Thursday, July 16: Grandas de Salime to A Fonsagrada (17.4 mi)

CC: The guide advertised today’s elevation at level 3. Not bad. Should be very enjoyable with a few tough hills. And that’s exactly what we found. We had toast and café con leche at 6:30am and started 20 minutes later. Yudi forgot her fanny pack as we left the restaurant (she later hinted that I rushed her. On most occasions that is entirely possible, but not this time. I wanted to be off by 7am. We were ahead of time). The town quickly disappeared, and we were into the country on nice, flat land.

We transitioned to a hill that paralleled the highway. As we came off the hill, about thirty minutes after leaving the restaurant, a woman approached us saying, “Kennedy?” Then she handed us Yudi’s fanny pack. Another camino angel keeping us out of trouble. They must have found the pack after we left and drove to where they calculated we would be. These people are truly amazing. Here’s a photo of our angel Maneula.

We thanked her profusely and continued on.

We passed several homes with chickens and cows. The chicken coup was guarded by a fierce dog.

The terrain started to gradually increase. Off in the distance there were windmills.
They started getting closer while not so coincidentally the trail got steeper.

And closer…

And closer…

A final burst and we were among them with another grand view.

Then we started down, descending nearly a mile into our final region – Galicia.

This was a major milestone. We started in Basque. Around Castro Urdiales, we entered Cantabria. Near Columbreys we entered Asturius, and now, finally, we’re in the Santiago de Compostela region. Exciting! Right after we entered Galicia, the waymark direction on shells changed. The indicated direction in Asturius was based on where the lines in the shell converge. In Galicia, the opposite is true. Now we follow the diverging lines.

Fonsagrada sits on top of mountains and can be seen from a long way off. I was walking quite a ways back from the girls and saw it when we were 12 miles out. I had to check the map and compass to convince myself due to how far away it looked. When we got to 8 miles, I caught up and took this photo.

They asked me if I knew what town that was in the distance. I told them Fonsagrada. They didn’t believe me. But the pace sure picked up after that. A few more miles and it became obvious. The final two miles were up a steep hill once again. Seems like each day as we approach our destination, we finish with a steep hill. We joke that it’s the camino reminding us who is in charge. No one thinks it is funny. We found the hotel easily, checked in, and cleaned up. An hour later we were feasting on steak, pork chops, and trout. Ana got the trout. Poor little guys were not alive more than a few months. Their bones were so small, she ate them with the meat. She has a photo that I’ll ask her to post. Give it a few minutes and check back. Bye…

Ana: My dinner, or what’s left of it.

Wednesday, July 15: Berducedo to Grandas de Salime (14.25 mi)l

Ana: This leg of our journey is known as the second hardest of the Camino.  Rated a 5 out of 5 for difficulty.

We are all walking today as Carola and Yudi were not willing to risk their lives with another taxi.

Total ascent is 650 meters, total descent is 820 meters.  This is known as the knee killer as the descent is 5.8 km long.  That is over 3 miles down, all down, no flats, no rest, just down!!!!

Stats are kept on how many people walk the Camino, where they are from and which route is traveled.  The primitivo accounts for only 3% of pilgrims.  Over the past couple of days we have learned why this is not crowded.  It is not for everyone, but that is not to say those on the Frances are having a walk in the park.  Temperatures are reaching in the high 90’s there, with large groups of people looking for food and lodging each night.  We spent last night talking with a woman who started the Frances then took a bus to Oviedo and joined our route.

We started our day around 7:30am in a pleasant 60degrees, and was quickly joined by Andrea from Germany who asked to walk with us because it was foggy.

The first hill took us to the top of a ridge lined with windmills.  From here the guidebook says “take your time and enjoy the stunning 360 degree views”.  This is our view.

The fog was so thick we couldn’t see the windmills ten feet from us.   Oh well, time to go down.

About half way down( I’m using this word a lot today) the mountain the fog started to lift and we caught glimpses of the valley below.

At the bottom is a dam that supplies electricity to the region.  The last part of the descent is laced with switchbacks, lovely shade trees, and the hope of a bar ahead for a welcome coke con hielo ( coke with ice). We are learning enough Spanish to get by, you know the  important words like vino, cerveza, and pulpo.  You don’t want to order pulpo (octopus).

We relaxed with Maureen from England.  

These breaks we take while hiking are a ritual.  All the pilgrims come into these outdoor bars, immediately take the pack off, remove the shoes and order at least something to drink, but many also order food.  We all compare notes on the trails, and what is to come.  Most have guidebooks and these are studied and discussed while relaxing.  Then a quick stop in the bano(bathroom), and everyone gears up again for the next hill.  It is a difficult day when there are no bars on the trail.

