Camino de Santiago del Norte
Day 15 of our Adventure: WALK!!
CAMINO Day 9
Saturday September 16, 2017
25km / 15.5 miles / 7 hours
Total Ascent: 590 ft.
Total Descent: 935 ft.
Difficulty Rating: Terrain 2; Waymarking: 4
Scenery Rating: 3
Unquera to Llanes
Tonight is our 2nd multi-night stay. We estimate that we’ve walked about 100 miles since leaving our family in Markina, and our bodies were ready for a longer rest!
I thought to bring Kinesiology Tape from home in case my ankles started hurting. Turns out my knees are in worse shape, so I downloaded the .pdf with instructions, and I did my best to apply the tape. Seems to be working! But I look like the United Colors of Benneton – orange top, purple & pink polka-dotted socks, pink KT tape, yellow rain jacket, purple cap, and red backpack… add the seafoam green poncho, and I am a great model for the “Glamour Don’t” shots! (Never mind the trail runners with the skort…)
We started out before dawn, and after a quick and steep uphill we came to Colombres. While “Indianos” architecture – a style popular with locals who made fortunes in the New World – is prevalent throughout Asturias, Colombres features some exemplary cases of it. La Quinta Guadalupe, a marvelous blue edifice, houses the Musea de la Emigración.
Even in the rain, the Picos de Europa to the left, and the sea to the right were breathtaking. We met up with a young man from Poland who is doing the Camino before starting University in October. He had about a hundred questions for us about the U.S. Very inquisitive. (If Hillary got more votes, why did Trump win? Which religions are more common in the different regions of the U.S.? Do accents differ in different parts of the country? And on and on.) And then we met an older woman who lives in Berlin, but is spending 10 days in Llanes with her sister, who drove from France.
After a steep trip downhill we reached Llanes, a lively town thanks to its wonderful location, nestled between the coast and the Picos de Europa. Our room in Hotel Sablon overlooks the beach!
We will see my cousins later this evening for dinner, and then tomorrow we will do laundry and get organized for the next part of our Camino.
Souper Power 