Day 13

The morning was dark and cold but we knew it would be our last day of early mornings. We had a breakfast of coffee and donuts, just as we did on our first day on trail. We jumped in line of the tons of pilgrims making their way to the end of their journeys. There was an energy in the air that I couldn't describe. Like shadowed excitement. We reached a large statue on top of the hill and got our first view of the spires of the cathedral.

We were still miles away but seeing it brought about a whole new sense of accomplishment. We made our way down the hill and into the outskirts of the city. It felt unusual to be a pilgrim in a large metropolis. Deeper and deeper into the city we went, following in the footsteps of hundreds of others. A few blocks away, we saw the spires again. I couldn't talk and it didnt seem like the time to. We went through a tunnel where a man stood playing the bagpipe. The plaza opened up on the other side. We were there.

Hundreds of tourists and other pilgrims filled the square. As we walked to the center, to get a better look at the cathedral, my mom patted me on the back and tears started to stream down my face and hers. We locked in to a tight embrace. She had done it. She took a leap of faith and traveled across the world to do something she'd never done before. And, in doing so, jumped into a little piece of my world. It will be a moment I treasure for the rest of my life. We wiped away the tears and took our pictures in front of the cathedral. Dropped our packs off and headed in for the pilgrims mass. The inside was incredibly detailed and packed to the brim with people. We found a spot in the back near a confessional booth. Just as the mass started and the church got quiet, my chaco strap caught on the bench of the confessional and sounded out a large bang that echoed through the entire place. My mom gave me a look of daggers. The mass was in Spanish but a line I could understand was "the cathedral is yours, for today you came on your feet." At one point, a pilgrim we had run into for the last week came up and hugged us. It felt good to see a familiar face. After mass we headed to the pilgrim welcome office to get our certificates. We had to wait over an hour in line but it was totally worth it and made slightly better by the cute Kiwi we chatted with in front of us. Next was going back to the cathedral to hug the statue of St. James and visit his tomb. We'd been told that pilgrims make a wish while viewing the tomb. We walked down, made our wishes and marked the end of our journey on the Camino de Santiago.

Stats

Total Steps: 376,638

Day 12

I didnt sleep much as my ankle throbbed with pain. I dosed up on ibuprofen and hoped for the best. As we left the hotel, the owner mentioned it looked like tendonitis and that I should sleep with it elevated. Unfortunately I had been doing that every night with little benefit. I could barely walk and relied heavily on my poles to hold me up. Every few steps a zap of pain shot from my heel up into my calf. There was no way I was going to make it the 13 miles that we needed to. It was our last full day of hiking and my body was finally giving up. Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought about the alternatives. We had come this far, I couldn't just give up now. Hundreds of people passed us, some clapping as they watched me limp on. I got angry thinking the others saw me as weak. I focused on the trail and kept moving, one slow step at a time.

Around lunchtime we looked for a place to stop. Unfortunately it was Sunday and almost everything was closed. We walked on in silence and suddenly all the other pilgrims fell away and we were alone. It felt like forever that we traversed through huge eucalyptus forests. Finally we reached a road with a small cafe and jumped (not literally) at the chance to sit down. We sat for too long not wanting to walk anymore. Finally we stirred up the motivation to move on and dragged ourselves the last five miles. I had never been in more pain while hiking in my life and I was getting worried about permanent damage when we turned a corner and saw our hotel. There we had the best meal we'd had on the entire trail. It boosted our spirits and made for a good night's sleep for our final day into Santiago.

Stats

Salceda - Vilamaor

Miles:  13.8

Steps:  30,301

Times I wanted to quit: Nearly every step

Day 11

The day started out bad as we looked out the window and only saw fog. The forecast called for rain but we were hoping it was wrong. From Melide the Camino Primitivo meets up with the Camino Frances, the most popular of the routes. We saw tons of people walking out of town as we sat for a coffee before joining them. Huge tour groups filled the trail and once you overcame one, a bus would show up with 30 more. Most of them had no trail etiquette and took up the entire width, even blocking bikes from passing. It was annoying and we longed for our solitary days on the primitivo. Just when we passed the next large group, the fog turned into rain and we were forced to stop to put on our rain gear. The path was sloped and covered in water giving me anxiety about falling again. After a couple hours of rain we reached a cafe and escaped for a hot meal. No part of me wanted to walk back out in the rain. I whined but my Mom was unwavering and we headed back out. The wind had picked up, freezing our wet clothes. I regretted getting out of bed that morning.

