Pagans on a Pilgrimage

Below average sleep with snorers and early alarms. The morning coffee and tortilla is below par. We need to find some taste sensations.  With the exception of the scene above, today's walk is predominately flat road with corn fields either side. The morning mist hangs around us so we can’t see much.  Lots of gardens have variously painted pot people. They are cute and make our boring walk more interesting. As we approach Tapia we gradually see more and more locals for their morning walk, run or cycle at 10am!  Cross the bridge into Tapia and we see the sea sort of. Low tide and sea mist. Am sure it will be beautiful once the mist lifts.  The albergue is right on the water. Has 10 beds. Quaint, awesome location, but only 10km under our belts today. Walk into town for a coffee and work out the plan for the rest of the day. Caffeinated we decide to stay here. Walk back to the albergue bu...

On the road at 7am. Dawn not yet broken. Mist surrounds us but we can see the path. It’s about 3km through country roads passing farms with lots of good looking cows and we moo good morning at each other before we hit a place open for coffee. It’s a 4 star hotel and they have comfy seats we sink into while we enjoy a grande cafe con leche. It’s delicious and one of the best coffees we have had on the trip. We don’t want to leave! Reluctantly peel ourselves off our seats, there is walking to be done. As we leave the hotel we bump into the Italian and Turkish couple. We walk with them for a few kms. We need to get better with asking peoples names! She reminds me so much of my friend Ozge in how she talks and what she says. She is from the Asian side of Istanbul and every time she gets on the ferry to cross the Bosphorus it steels her heart again. We reach the town of Navia. Sadly say goodbye. We would have loved to walk with them longer but this was the last place to get food...

We wanted to stay in Luarca but couldn’t find any accommodation. Kim found us beds in Piñera which is 28kms away. We've done that distance once before, it was not fun. Our sweet spot is between 15 and 22km. So we make a plan to bus then walk the rest. Pink sky sunrise. We have a 650m walk to the bus stop. Hope to find coffee in route. We are in luck. We have one of the best coffees in days and toast with fresh tomato and cheese. Unlike Italy they never give you olive oil which is surprising. Need to ask a Spanish person why not. When you sit outside at the cafes here you are often literally in the side of the road. The bus stop is on a roundabout. Our bus stops on the way round to pick us up. Only in Spain. Rain starts lashing down. We're glad we are on the bus. Arrive into Luarca 30 mins later. We find a cafe to wait out the rain and get another caffeine fix. Luarca is a harbour town built on the sides of a steep valley. We walk through the old town then exit up ...

Thunder and lightning through the night but not too much rain.  Breakfast served at 7am.  Most pilgrims are up so we eat together. It’s nice. The kitchen is toasty while the wind, light rain and lightening continue outside.  Breakfast we have the choice of toast with jam, oats, corn flakes, biscuits and coffee.  The Albergue is a donativo. That means you pay what you think it is worth and what you can afford. You put your money anonymously into the donation box on the wall. Packed and ready to go by 8am. We say our goodbyes to Helana and husband. Chavi tells us a thunderstorm is due in 1 hour. We pack all valuables into our dry bags and put our covers on our packs. The rain holds off but our phones are stored away hence not many pictures taken today. Everyone walks at different speeds so our group gradually splits apart, wishing each other Buen Camino as we separate. There are 2 routes on this next section. The traditional route go...