From this bar we go up, and up, and up.  Another 5km up to the town of Grandas. The fog had completely lifted and we could see the windmills and hill where we had started.

Another couple kilometers from this picture and we make our usual entrance into town searching for the hotel, grocery store, pharmacy, and bank.  The primitivo goes through smaller villages and most do not use credit cards so we have had to carry euros to pay for everything.  Some of these small villages don’t have banks or atm’s which adds to excitement of our travels.

.Here we are nervously waiting for the credit card to be accepted and money to be ejected.

Hotel: 50 euros

Dinner: 10 euros

Baileys nightcap: 3 euro

Swollen knees and dirty legs from a fabulous day on the Camino: Priceless!!!.

Tuesday, July 14: Campiello to Berducedo (18.8 mi)

CC: Lo Siento (sorry) to all you loyal bloggers following us for the lateness of this report. The WiFi in Berducedo was poor.

Last night we sat outside at Herminia’s place listening to music and enjoying the largest Cafe con Leche on the camino. With us was our Deutch friend, Andrea.

This morning, Yudi and Carola were still feeling the effects of yesterday and elected to take a cab to Berducedo. They will chronicle that experience after this blog. Ana and I took off as soon as some light appeared, around 6:32am. It was cooler than usual and a heavy fog was present. We weren’t too worried, because the California Cousins blogged that the Hospitales trail was well marked. Thanks guys, and thanks for the great advice about taking extra water. That saved us later in the day. We started out excited, Ana more so than me. She was practically running. I wanted to conserve energy and hung back. She picked up on that and asked me if she was going too fast. I reminded her of the story about the tortoise and the hare. I was thinking “Let her go. I’ll have my revenge on the slopes later when her knee gives out,” but she slowed down and we walked at a crisp gate toward Borris, about 1.5 miles away. The terrain kicked up quickly, as we expected. We kept our pace. A half mile out of Borris, the trail splits.

Straight ahead and you’re on the Pola de Allande route, 22 miles of a pleasant, yet somewhat demanding walk with impressive views and the opportunity to restock enroute. Take a right turn and it’s the Hospitales route. This route leads into the mountains and away from civilization for most of the day. It is billed as the most demanding walk on any camino with the highest payoff in expansive mountain vistas unfolding in all directions. We turned right and the die was cast. During the next hour, we maintained a steady 3 mph pace uphill through the forest. It was foggy but starting to slowly clear. We passed through a gate and came upon this fountain, the last chance to fill up for the next 11 miles.

Continuing on, we kept going up.

It was relentless and steepening. Ana was bringing out the turtle position. She was bent over so far at times, I was certain she would scrap her nose on the gravel. Off in the distance we could see a path turning straight up to the top of one mountain.

As we suspected, that was our path. A few miles farther we reached what we thought was the top. Three other pilgrims were there, and we congratulated each other. Here is a photo of Ana and I that they took for us.

The next few miles were fantastic. We reached out and touched the hand of God.

The path wove around the mountain top and onto other mountains. At one point, in a particularly rocky part, it turned vertical. The burn in the legs was becoming a little too familiar, setting in quicker and taking longer to dissipate when resting.

Another mile and we arrived at where the two routes joined. The guide said the descent starts immediately. It was right on. And it went on for over a mile. What made this so treacherous was the loose gravel and rocks. The steepness and lack of sound footing made you keep your leg muscles tight all the time. It was a real workout. We crossed a zig zagging road several times on the descent and finally leveled out on the way to a small stone town called Montefurado.

After the town we climbed over a rock wall and then headed uphill again. Half a steep mile later, we passed through a gate and followed a footpath for another 1.5 miles, past a church, then climbed another steep hill into the town of Lago.

This is a church with 16th century bells. One of the bells has a cord attached that drops all the way to the ground. I tried pulling on it and the bell started moving. As I was about to give it a good yank, Mother Ana shouted for me to stop. We rounded the corner and to our surprise, the street through Lago was, yes you guessed it, nearly vertical. Enough was enough. Our legs were fried. Ana’s knee was giving her the blinking battery icon. We struggled up a couple blocks to the top, and just around the corner was a bar! Other pilgrims were there. They started laughing when they saw us. After a great coke, we sauntered the final 2 miles into Berducedo. We were happy campers.