The rain let up a bit and before long a small patch of blue sky opened up above us. We moved quickly all day, trying to get away from the crowds. Finally the trail seemed peaceful again and the sun warmed us through the clouds. Late in the day we stopped at a cafe for an afternoon beer to push the last few miles. It was another long mileage day so we popped in some music to take our minds off of the pain. As we continued down the trail, I tried to take it all in. Remembering that, though it hurt, this was a once in a lifetime experience that I get to share with my best friend. The last half mile I was sure I couldn't make it. Stepping on a spikey ball with my good foot didn't help.  We stumbled into our place and tried to recover with hot showers. We stuffed ourselves with our first pilgrims dinner which includes 2 entrees, a dessert, and an entire bottle of wine EACH for 12 euros. We rolled into our beds, exhausted.

Stats

Melide - Salceda

Miles: 15.4

Steps:  36,416

Day 10

Our hotel, in an remodeled stone house dating back to the 13th century, presented us with yet another wonderful breakfast. We had decided that we would finally try out one of the services that transported backpacks from place to place. We loaded all of our heavy stuff into one and kept the necessities. It was a total game changer. We felt light, like we could do any amount of mileage. The sun was reflecting on the farms surrounding the trail, making everything glow a bright orange. There wasn't any place to stop for a coffee or a bite to eat so we kept moving. While skirting through a small cluster of buildings, a small cat walked out of the shadows and right to my feet. He started rubbing his head against my legs and purring. I just near died of happiness. I kneeled down to pet him and things only got cuter from there. He tried to climb into my camera bag and jumped in front of my feet when I tried to keep moving. He kept leaping and grabbing my hands so I'd pet him more. I begrudgingly left my new friend but I would have tucked him in my backpack and taken him home if I had the chance.

We reached our first cafe and stopped, fearing there would be nothing else. We realized we had already made it 9 miles and it wasn't even noon yet! While sitting at the cafe, another small cat ventured up to us meowing. He was missing part of his back right foot and walked with a slight limp, my kindred cat spirit. He enjoyed some pets before curling up in the sunny flowerbed for a nap. We only had a few miles left to go but they were all paved and by the time we reached the edge of town, I could barely walk.

We hobbled in to a cafe and ordered some food. The woman took our order but then dashed out of the restaurant and down the street. A few minutes later she returned with two young boys and their school backpacks. She had been running late to pick up her grandsons. We watched as she cut the skin off their fish and poured their favorite sodas into cups for lunch. Not before turning the TV to Spongebob for them to watch. I thought of my own grandma letting me have two bowls of ice cream at night and making sure it was exactly how I wanted it. We hobbled on to our hotel and found our heavy gear waiting for us in the lobby. We did our usual laying with our feet up then showering before running a few errands and checking out the historic section of town. We chowed our dinner and washed it down with some delicious sangria before calling it a night.

Stats

Ferreira - Melide

Miles:  14.6

Steps:  32,950

Day 9

We made our breakfast of toast and shitty coffee, just to get our money's worth, before leaving that place for good. The trail was wonderful but we were still sore and stiff from previous days. Small rolling hills turned into meadows and farmland and we had to remember how lucky we were to be in this calm environment in Spain.

We stopped at the first place we saw to get some real coffee. It was a small shop where a woman made different things out of leather. She was extremely nice and we donated a little extra because she was friendly to the cats in the area. Just a little bit further and we made it to our destination. The placement of the towns made our day much shorter than usual but we used our free time to make plans for the rest of the trip. 

Stats

San Ramao de Retorta - Ferreira

Miles:  6.5

Steps:  14,775

Day 8

We finally got to sleep in and didn't leave the hotel till after ten. We stopped back at the cathedral to get a stamp on our trail passports but were startled as a service was going on. To receive the certificate of completing the pilgrimage you must have walked every step of the last 100 kilometers and receive at least two stamps per day. We had already walked over 100 kilometers but now these were the important ones. We really wanted that stamp from the cathedral. I whispered to a man who was cleaning the church and he pointed us in the right direction. A woman gave us the stamps and we were turning to leave when another woman came in and started talking to us. She wanted us to know more about Catholicism and what was so special about this cathedral. She gave us many pamphlets about Jesus and Mary. At one point she told us to trust in Jesus and that he would forgive our sins. Though I've never been religious and know nothing of the bible and its teachings, tears welled up in my eyes. Something about the feeling or energy in the church made what she was saying feel so profound.

