiles of his own design. It is a stunning combination of brick, iron, and pottery, displaying both Spanish and Arabic influences. Gaudí assisted with the general design and furnishings of the Palacio de Sobrellano, an impressive Neo-Gothic building. We didn’t make it to El Capricho in time to take a tour, but we’ll be back to see this beautiful town.

Tomorrow will be another rainy day, as we walk to Unquera.