Yudi:  Carola and I took what we hope is a final day of transportation today.  Our day started getting two very excited peregrinos on the way for their really big day on the Primitivo.  After a basic breakfast with other pilgrims before they left on their walk we retreated to our rooms for what was a short respite.

Herminia, our hostess was cleaning the units her shelf so we moved our stuff to the bar area and took up a table for a few hours.  We had arranged with the only taxi driver, Miguel, for an 11:00 pick up.

It was a fascinating wait and time at Herminias place as we watched her business processes.

First, she does the cleaning of spaces.   She starts early- Carola and I went through the Albeurgue at 0800 and it was cleaned and ready for the day.   Her daughter comes in about 0900, and her husband and she man the bar/ restaurant/super mercado until then.  The cook shows up at 1000 and gets to cooking.  Packs are delivered for pilgrims that send them ahead rather than carry them all day.  Everything is thoroughly cleaned and about 11:00 clothes have been changed to really nice clothes and smiles are on faces!

The first pilgrim of the day arrived about 12:00 and was warmly received by Herminia.  Quite a show to watch.  It is all about the pilgrims and she knows it!

our taxi arrived about 12:30- of course- this is Spain.  Our ride was really wild and gripping- which is what we were doing.  roads are made for one car really so it is exciting when there are two out there going in opposite directions.   Miguel drove, pointed out the Camino path ( the whole time) and talked on the phone. Very exciting, kinda like a chicken bus ride.   We went up and over the mountain that Carlos and Ana were walking- really up there.

When we got to Berducedo our room was not ready so we hung out in a bar until our foursome were together again.

Monday, July 13: Tineo to Campiello (9.5 mi)

Ana: The whole gang is back together walking today.  A 9 mile walk over gentle hills and valleys.

Last night was beautiful.  We went out in the evening for a stroll around town, then stopped for an ice cream before heading in for the night.

The local cows had a party with their bells until around 5 am then fell asleep.  In Spain everyone stays up all night including the cows.

Our day started out clear until a local fire sent enough smoke up to obscure the skies.  Very sad to see any of this beautiful country damaged.

Another few kilometers and we reached the windmills we had seen from the town.

The smoke from the fire was nearing and we could see and smell it hanging in the air.

A small detour brought us to an 8th century monastery.  We were able to roam around the grounds and you could almost see the monks walking the grounds praying.

This is the monastery taken from above as we climbed another ridge.

Arriving in Campiello we went directly to our first albergue, Casa Herminia.

It is the only game in town, in fact it is the town and the staging area for the biggest climb on the Camino.  We were greeted with warmth and enthusiasm.  The peregrino meal was fascinating.  Apparently, in Spain, they use everything when making fish soup, our first course.  Whole shrimp(with eyes looking at me), crabs with the claws , clams, and we think there was some pulpo (octopus) hanging out in the stock.

 Now I am pretty adventurous, but I’m not eating anything that is looking back at me.

The next course was pasta with more of those shrimp guys looking at me.  Ok, so I wasn’t that hungry today.  Best part of the meal was meeting Andrea from Germany.

 We have passed her several times in the last few days.  She is walking alone and staying here tonight.

Not much more to say about today.  Tomorrow is the day we have been talking about.  We will have a 1000 meter climb and a 27km day.  This route is not recommended if the fog is covering the mountain, alternative route is 35km.  Let’s hope for clear skies so that we can get some great pictures.

Yudi and Carola will take a taxi to the next town.  I will be giving them some of the things from my pack to lighten it so that I can add extra water and snacks.  No cafe con leche on the trail tomorrow, in fact nothing but trail tomorrow.

Bring it on!

Sunday, July 12: Salas to Tineo (14.5 mi)

CC: Last night was a much better evening. We spent a few hours walking the town and stopped near the river, across from the hotel.

At 8pm we went back to the hotel restaurant and asked if they had spaghetti. The waitress said, “Pasta?” We said, “Si.” We sat down at a table, sipped our Baileys on ice and waited. Ten minutes later she brought us a rigatoni type noodle with tuna trimmings. It tasted ok, and I ate most of it so as not to offend her. We also ran into Elizabeth from Maine again. She was continuing on to Bodenaya, about another 4.5 miles. We turned in and hit the rack about 9:30pm. No noise.

This morning, Ana and I set out for Tineo at 7am. Except for the hill before Bodenaya, the remaining distance for the day was described as “…a welcome rest between yesterday’s hills and tomorrow’s mountains.” Ha! Another sucker punch. But first the hill: It hit us 2 blocks from our hotel, a gradual rise on gravel that went on for 30 minutes. We were getting pretty high up the ridge when we came across a wobbly newborn with the umbilical still attached.