We left and continued on our journey, feeling refreshed and determined like I hadn't felt before. We didnt end up getting out of Lugo till after 11 o'clock, a really late start for pilgrims. The sun was already high in the sky and it was too warm for comfort. We made it out of the city and into rolling fields. We took a break near some vending machines and decided music might give us a second wind. We popped in our headphones and danced down the street. The last hour of the hike became difficult again and no amount of Bruno Mars could shake away the soreness.

We got to the "town" and tried to check into our room. It was a small house split up into 3 rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Our twin beds were shoved in with barely any room to walk around. At least the beds were clean and comfortable. Our "breakfast included" was a loaf of bread, some instant coffee, and a container of dirty butter from the previous guests. I went to use the restroom and found a pube daintily placed on the toilet seat, signaling that it had not even been wiped off since its last use. I was pissed at how much we had paid for such a shit hole (no exaggeration). We walked over to the hostel that had gotten worse cleanliness reviews than our place and tried to eat. We were amazed by the food! It was absolutely delicious which slightly softened the blow for how terrible our room was. We gobbled it up and sulked back to the pube house. I spent most of the night awake listening for mice.

Stats

Lugo - San Ramao de Retorta

Miles: 12

Steps: 29,153

Dogs: 14

Bugs in our accommodation: thousands  

Day 7

We were dying on the morning of day seven. Day six had been a long, big mile day and we were spent. My Mom could barely bend her knee and some worrisome bruises were forming on my bad ankle. We walked a few miles in the cold before getting a ride into the city of Lugo for a rest day.

We visited the old town and walked around the ancient roman walls that surround the city. We also got to check out the incredible cathedral,  a landmark along the camino. After a bunch of walking around we took Epsom salt baths and napped a bit before figuring out the english setting on the TV and ordering room service. It was a perfect day for recovery.  

Stats

O Cadavo- Lugo

Steps: 10,541

Day 6

On day six, I remember waking up feeling beaten. My ankle was beyond sore and the usual aches and pains of hiking had started to hit me. I didnt want to hike. My Mom seemed bubbly and, though I was not in the mood, I followed her lead and got ready. It was the coldest morning yet but we moved fast to warm up. The trail took us through beautiful pine and eucalyptus forests before climbing up to a small stone chapel high up on a hill. As we ventured down, we ran into some pilgrim friends and chatted with them. Before long we were stopped by a large group of chattering women with one man who, for some reason, was zig zagging across the whole trail, effectively blocking anyone from passing. After taking their photo, we had to come up with a game plan for getting around Mr. Zig zag. My pilgrim friend from Israel went first and tried unsuccessfully to slip by him. Finally we reached a small cafe on the side of the trail and everybody stopped. My Mom and I were amazed that we had already made it halfway. We celebrated with coffees and getting to know some of the other pilgrims.

We moved on and again had to navigate past Mr. Zig zag and his ladies. Then came a huge climb where my Mom and I began to count our steps hoping it would only take 20 more or 10 more to the top. We had made it eleven miles already and our bodies were feeling it. We jumped at the first chance to sit down at a cafe that looked not so nice but had chairs. We ordered lunch to share and were amazed by how delicious it was. Melty croquettes, a large omelette with potatoes, peppers, and onions, and fresh baked bread. I felt like I needed to be rolled out of there. Before we got up to leave we heard some chatter and then a loud "halloooooo." We turned to see the ladies with Mr. Zig zag walking towards us from across the street. They surrounded us as they took photos with all their phones of us sitting at our table. And then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone. We would never see the ladies again but we'd always have the awkward picture.

We entered in to another pine forest and had the last climb of our day. The food sat in our stomachs making it hard to exert any energy. We ran into some friends who had decided to nap next to the trail. I envied them but knew my Mom would never go for "hey why don't we lay on the ground and try to fall asleep?" The trail popped out at the road and the thought of the unshaded pavement made my very full stomach turn. The last two miles were grueling. We weren't sure we would be able to make it but I knew we had no choice. My ankle was killing me but my Mom's knee was worse and I felt I had to be strong to get her through the last bit. We walked down into a tiny village and immediately went to the place I had emailed about a room the night before. Unfortunately, they had given away all of their private rooms. They had bunk beds available but I knew that wouldn't fly. She offered to give us an entire bunk room to ourselves so we accepted, with no better options. I told my Mom we had an eight bedroom suite. She was a really good sport with the paper sheets and sharing a shower shammie. We ate pizza and crashed on our bunks.

