23 km. Cool and light rain for much of the day. Hilly, some minor scrambles on the coastal path, otherwise fairly easy day today. We were off the roads for much of the day which was nice and our feet were very appreciative. My leg felt good.
Walked with Claudia all day. We took all available alternate paths along the coast in an effort to see the famous bufones (blowholes) between La Franca and Llanes. Sadly, although it has been very windy along the coast most days for the past two weeks, today there was little wind and the sea was calm. It was still beautiful walking, though. We alternated between crossing cow pastures along the shoreline cliffs and dipping inland to walk in the hills. Our progress was slow as we took in all of the scenery by the sea, but we sped up on the inland paths in between.
There were longer stretches between towns today, so our biggest challenge was finding lunch. We arrived in Andrín at 2:45 pm, the perfect time for menú del día, after an 8 km town-less stretch, only to find all of the restaurants closed! Claudia began trying all of her most effective manifestation techniques (haha) and we finally found a restaurant in the next town - 4 km later and only 2 km from our destination - that was miraculously still serving. We were rewarded with the most amazing sea bass. Please understand no one was suffering here. We both had the bananas and cookies we had nicked from the hotel breakfast this morning. But, you know… it’s menú del día.
We ocasionally saw or passed pilgrims, but not many. We did meet Marie from Denmark while out on the cliffs and walked with her very briefly. It was a peaceful, quiet day.
It was the usual routine once we reached Llanes. We stopped at a grocery store to pick up some fruit and light snacks for dinner. When we arrived, I checked in, stretched, showered, and ate. Then, because it is so amazing that I am not in pain or discomfort, I decided to hit the town. I put on clean clothes and my sexy barefoot shoes and walked through the center of town to the laundromat. That’s my big move tonight. Feeling sleepy, to be honest.
One more anecdote to share: Claudia and I passed some of the time today imagining the adventures my cheese might have. I forgot to mention it in my post yesterday, but remember that cheese I bought? Well the night after I ate the sandwich in San Vicente, I cleverly decided to store my cheese outside the window between the grate and the window pane. The room did not have a refrigerator, and I figured this would keep it chilled. Then of course, the next day I forgot it. It is not the kind of window a cleaner would notice, so I am betting it will stay there a while. Imagine the stories it will be able to tell about all the guests that pass through. And what will the person who finds it think? That it’s a gift? A sacrifice? It’s that laughing cow cheese that probably lasts a while. Will they eat it?
Addendum: I just destroyed my midlayer in the dryer. This is depressing for three reasons: 1) I love it, 2) I wear it every day, and 3) it’s too cold to go without it, so I’m going to have to stay late here in the morning to buy a new one (hopefully) when the shops open. Bummer. Oh well. I am aware this is not a real ‘problem’. It is solvable and I will continue.
Some photos from the day:
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