Another ten minutes and the hill decided to spank us. I’m pretty much convinced that ‘Primitivo’ translated from Spanish means ‘you ain’t seen nothing yet.’ The hill cranked up as far as I could see. I was ahead of Ana (who was deep in the turtle by now) and got to the corner first. Lo and behold, it wasn’t the top but a switchback with the road continuing nearly straight up once again as far as you could see. I yelled back to her that there was a switchback. She couldn’t see anything but her toes from the turtle, so she asked if we were almost on top. I wasn’t sure how to answer that. If I said yes, she would be happy – until she found out the big lie. If I said no, she would be extremely depressed, as her legs were about gone. My answer? I just laughed. She knew what that meant. Finally, we reached the top and passed under a major highway.

We coasted along the ridge for awhile and then took what I call the ‘soup’ detour. While reading the guide, we missed a turn arrow and continued on in the wrong direction. Then Ana gets on this description of a particular soup she makes. The description goes on and on, so I wasn’t paying full attention to the route. Things didn’t seem right after some time. She finally finished the soup story, and then I realized we were heading in the wrong direction. We backtracked and found the error. Hence soup detour. After a couple hours we found a bar and took a break. The bar tender did not speak English. He kept asking where we were from – Italy? Hungary? Bulgaria? We kept saying U.S. and America. He shrugged his shoulders, indicating he had never heard of it. Twenty minutes and we were off again for the final 7 miles. A mile later we came upon another big hill. The legs were getting rubbery now, but we kept telling ourselves this was great practice for next Tuesday when we encounter the toughest leg, from Campiello to Berducedo. As we approached the top of that hill, the trail got very narrow and there was no one around. Time for a pottie stop. I told Ana to continue on and I would catch up. About mid stream, I hear her talking to someone. Thinking she was warning me that someone was coming, I quickly zipped up and rounded the corner. There in front of me was Ana and a bunch of cows heading her way. The trail was narrow, something had to give. What she had said earlier was, “we’ve got company.” When I came up to her, she said she saw a bull coming in the midst of the cows. We quickly headed back the way we came with the cows on our heels. The trail split. We went left. So did the cows. The trail opened into a field and they moved on by. It was then we saw them being herded by a man and wife, who were both laughing at us. Or at least we thought they were laughing at us. Turns out they were laughing because they knew that an even bigger herd was a few minutes behind them, and we would soon run into them also.

After the ‘threat’ passed, we continued on through rolling hills, arriving at Tineo about 12:30pm. Beautiful city nestled within steep hills.

We had some difficulty finding the hotel. On one corner, I heard someone yell, “Kennedy!” It was Carola with Yudi! They had just arrived by bus and were looking for the hotel also. We found it together, checked in, took a shower, and went to eat. On the way to the restaurant, we ran into Liz again. She was with Father Lupi from Italy.

Father Lupi is a missionary priest located in Zambia. After the camino, he returns to his missionary work. We ate at a private albergue and came back to the pension. Nice place, nice view. Tomorrow we head to Campiello. It’s a short walk (8mi) with decent hills. Everyone is going. The concept is to get us all fit for the final 100 km from Lugo. All peregrinos have to walk the final 100 km to qualify for the compostela. It doesn’t matter how far you walked before that. All for now.