Stats

A Fonsagrada- O Cadavo

Miles: 15.6

Steps: 38,779

# of shower shammies: 1

Day 5

We left the purple room after an amazing, though slightly awkward, breakfast as the owner of the bed and breakfast stood at attention and watched us eat. The regular morning fog was settled in and the trees dropped small pockets of water on us every so often. We followed a few stick arrows until we walked out onto a blurry road with no more signs. A kind neighbor, out washing her car in the fog, pointed us in the right direction. We climbed all morning before we got our first glimpse of the sun and finally we were above the clouds.

The views were incredible and small wildflowers seemed to emerge from the fog. We were both having an amazing time, with fewer aches and pains than the previous days. It finally felt like we were getting the hang of this thing. A small cafe broke up the hike and a bunch of pilgrims had grouped up to enjoy some coffee or beers. A woman, who was taking a picture of the feet of all the hikers she ran into, asked us for ours making us feel like real hikers. She even took a special one of the large scar on my ankle. I couldn't help but feel proud at how far I'd come in just two and a half months.

A large group of men in matching shirts arrived at the cafe and sat down for a beer. When they were getting ready to leave, one man handed my mom a small piece of cake he was eating. Without hesitation, she took it and popped it in her mouth. I followed her lead but couldn't help thinking how cool it was that she just took a random piece of food from a complete stranger without thinking. We climbed hill after hill and were so excited by how good we finally felt. We reached a small line of rocks, signaling that we were leaving Asturias and entering Galicia.

Galicia is known for their seafood and we were excited to try a new type of cuisine. We found another small cafe where we had an outstanding lunch before the huge climb into A Fonsagrada. Our skin was baked and our feet were tired so we checked into our Pension immediately and crashed on the beds before showering. We walked around town to find dinner and chose a local place where we could try their delicacy, octopus.

Pulpo=Octopus (on the right)

My Mom wanted to order a full plate but I thought we should try the half before committing. They placed the large plate of tentacles in front of us and we were both hesitant. After my Mom's first piece, her face dropped. "I'm not eating that." Was the first thing out if her mouth. We moved the tentacles around to look like we had eaten more and snuck past the locals to get out of there. We went to sleep full but unsatisfied.

STATS​

Castro- A Fonsagrada ​

Miles: ​12.7

Steps:​ 31,360

Octopus eaten: 7​ pieces

Day 4

We woke up and were both surprised that we finally had slept through the night. We collected our drying clothes from around the room and found that most were still not dry. It was nice to get to lay in bed a little longer and wait to put on warm clothes. It was another foggy day but the sun was taunting us all morning. We walked by way too many cats to count and I was moving slow trying to pet every one (cat petting success: 0).

We arrived at a town with an ancient church fixated right in the middle and stopped for some coffee and chips (lunch of extreme athletes). By the time we left the cafe the sun had beaten off the fog and the heat settled in. Back on trail, we ran into our first pilgrims from America and relished in chatting with people who could understand us. The trail traversed meadows filled with the smell of fermenting apples reminiscent of the asturian cider. At one point we saw a large dog in a field with a cow and her calf. We watched as the dog creeped behind the huge cow and were fearful that this would not end well for the dog. The cow didn't mind at all, letting the dog snuggle in next to her. We both audibly 'awed' at the site.

Things got even cuter when the calf came and laid down on the other side of the dog. I think hearts started coming out of our eyes. We made it to the smallest town with a place to stay we'd experienced yet. Castro sat atop a huge valley and was a collection of about five buildings.

One was a church that sat next to the youth hostel and my Mom thought it was so cute I almost got her to sleep in a bunk room for the night. Instead we went to a bed and breakfast where we were given the purple room. The only thing not purple in the room, was us.

We grabbed some lunch overlooking the views when a praying mantis landed on my ankle and stuck around for a while. I hoped it was a good omen.

We showered and rested for a while before emerging from the purple room to watch the sunset. It was spectacular. The entire valley became bright purples and oranges that spread across the sky. We enjoyed chatting with other pilgrims as the sun finally disappeared behind the hills. Something rustled in the leaves next to us and we looked down to see a bull frog, hunting for dinner. We watched intently as he caught large ants and grasshoppers. He noticed our presence and got bashful so we left him to hunt and cuddled up in bed.

