Day: May 13, 2018

A couple of days ago the Camino del Norte turned inland for 30 miles or so. It goes back the coast at Gijón but we are stopping before that, leaving the rest of the Norte for next year.

We were amused that they were all lying down and all lined up.

When we walk in headlands right by the ocean it us usually through cow pastures (Asturian cows like ocean views) so we have to cross fences. We saw some barbed wire fences in Basque Country but in Asturias they are usually single wire electric fences. Some are clearly live, some ambiguous, and some are clearly fake. I guess the cows learn not to touch them and so the fake ones work.

Usually we have to go over steps or a ladder to cross on fence, sometimes a narrow zig-zag that a cow would not fit through. A few days ago we had to cross a wire and then a ladder. I went underneath, scraping it with my backpack and getting my hands damp from the grass. The fence was an ambiguous one so I decided to lift it up so Wynette could go underneath. Zap, it was not fake. The shock was very small though, like something you would get from a 9-volt battery. I remember getting shocked a few times with batteries as a kid doing electricity things. It is hard to believe such a mild shock would deter a cow but maybe it startles them and they avoid it. I guess cows are not big in the cogitation department.

We had very good Asturian food at this restaurant yesterday. Normally you have to buy a whole liter bottle of sidra (cider) because it goes flat quickly. I wanted some so I spent 2.6 euro (cheap!) on a bottle but drank less than half. This group was at a nearby table. The green bottles at the end of their table are empty sidra bottles so you see they like their sidra. We decided to give them our extra since it does not keep. They were happy to get it and it was gone in two minutes. They asked us where we were from. They were from Galicia, the province to the west, where Santiago is. They asked if we were walking the Camino and said we should definitely go on to Finisterre, similar to the advice the gypsy gave to Martin Sheen in “The Way”.

People have been so nice to us on this trip. Yesterday we had a long walk with no bars for coffee. (The horror! The horror!) Late morning, not yet having had breakfast, we passed an albergue and this kind woman was cleaning it. Albergues normally require you to leave by 8 am and are closed until about 3 pm. We asked if there was a nearby bar and she said there was none but they had a máquina inside where we could get coffee. She let us in and we got two coffees and two warm milks from the vending machine. There was a picnic table in front. We pulled out the cereal, fruit, and nuts we carry and voila, brunch.

Post by Wynette: Well, as long as we are doing food photos … We had this with our menu del día today. Fava beans, of which the Asturians are very proud, greens, potatoes, sausages, pork meat. (Photo shows a small fraction of the portion they served us.) This is one photo I’m going to look back on and remember the food here with great nostalgia.

We ate at this place yesterday and came back today because we enjoyed it so much. They were busy both days but today we barely got a seat. Sunday is a big day for the Spanish people to go out with family and friends to eat.

Menu was 12 euros yesterday and 13 today.

We try not to put in food photos since it gets out of hand. The food has been excellent and photogenic. But Asturias is noted or its blue cheese, and this dish with blue-cheese sauce was delicious. (Maybe doesn’t look so appetizing in the photo.) PS. We asked for salad instead of fried potatoes.