Carola: We have stayed in 26 different hotels since we started and most have been wonderful. One was passable, and we were grateful for the bed and shower. But the one in Grado was a dump! Our room was all of 100 sq. feet. Not only did we get serenaded with bottles, plates, and singing but, since we had to have our windows open to breathe, we heard melodies of snoring, coughing, and toilet needs. Our bathroom was so small, you had to be a contortionist to use the John, and in the middle of the night you weren’t sure if you were at the bathtub or toilet, hoping for the best. While on a scouting run this morning for the bus loading zone, I ran into Washington State and his son. They stayed at the same hotel in Grado. He said he was given a room with one bed (apparently it’s no big deal if kids sleep on the floor) and his feet hung off the bed. He took a hot/cold shower and still had shampoo in his hair when it stopped draining and overflowed the tub onto the floor and proceeded to flood the room. He was not happy!
Salas was a beautiful town with cobblestone streets and the remains of a huge castle, which turned out to be our hotel! The rooms were large and quiet. There were screens on the windows, which meant no flies. The bed was great and the bathroom quite large. Unfortunately our room had an emergency exit light right above the door and once it got dark that light lit up the whole room! Ugh, I just put a shirt over my eyes and called it a day.
Yudi and I had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, packed up to catch the 11:45 bus to Tineo. We met a young couple from France also going on the bus. They both had on Keds tennis shoes and she had horrible blisters on the heels of both feet. We boarded the bus and went on another wild switchback ride. We were being jerked all over the place and I kid you not this couple both fell fast asleep. He was practically falling in the isle with every sharp turn and didn’t wake up until we pulled into the station. There was another couple on the bus who were so kind to lead us to our hotel.
This pension has a washer and dryer, and we were very excited to be able to wash our clothes in a real washer again. One problem though, we were one euro short to run the dryer. I had two fifty cent euros and thought I’d just go outside and see if I could find an open store(Sunday everything is closed) and get the right change. I opened the door to the outside just as a little red car pulled up and stopped. I asked if they could give me one euro for two 50’s and they said yes and then they left! Now that is weird once again! Anyway, laundry done and smelling good!
Yudi feels better and I can walk again as almost all the swelling on my leg is gone. I can flex and extend my foot and feel so relieved to be back in the group. We are going to take it very slow tomorrow.
Since I have not had access to the iPad and couldn’take any pictures, I will add a picture of the view out of our window. The sun is out, and it’s a beautiful evening.
This is another beautiful location except for the flies. As I write this I can hear Ana and Yudi in the next room yelling” yea I got one”! Killing flies is becoming an art.

Saturday July 11: Grado to Salas (15miles)

Yudi:  Happy Birthday to Carola!

We had a rough start due to two situations, which I will explain.   First, we were serenaded by Spanish men all night again, the singing stopped about 5 am.  The night started with our sleep being interrupted about 10 pm by loud washing of dishes, forks, knives and pans from the bar/restaurant one floor down.    It then progressed to a pressing need of an older gentleman to sort through and throw glass bottles and assure that the correct bottle was in the correct bin.   Once that was done the loud firework “booms” started followed up with men signing with a boom box sound system until 5 am,  How did they know it was Carola’s birthday?  But what a special commemoration, never to be forgotten, birthday experience.

Next, after sending off Ana for the day’s hike and catching up on email and news, showering and packing I headed down to our hotel bar for cafe con leche about 8:45.   We were aiming at an 11:30 autobus for Salas.   The woman behind the bar, in Spanish, asked when I was walking the Camino.  I said no walking, autobus today.  She looked at her watch and said  – 9:15 bus.   She said it was Sabato- Saturday  and the bus was 9:15.   I scurried up to Carolas and we hustled our gear, paid the hotel and were standing in place at 0900 for the bus which came at 0930!

Our bus ride today was a beautiful drive through gorgeous mountains and valleys.  The driver took more time and it was comfortable.   The bus was relatively full of riders, and there were other pilgrims riding along beside us.  We arrived early to Salas and stowed our packs at our next hotel to explore the village.

There was a lovely old church which was actually open so we could explore it.

Also we were surprised to find 3 super mercado’ s in this small village.  

There  were three men, set up with palettes on easel scoping out painting materials.

Health report:   We are all mending-  my nausea is less and Carola is very religiously resting her leg   We are frustrated by the timing but are super focused on walking again by Lugo!  I ate about 50% of the peregrino’ meal today.

Ana: After an all nighter with the local singers, Carlos and I headed out for the day’s adventure.  About 2 blocks from the hotel we entered a path that went straight up and seemed like it reached all the way to heaven.  Welcome to the day!  Our book said it would be a level 4 (out of 5) difficulty hike.  Bring it on we said and off we went.

Today was a short 15 mile day and the way marking was excellent.  We passed through a valley then what goes up must come down. 

This was the theme for the day and after over 3 hours we came to the river.  We could follow the river into Salas or go into the town of Cornellana for cafe con leche. We discussed the cafe option while near 3 pilgrims who did not seem to speak English. They must have understood the word coffee because they followed us into town.  We ended up at a bar with a group of pilgrims from all over the world.  We met a young woman from Maine hiking the Camino by herself.  Elizabeth was teaching English this summer in Leon and was on the Camino before heading back to Maine.

We then ventured through town to a 1st century monastery that is being reconstructed.

By the monastery there is a marker that leads to the left.  A woman stopped us and with sign language explained we should go right and up a path.  She put her hands together and pointed right, then opened her hands to shoulder width and pointed left, then circled her hands around to join each other saying arriva.  We got the idea and went right.  Surprise, another hill to climb, but a shorter path to our destination. This is looking down on Cornellana.