Stats:

Steps:17977

Cats: 24

Bullfrog's dinner success: 3

Day 3

We woke up to fog covering everything and thick moisture in the air. The night before, my Mom had mentioned wanting to keep her rain jacket at the bottom of her pack. The kiss of death to anyone who doesn't want it to rain. We were treated to a wonderful breakfast in the castle before disappearing into the fog. Almost immediately, we were soaked though it hadn't started raining yet.

I imagined we were walking through a dense rainforest and was sure a gorilla could be seen across the ravine. Visibility was extremely low and there was no sign that the sun would come out and burn it off. My Mom complained about being sweaty but I couldn't tell if it was our sweat or the fog dampening our clothes and hair. Out of nowhere a town sprung up around us and we were surprised at how far we'd come already. We warmed up with a coffee and churros before heading back into the fog. We walked by tons of farms with horses, chicken, and sheep and all the smells that go with it.

We reached another small town where we were hoping to grab a beer but discovered it was closed and our spirits were a little crushed. The last section of the day was the hardest on our bodies but the sun started to poke through the thick fog and before we knew it, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. My Mom's bad omen about rain hadn't come true. We reached the hillside town of Tineo and were greeted by many strangers trying to help us find our way.  We made it to our Pension and were lucky enough to do our first load of laundry. Unfortunately we had missed lunchtime and would have to wait till the late hours to get dinner. Our laundry finished but most things were still soaked and we had run out of coins for the machine. After draping our whole room in clothes we went out to walk around town. Nothing was serving food yet, of course because who wants to eat dinner at seven thirty? (US) we stopped by a Cerveceria and started to plan out our next few days. Unfortunately our brains had stopped working from lack of calories and we left with no real plan. We walked around town searching for some place selling food. We stumbled into a hotel and restaurant and luckily they had just started dinner service. They seated us in the empty dining room complete with white table cloths and chair covers and handed us the menus.

We quickly realized that we did not belong here, reading my plate that said 'Palacio'. I sat in my, barely washed, down puffy unable to take it off as my only dry shirt was my see-through hiking shirt and lacey bra. Neither of us had washed our hair that day either.

We couldn't help but laugh at how odd we must look but luckily we were there for the early bird special, and left before the rush (10:30pm). 

Stats

Salas to Tineo

Miles: 12.5

Steps: 34,068

Dog Sightings: 9

Day 2

We woke up to an incredible breakfast overlooking the plaza below. This is when I learned always say yes to orange juice. It seems everywhere in Spain presses their own OJ and it is fantastic! We stuffed ourselves, even taking a sandwich to go.

Before we left town, I got us lost and paid for it by having to walk back past our hotel. The day started with climbing up to a pass and, while gradual, was still pretty difficult. My moms hips were hurting from carrying her pack so she wrapped her puffy jacket around her waist as padding.

Finally I felt like she understood when I say 'function over fashion'. A few miles into the day I realized her shirt was inside out and hilariously said 'sweat life' across her backside. If you know my mother, you know she doesn't like to sweat so I just about died with laughter. It was day filled with pavement walking and our feet ached from the miles the day before. The morning was okay but by mid afternoon we were about spent. We took a break by a fountain and were lucky enough to play with some stray kittens in the area (the turkey from our sandwiches helped).

We experienced our steepest terrain that day and it was very apparent to me how much my body no longer trusted my legs to move safely. I felt fragile, something I've never felt before. I blamed moving slower on my mom but I knew that I couldn't go much faster without her. We got dumped out onto a road and I felt like I could barely walk. I put all my weight on my trekking poles just to get into the next town where we could stop for a beer. Unfortunately everytime we made it to a cafe, my mom wanted to go "just a little further" to the next one until we were nearly out of town.

It seemed like everyone that lived in town was there and many came up to ask us about out trek. After a beer and some advil and a lot of foot rubbing we kept moving. By the time we got to our hotel I could barely stand. We were staying at the oldest building in town. It looked like a castle and was surrounded by cobblestone streets. We didnt even shower before finding some place to eat so we wouldn't have to wait till nine or later. We sat on a terrace looking over the river through town and ate the most delicious pizza. The crust was made of freshly baked bread paired with a traditional Asturian cheese.

