Asturias

We started early on Tuesday to catch the train North. Bilby slept pretty well though probably could have used a few more hours before Dad was up and about for the day. I elected against the hotel’s (probably fine) 20€ per person breakfast and we went out in search of a coffee shop open before 9am which is trickier than you’d think.

Fully packed we then took a taxi to Chamartín with our driver having an innate sense of which route was likely to have the most accidents and traffic snarls. Having been characteristically early it became funny after a while as we dodged and weaved through other cars running hard to stay fairly still.

We arrived in plenty of time to screen luggage then stand in the crush with everyone else while we waited for our platform to be announced. Dad paced around through the crowds unable to believe that with 15 minutes until the train was due to depart that they would not have announced it and kept venturing off to find tactics on how to identify the platform and beat the system in between asking me what was happening.  I think this is the adult version of “are we there yet”. I became worried that during these intrepid forays of whacking others ankles as he strode about that I’d lose him but we needn’t have worried – as soon as the gate was announced he charged off and left us bemused in his wake.  We finally got to our car and sat down with plenty of time before the train moved.  Maybe I should have called this post “hurry up and wait”.

Once the train started moving we were quickly out of Madrid and into the countryside. Initially sparse trees and difficult terrain, gradually making way for rolling pastoral fields. My favourite discovery was that through Castille y Léon the track was lined with poppies and wild flowers  somehow extra beautiful as they sprung up between wire fences and embankments.

The beginning of Asturias was marked by a seemingly neverending series of tunnels punctuated with glimpses of green, gorges and rivers with tiny villages nestled between. Any time my eyes adjusted to this new monochrome we would be immediately sucked into the new tunnel with the pressure wave of the high speed train assaulting my ears. But between the golden rolling hills of what I assume was canola to suddenly emerge in the Emerald city was to have entered some sort of Celtic portal.

We disembarked into brilliant sunshine and headed off to our well situated and beautiful apartment with thankfully separate rooms for each. After sorting out some laundry we went out for a typically late lunch at 3pm with our first taste of Asturian cuisine. The level of English in this part of the world is much less frequent than in Madrid and I became translator in chief. I’m much more confident than I was 2 years ago and it certainly helps. But learning the language of checking for allergenic foods is something I probably should have practice more. Luckily bean stew is gluten free.

After lunch we visited the Oviedo cathedral which felt important as prospective pilgrims despite my lapsed Catholicism and Bilbys atheism. The cathedral was beautiful – different in style to the rich Cathedrals of Andalucía and feeling more trafficked. Less tourist hot spot and more a place of worship. Oviedo is the start of the Camino Invierno and we saw our first pilgrims and I felt a sudden pang at not yet having our credencial to stamp in the darkened apse.

After the cathedral I wanted to visit the preromanesque church of Santa Maria del Naranco. Google and the website both told me it was closed but I figured it was unique looking enough from the outside and should have views back over the city to make the 3km trek worthwhile. 

We came back via a supermarket to grab some fruit and snacks and cereal and I did more washing.  Bilby enjoyed having his own room to escape to and I left him to it and hoped that he’d work on his sleep debt.  Dad had seemed unprepared for the short hike despite me saying how long it was (7km round trip) which makes me anxious for how a full day will go.

Wednesday I had booked a day tour to visit the Cavadonga Lakes once I had realised that they were in proximity and when looking at the blue ranges of the Cantabrian mountains from Oviedo I was glad I’d made the decision.

Our first stop was the non Roman Puente Romanico in Cangas de Onis which crosses the river Sella. We emerged from beautiful ghostly fog (new word for me – nibiela) to the high arched cobbled bridge over the deep blue green water.  Salmon fishermen were along the rocks to the side and it was surreally beautiful just metres from the main road.

Then started the winding path through the Picos de Europa which became more and more spectacular with each high speed hairpin turn. Finally ending at the Cavadonga Lakes for which I had booked the tour in the first place. While my photographer heart was wishing we could have arrived in softer light and maybe some atmospheric fog the view was undeniably spectacular. My biggest surprise was the unexpected chorus of cow bells on the Atlantic breeze blowing off the gulf.

After a quick pitsptop at the small Refugio we headed back down into the valley to the Sanctury of Cavadonga to meet with Palayo and the Virgin of the cave.

Back out of the gorge we headed to lunch at the Parador below which was excellent. We ticked off cabrales cheese (stinky and delicious – Bilby unconvinced by anything that looked and smelled so comprehensively inedible), sidra de Asturias requiring aeration, arroz con leche and the first seafood meal.

Full and sleepy we then briefly visited the Asturian coast at Ribadesella where I was more interested in seeing  the way markers for the Camino and finally the mirador at Llastres.

Very long post for a very full 2 days. Today is a travel day to Ribadeo and the beginning of our camino. The sky looks ominous and I have yet to pack up our apartment. Dad was again prowling around at 0530 and I anticipate more shenanigans getting to the bus station but this is the way!

Tuesday 18568 steps, 12.9 km

Wednesay 10619 steps, 7.2 km

Running total 29 km