We trekked up and over the ridge to the right in this picture, went through the town, then up the ridge where this was taken, then over and down again into Salas.  I am dizzy now.

As we entered Salas, we ran into our Polish friends then found Carola and Yudi sitting on a bench outside a church.  After cleaning up, we dined on another yummy pilgrim meal of salad, cheese wrapped in ham with a breadcrumb coating, potatoes, wine and cake.

Just another day on the Camino.

So far since starting from the train in Hendaya we have traveled approximately 619 km or 387 miles.  All things considered, dealing with illness and injury, blisters and the general challenge of what we are doing, we are in good spirits.  A little sleep would be nice.

The most challenging 100 miles is coming up, beginning tomorrow when we start the day with a 500 meter climb in about 3km then cruise into Tineo

Friday, July 10: Oviedo to Grado (17.5mi)

CC: We are entering the back country where WiFi may not be available at times. If you do not see a posting, that will be the reason. However, we will continue to write each day’s activities and then post them online whenever possible. Yesterday afternoon, Ana and I did some more sightseeing and came upon a fairly modern church, perhaps built within the last 200 years. Here are a few pictures, one of which shows Ana lighting a candle for Joe and Cathy.


Last night, We went out late (after 8pm – it’s all relative) and had a second pitcher of Sangria for the day. The street was alive. Everywhere, servers were pouring sidra into glasses. They would pour only a little at a time as an aeration and then the customer would drink what they had poured very quickly.

Ana and I took off this morning at 6:30am, leaving Yudi and Carola in the hotel. They rested all morning and took the noon bus to Grado. The temp was 65 degrees and the skies were clear. The route quickly left the city and headed into the hills, as usual.
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About seven miles in we were descending a hill when I took this photo.

Ana turned around and said, “Don’t turn around. Just keep walking. There’s a bear coming up behind you.” I kept walking and caught up to her. It wasn’t a bear. It was one of the biggest dogs I’ve ever seen. On all fours his back came nearly to my waist. I glanced briefly, and we kept walking. He didn’t look menacing, nor did he look friendly. He just kept stalking us. We walked, he followed, sometimes a step behind us. This went on all the way down the hill. At one point we rounded a corner. Seconds went by. Just as we thought we lost him, he appeared and continued toward us. I changed the camera to look backward and snapped this photo.

I look like I’m laughing, but there was nothing funny. We were thinking he might be friendly, but he gave no indications. Finally we reached the bottom of the hill, crossed the street and looked back. He turned the corner and bounded up the steps. Danger passes. Actually, I think he wanted some company.

The hills were starting to get very steep in both directions. We took a coke break at 12 miles and ran into two polish gentlemen, Mariusz and Bogdan.

Mariusz spent 7 years in Chicago and spoke fluent English. They have completed the Frances, Portuguese, and a route unknown to us. They are doing the Primitivo and will come back in the future to do the del Norte. We should run into them again within the next two weeks. We arrived at the Grado hotel about the same time Yudi and Carola arrived. After catching up on each other’s adventures, we sat down to a delicious peregrino meal of lentil soup followed by roast chicken and patatas, downed with a bottle of vino.

Finally, here’s a photo from the window of our room at the Hotel Altobar.

Earlier in this blog, I posted a picture from our Oviedo room. Such are the transitions that take place within each day. Tomorrow, it’s another 17 or so miles to Salas. The guidebook says we’re about to get serious.