We finally got a shower and crawled into bed, turning out the lights before 8 PM. We would both wake up around 2 AM to stretch, drink more water, and finish off the rest of the pizza before crashing again.

Stats: 

Grado to Salas

Miles: 15.5

Steps: 39,224

Dog Sightings: 14

Times my Mom mentioned she loves cow bells: 4

Day 1

We woke up early with anticipation and nerves and packed our backpacks. The trail began in the city of Oviedo and would zig zag through the streets before popping out into lush farmland and rural towns. The fog hung low and visibility was a struggle. After 'un café', we stepped out onto the road and began down the street. We saw out first scalloped shell, an indication that we were on the El Camino, plated into the sidewalk. Only minutes later, I was tapped on the shoulder by an older gentleman asking if we were pilgrims in thick Spanish. In my completely broken Spanish we were able to figure out that he had walked the Camino Primitivo eight times and the Camino Frances three times. He walked this section of the trail every morning out about eight kilometers and back. Before we realized it, we had our own private guide. Though we never got his name, we learned he was 75 and could hike much faster than the two of us.

Our friend and guide.

He helped us with everything, even making sure our backpacks were adjusted correctly. He showed us how to read the trail markers and that they would change when we entered Galicia, the next province. He talked about what water was good to drink and where to find the stamps that would fill our trail booklets. He showed us how to knock walnuts off the trees and crack them open and he knew where all the friendly horses and dogs were. And, of course, he made fun of me for wearing sandals. A few hours later he stopped and said it was where he would turn around, he hugged us both and said farewell. We were extremely appreciative for all of his help and had bittersweet feelings about pushing on without him. We hiked on to a small church where we ran into our first pilgrims, and there were tons of them. Five walked by as we sat to rub my ankle and more were definitely coming. We walked on and suddenly the fog started to lift and the sun warmed up, revealing a green valley marked by small, scattered buildings. Cow bells rang everywhere in the distance and the area felt very peaceful. We started to strip off our warm layers as the sun beat down harder.

Starting out in our warm gear.

My ankle throbbed with unuse and I needed a break. We walked up a small slope and both felt drained. The donut we had eaten that morning had finally worn off and our bodies needed some caloric energy. It would still be another hour and a half before we'd find a small cafe and be able to rest and recharge. They brought us massive sandwiches that were near impossible to fit into our mouths, but we managed. After some foot rubbing and taping of hot spots, we were back on the route. The sun was hotter than ever and I could feel the skin on the back of my neck start to burn. I was relieved when we turned off the road to a shaded trail curving through old houses next to a large river. When we entered the track we saw a large man a ways in front of us. From the beginning I had a bad feeling. He was not a pilgrim, had no belongings with him, and suspiciously kept his right hand in front of him the whole time. I pulled my mom back and whispered that this could turn into a bad situation. I was extremely aware that I had left my knife in my backpack instead of its usual place in my hip belt pocket. We were reaching the end of the track that would pop us out onto a busy road when he turned around. I frantically searched his hands with my eyes, ready for anything. But nothing, he was holding nothing. He started to unbutton his pants and in my naivety I thought he was going to pee off the side of the trail. He whipped out his genitals and started rubbing them in our direction. As we quickly walked past him, I yelled that he was a disgusting human being. We got onto the road and couldn't believe what had just happened. I was sick to my stomach. In all my years of traveling alone, nothing like that had ever happened to me. My mom said I could never go anywhere alone again. The incident did help us get a pep in our step and forget about the aches and pains for a while. We had finally reached the outskirts of our destination town. We were beat and my foot was killing me. We stumbled into a bar and sat down to rest, immediately ordering 'dos cervesas'. Getting to our hotel, we both slumped down on the clean beds in our sweat laden clothes and nearly fell asleep (I did). After showers and elevating our feet, we walked around the quaint little city of Grado in search of food. Unfortunately kitchens in Spain don't open until nine o'clock. We walked everywhere asking in broken Spanish if 'la cocina abierto?' Before giving up and having some wine and 'cidre' while we waited for food.

The region in Spain, Asturias, is known for their cider and is gimmicked by the waiter pouring it from over his head to the glass far below. This adds a natural carbonation that needs to be drunk fast in order to get the full effects. After some much needed food, we went back to the hotel and crashed hard. Hoping to recover for day two. 

STATS

Where: Oviedo - Grado

Steps:  37,924

Miles: ~15