Day 25: Pernús to Villaviciosa

13 km. A bit hilly as we move into mountains again, but overall a pretty cruisy day. No rain today, partly cloudy and cool. This is a weird stretch. It is 43 km to Gijón from Pernús, and I would have liked to break that more in the middle for the two-day walk, but Villaviciosa was the only stopping point. (43 km is a no-go for me, especially now that the hills are getting higher again.) Tomorrow will be a long day with much bigger climbs than I have had in a while, but that’s a tomorrow concern.

Walked mostly inland today, but could see the sea in the distance from the higher points. It was peaceful, solo walking.

Since there’s not much to report on the day, I’ll share other rambling thoughts.

Menú del Día: I have been asked what this is. Menú del Día is a ‘lunch special’ menu, usually served between 1:00 and 3:30 (give or take a half hour on either end). It consists of:

• Primero (first course): Choose between 2-3 dishes on offer. This is generally a starter (for example, a salad or soup), but at times can be more filling (for example, risotto or pasta).

• Segundo (second course): Choose between 2-3 dishes on offer. This usually includes at least one meat and one fish dish.

• Dessert: Choose between 2-3 options

• A glass of wine or a bottle of water. I go for the water.

Things I have lost so far on this trip:

• One hat (cap for the sun)

• One plug adapter

• One quick-dry towel (for the albergues)

• One earring

• One bottle of sunscreen

• One mid-layer (Ok, this one I destroyed…)

While in Bilbao, Andy gave me one of his old hats to replace mine. (Thanks, Andy. I’ve worn it almost everyday.) Belinda loaned me a plug adapter to use while I replaced mine. (See Day 5.) Claudia gave me her towel on her last day. I have bought sunscreen and a new mid-layer. The lost earring remains unresolved. Not a great record, but I suppose it could be worse.

Laundry: I have very few clothes and try not to wait too long to wash them. Even so, when you wear the same things day in and day out, perma-stink is always a risk. My thermal shirts will definitely be replaced after this trip.

Ailments: I almost didn’t want to mention this, but something happened last night. I was in one of those tiny, corner showers, and it had glass doors. When it was time to get out, the door came off the track, hit the bottom of the shower, and the glass shattered down onto me. I had to cover myself as best I could and find the owner to put me in another room to shower the glass off. Miraculously, I only had very minor cuts. Which just got me thinking about the state of my body. Here is the list right now:

• Leg that generally troubles me. Is it the knee? The hip? I don’t know. It migrates, and there is general swelling and occasional mutiny. On the whole, it’s getting better.

• Bruising across low back. This is mostly resolved. It helped to realize I wearing my money belt, with my passport in it, back there right where my backpack rested! Sometimes I am a complete dope.

• Two toenails are purple and falling off. The second toe on each foot, and no, that toe is not longer than my big toe. This is not a new issue for me. It happens after any extended, rigorous walks. No idea why.

• Various unexplained bruises

• And now, several minor lacerations across my right hip and foot.
  

I am not special. My Camino friends have their own lists, I’m sure. It is part of the process and best to carry on and not dwell on it.

Pros and cons list: I have a very dear friend, who has a special memory of a pros and cons list I wrote for him in the 90s to help him make a big decision. I dedicate this list to him. (You know who you are!) Here are the Pros and Cons of walking the Camino:

Pros - Everything is a pro, despite any inconveniences or ailments listed in the lists above. You may have ups and downs, and it’s not easy, but at the end of the day, you are still walking the Camino. It is beautiful, special, and an experience that a person is lucky to have.

Cons - None. See pros.

Of course, this list only applies if you like walking and hiking. If I dislike vegamite (which I do - sorry AU family!), giving me a pros and cons list of vegemite makes no sense.

Photos of the day:

Beautiful morning

Ocean sighting

Along the path

Looks like it used to be a fountain.

Look at this precious baby. If you walk a Camino, I highly recommend spring.

Arrived in Villaviciosa