Carola: Well it is no fun being left behind! We all feel bad about Yudi feeling nauseated but this morning I was sort of happy she would be staying back with me and that’s awful! She and I went to the supermarket this morning to purchase bananas for me and crackers for her. Our bus wasn’t leaving town until 12:00 so we had several hours to kill. I wrote my mom a Long letter trying to assure her we hadn’t been hijacked by Isis or eaten by wolves. She is 87 and I didn’t tell her I was doing this until the week before because I knew she would worry but I also couldn’t also not tell her. Needless to say she moaned rather loudly and asked me if I really had to go. I got to watch the U.S. Play Japan in soccer for the third time. Kind of fun seeing it so often as I could follow players on the field knowing what was coming up and see setups for various plays. That was a hard fought game and Japan played tough.
We left for the bus station at 10:30 because we weren’t quite sure how to get there but it only took ten minutes.
The drivers here are crazy and you really have to watch crossing the streets. Most have pedestrian crossings and most cars do come to a screeching halt to allow you to pass but you’re never sure if they will! There are also stop lights that have a little green man that tells when to walk. You had best not go early and as your crossing he gets faster and faster meaning you better hurry! As we were approaching the bus station we came to a very large busy intersection and we’re waiting for the little green man. Two young men decided to test the system and almost got taken out by a motorcycle coming rapidly around the corner. One man jumped out of the way and the other got hit but only enough to spin him around. Yudi and I just looked at each other and were so relieved it wasn’t worese. The cyclist kept on going and so did the guy that got hit!
The bus station was huge with at least 50 platforms to catch a bus to various places. It sounded like an airport with announcements going on constantly for arriving and exiting buses. People were running everywhere trying to catch buss end it was quite unnerving! One little old lady ran up to a bus pulling out waving her ticket and the bus driver just waved her off and left. Another bus pulled up in our platform and opened the door and five people exited and a few more quickly entered. That bus spent all of 15 seconds before it pulled out again. Since we had our packs to stow, we were wondering how fast we had to be. The bus leaving for Grado was supposed to have a bus leaving every hour from platform 12. We had been there for over an hour and hadn’t seen one yet. Finally a bus arrived on platform 11 and it had a sign for Grado. It had to be our bus so after putting our backpacks underneath we hopped on. A lovely petite French woman confirmed, even though it was at the wrong place, that it was the right bus. We hadn’t even sat down when he started off and then it occurred to us that the driver didn’t close the luggage door as we had watched all the previous drivers do. We watched out the window waiting to see our packs roll out then passed by a building that was mirrored and saw that he met have had an automatic door. We were quite relieved. We held our breath once again as he zoomed between cars and around people. Yudi just looked out the window not wanting to see our demise unfold right before us. I tried to look at the signs to see when we had to get off. After yudi’s train experience i didn’t know if we would be told when to exit. As we entered Grado the bus stopped at a bus stop and everyone got up. Panic! I knew we had to go to a station. We got off, got our packs and the Frenchwoman asked the driver for directions and then told us to get back on. The next stop we exited again and the driver directed us to our hotel. Bless him. It was only a block away and if we had gone to the station it would have been at least a mile to walk. We found the hotel, checked in and Ana and Carlos walked in five minutes later. So that was our day as the sickies.

Thursday, July 9: Oviedo

Ana:  A day off in what King Alfonso considered the capital of Christainity in Spain.

First we had work to do.  Carola is down with shin splints, and Yudi is suffering with nausea.  Carlos very adeptly asked the desk clerk in Spanish how to get to the bus station.  It was impressive until she rattled off the directions in Spanish and we all looked at her with blank stares.  She then pulled out a map and told us in English. Off to the station to arrange travel to our next town. Carlos and I are still functional so we will walk tomorrow and meet them at the next hotel.

On the way to the bus station we passed this 9th century fountain established for the pilgrims.  You can still make out the writing and cross on the top.  This is the oldest piece of architecture in Oviedo.

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We then ambled to the cathedral for a tour.  In the walkway this plaque guides pilgrims on their way and is the official start of the Camino Primitivo.

The pre-Romanesque cathedral is the heart of the historic district and the center of life in Oviedo.

As we have discovered, everything is centered around the pilgrims.  The credential del peregrino will gain you entry to many places.  The reverence shown to pilgrims by everyone is humbling.  In the credential there is a small prayer that, in part, asks us to “feel the spirit of those who have gone before you”. You most certainly feel the spirit in this town, and I am in awe of those who have made this trek before me.  I am equipped with all the finest high tech gear and I find this difficult, I can’t imagine walking this in handmade sandals, a cloth sack, and goat bladder to carry your wine.

Take a walk with us through the cathedral.

These photos don’t capture the granduer of this magnificent cathedral.

The primitivo starts tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 8: Pola de Sierra to Oviedo (11.5 mi)

CC: There was a Timex watch commercial back in the sixties where a watch was fastened behind the propeller of an outboard engine of a boat. The boat raced around, and when it stopped they showed the watch still working. The announcer said,”Timex – it takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’.” Such is the case with your peregrinos. Yesterday’s fiasco took a toll. Carola picked up severe shin splints and Yudi was still nauseated. We hobbled out of Pola de Sierra about 8:30am after a nice breakfast at the hotel. It rained earlier in the morning and was threatening. The trek would be short today with long stretches of highway and little of interest to see. Here’s a pic leaving town.

We traveled through several neighborhoods and met many friends, such as this little girl.

After 7 miles, we stopped at a bar for lunch. Everyone had cokes except Ana. She went with the cafe con leche. I ordered plain french fries for the table and ate an eclair that I carried all morning. About halfway thru the fries, the cook (Maria) brought us each a nice delicacy – half egg in a greasy sauce with peas. She was very proud of the plate and pleased to help us poor peregrinos.


