Cadovedo, June 21+22

The stage from El Pito to Cadavedo looks like this 

and is actually more than 20 miles because 1) you have to get from the hotel to the trail and 2) you have to get from the trail to your hotel, and 3) the mileage tends to be under reported.  So....I had decided to do this in two stages and glad I made that decision.  It was not easy walking, although some of it was interesting meaning that you had to pay attention to where you were placing your feet.  Paying attention did not prevent another boots-filled-with-water incident but this time due to a swollen stream, so there was that.

There was a decision to be made at Soto de Luiña:  Take the very up and down route nearer to the sea (see above) or the inland route.  Both are challenging, according to the guidebook.  The inland route has some huge climbs, is not signed, the path is overgrown and in some places very hard to follow, and there is no access along the way, but you will be rewarded with some great views.  This was not a tough decision to make! 

Not the offending stream, just a view from a bridge:

A raised storage shed in a state of disrepair:

Road side sale:

or free for the taking.

Life in the country:

Cat:

View:

Now, this is what I call signage:

See the old bridge in the background?:

Yesterday, the receptionist insisted that I pick up a pic-nic to take with me since I was not having breakfast.  Since I knew that the shopping options would not optimal, I said, "OK, gracias, pero jamon no como."  "Thank you but I don´r eat ham."  "Yo tampoco". "Neither do I." This morning a huge bag was on the desk, so I quickly shoved it into my suitcase because no way could I carry it.  When I unpacked, there was a cheese sandwich the size of a sub, a banana, something like those hard corn things, and a cookie.  Lunch/dinner!  (But the banana was tasteless as bananas can be sometimes.)

At the point where I had determined the break the walk, there was a bar, which is actually one of the reasons I decided to make that the stop point, since a taxi would be able to find it.  I bought an ice cream (fake ice cream) and asked the señora if she could call a taxi (using my phone because she did not know from phones).  This request she did not like very much.  She informed me that in two hours there would be a bus, which I knew, but I did not want to wait two hours and besides, I needed a supermercado!  Reluctantly she made the call; the taxista said, "No."  Then she called another, and after I looked up all the available taxis in the area, she finally got a "si, en media hora."  Fine.  I took the wait time as an opportunity to take off my wet boots and stuff them with paper towels from the bathroom.  (I keep a pair of very lightweight shoes in my pack for situations such as this.) 

When the taxista arrived, I informed him of my need for a supermercado and he insisted there was one in Cadavedo.  Really?  Well, he pulled up to this tiny little store, no sign, and in I went.  Let´s just say that the pickings were slim, but señor el taxista had no intention of taking me to the Alimerka in the next town, so I had to make do.  Some lettuce rounded out the cheese sandwich, and as for the rest, not exactly gourmet dining.

The hotel is gorgeous on a magnificent property.  Dinner has two seatings: 8;00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.  I will be at neither.  But I am pretty tired of eating out of my suitcase, especially when the enhancements are not particularly good.  

Flowers from the hotel´s garden in the lobby:

The hotel guy, incredulous that anyone would want a taxi at  6:30 a.m., (he asked me the time three times), ordered one anyway and Esther, la taxista, showed up right on time to take me to the bar of yesterday´s departure.  On the way she told me that she had heard from several peregrinos that the path was flooded in many sections, and recommended I take the road.  I was especially unhappy to hear this because some of the way was on REAL paths!  Had I known, I would have nixed this stretch altogether and done some circular walking in the area of the hotel. Oh, well. Inadvertently, I did start out on the path and after about 1/2 mile realized this was not a good idea, so I turned around and hunted for the correct highway.

Thank God it was not the A8 way up there:

There was not much to see except for some moss on a wall:

Toward the end ,there was a man and his horse doing the Camino

so I figured it was safe to do that stretch on the path and it was fine, though nothing special.

Once in Cadavedo, I hit the store that advertised take out.  It had the lovely smell of chickens cooking.  "Can a person get chicken to take out? I asked en español.  The reply was, "Sí pero más tarde, a eso de las 3:00."  So I called Esther and asked if she could take me to the Alimerka  in Luarca which is where I go tomorrow, but tomorrow being Sunday, el supermercado will be closed.  She could and she did and I had a lovely dinner and have enough for tomorrow, too!