Day 24: Ribadesella to Pernús

27 km. Sunny and chilly (4C when I set out) in the morning, then cloudy and cool. Lovely day. It started to rain at one point, but I made it stop by laboriously pausing, taking off my pack, and putting on the rain cover and rain coat. Within two minutes, dry again.

Today is Sunday, so most restaurants and cafes were closed this morning. I started to worry that I would be walking without coffee, when suddenly, just as I was leaving town, I smelled breakfast. Literally. The smell of bread baking. I ducked around a corner and found an open restaurant. And it had a menu that included… eggs and avocado over toast! Between that and the sun, I was in a very good mood when I set out to walk.

It’s a good thing I found the restaurant, too, as I only passed one open cafe during the 22 km to Colunga. It was early then, so optimistically I thought I would wait for ‘the next one’. That never materialized, so instead I ate one orange and a small croissant that I had in my bag to keep me going. Arrived at Colunga very ready for my menú del día!

After lunch, I walked the additional 5 km to my casa rural (‘rural house’, or hotel). It’s lovely, warm, and inexpensive but very, very rural. Currently, the wifi is down and I also can’t get a data connection there. Carmen, the owner, recommended I go sit by the church, as that is the best place to connect. So here I am, sitting on a cold bench next to the 13th century Church of San Pedro, in the very small village of Pernús.

For much of the day, I was walking near a group of three German woman and three South Korean couples. We would greet each other as we crossed paths over and over along the way. The Koreans are the first Asians I have seen on the Camino so far. When I first passed two of the men, I tried to say hello, but unfortunately they don’t speak English or Spanish (or Mandarin - I tried that, too) and I don’t speak Korean. At one point, I had a call with Mark, and he suggested I mention the LG Twins, the big baseball team in Seoul. I later tried this and that broke the ice. Big smiles and they asked to take a picture with me. I later lost everyone at Colunga (a main stopping point), and the last hour after lunch I was solo.

That’s it for today. I’m a bit cold and ready to get back to my warm room.

Photos of the day:

Walking out of Ribadesella.

Lovely beach there.

Cool house along the boardwalk

In and out along the coast. I never get tired of spotting the ocean again.

Fun murals in Vega de Ribadesella (different town). There must be a local artist.

Seems like a good snack stop.

South Korean friends

Views

Saw another calf just born. Waited a bit but he was slow to making those first steps so I moved on (less pressure, ha).

The pilgrim on the church got my hopes up, but the doors were closed. Welcoming, nonetheless.

Colunga. Menú del día in sight!

Delicious first course. To my Kentucky family: It tasted just like soup beans, but with garbanzo beans. Serious yum.

Back into the hills to Pernús.

Iglesia de San Pedro, a.k.a. my 4G hub