Yudi and Carola couldn’t bring themselves to eat it, so Ana and I had to pull double duty. You just don’t turn down what the camino offers. As we strolled through Colloto, about 4 miles from Oviedo, we ran into our Austrian buddies, Herrman and Gerhardt.

They are tackling the Primitivo also and trying to decide on taking the higher route or not. Herrman had a nasty map of the terrain for the higher route. ‘Nasty’ is not strong enough. We talked for another 15 minutes and traveled on.

We checked into the hotel about 1:30pm, cleaned up, and had a great pasta meal next door. After dinner, Carola went back to the room to rest her shins. The rest of us walked a few blocks uphill to see the church.

A little bit about Oviedo: It was founded in 757 by Fruela I as a fortress to guard the central road linking the coast to the interior. A half century later, when Alfonso II built his palace here, Oviedo became the capital of Christian Spain. The construction and expansion of it’s cathedral spanned eight centuries. There are also three pre-Romanesque churches identified by UNESCO as the finest examples of 9th century Christian European architecture. The ‘holiness’ of the city is such that King Alfonso once ordered that all pilgrims must go through the city of Oviedo on their way to Santiago. The literature proclaims several religious artifacts residing within the church to include: a silver reliquary chest containing a vial of the Virgin Mary’s milk (I kid you not), and one of Judas’s 30 pieces of silver. We will be touring the church tomorrow and will let you know what we think.

Tuesday, July 7: Villaviciosa to Pola de Sierra (21.5 miles)

Ana:  First of all, everyone is fine.  It was a rough day on the camino.  We are all exhausted and headed for bed.  I will continue this tomorrow when my mind clears and the wifi is better.

OK, let me start again.

The day started out in typical fashion, crisp morning air, “en cargo” (to go) breakfast provided by our hosts, and a beautiful sunrise.   What could go wrong you ask?  About 3 miles into what was to be an 18 mile day we encountered this.   After much discussion and comparing what the guide had written, we chose the route going down.  We lost the arrows shortly after and wandered until a man stopped his car and excitedly pointed up a hill saying Camino.  Yay, we thought,  up the hill we trudged then over and down into a valley.  This doesn’t look right is an ominous phrase.  Once again the map comes out, the compass, and eventually the iPhone gets fired up.  Yikes, we are in the wrong valley.  Time to go back up a ridge and down over to the next valley.  All in all about a 4 mile detour.  Doesn’t sound like much?  Try walking it when you are already facing a long day and you have walked over 250 miles. Eventually we made it to the monastery and once again head up a trail to another ridge.  This is a level 4 day and now we know why.  Any trail that has multiple switchbacks is steep and we had a long way to go until reaching the top.   This is about half way up looking down on the monastery.  If you look to the left, that is the ridge we climbed to get to the valley with the monastery. Keep walking and don’t look up, it is all you can do!  We met some pilgrims from Austria that told Carola to slow down and then laughed.  (She was leaning on her poles trying to catch her breath). One foot in front of the other and we made it.  We had hopes there would be a bar at the top to get a coke and rest.  Wrong, it was closed!  Eventually we found a small restaurant with a limited menu.  Ordered the potatoes with sauce that happened to be garlic sauce.  Without naming names I will point out that one of us has real problems with garlic.  Good thing we were out in the country with plentiful bushes for cover, nuff said.  Trudge on for a few more miles following arrows until we reached a meadow and once again found the conflicting arrows.  We chose the wrong path and was saved by the most wonderful Camino Angels yet.  Three women walked us down the correct path, stopped at their house, gave us fresh water and ice and a package of nuts then showed us a short cut to Pola de Sierra.  Bless them.  We must have looked pitiful.  I would like to insert a picture here of these nice folks who helped us, however we were in survival mode when we met and we all forgot to snap a pic. Arriving in Pola we found our hotel.  The day took its toll, we had one down with massive blisters, one with back spasms from a raw nerve in the shoulder, one with a gastrointestinal issue and one singing zippidy do da (we all wanted to kill that person). I’ll leave it to you to guess who was who. The wifi was horrible and we rely on that to write the blog, get email, and text.  And now it was raining and we needed to eat.   Asked directions to a restaurant with pasta as we needed carbs and comfort food.  Translation was sketchy and we ended up at a pizza place.  Oh well, it was food. Our 18 mile day ended at 21.5 miles.

The Camino challenged us this day and we survived.