A Contest for the Best Tapa

What luck to arrive to the town of Fonsegrada in Asturias the week they were having a contest to decide which establishment had created the best tapa.  The celebration was a week long event and the bars were full of locals, tourists and also pilgrims who naturally have huge appetites.
There were 18 different bars and restaurants serving their special tapa at a cost of 1.50 Euro.  After collecting at least 10 stamps you were allowed to vote for your favorite tapa.  Sadly...I could only make my way through 6 tapas before I needed to sleep more than I needed to eat.  One of the pilgrims, a woman from California, decided to stay a second night in Fonsegrada just so she could try more of these delicious morsels.
Without further adieu.....here is the parade of the ones I tried.

There is a lot happening in this tapa!! Green cannelloni that is stuffed with savory mashed potato on the bottom and skinny fried potatoes on the top, some dressed greens, toast, a tomato stuffed with a pepper that is stuffed with a spicy lamb mixture and finally in front, a small pile of caramelized onions.

This was very interesting....a toast covered in a sweet fruit conserve topped with cecina, a smoked cured beef, then accompanied by a dish of fruity and cheesy ice cream and nuts!

This one was amazing...we tried to order a second round but were told they were out.
On the base is a fillet of fish...I think 'merluza', surrounded by various shellfish; shrimp, cockles and a mussel and topped by that giant shrimp or maybe it is a small lobster.  The sauce was sweet and spicy.

A little plain in comparison but full of flavor.  Creamy seafood salad on fresh butter lettuce with roasted red pepper, an olive and balsamic glaze.

This was a pastry resembling the conch shell topped with a spicy meat stew and red pepper.  On the left are some thin crispy fried potatoes and cheese and of course, the yellow arrow in mustard.  I think they were hoping to get the pilgrim votes.

And....if I could have voted it would be for this one.  It may look a little plain but the flavor was outstanding.  The meat is called 'carrillada' and it comes from the cheek of the pig.  I have had this dish before as a main course and it is wonderful!  It is sitting on top of some fried potatoes and drenched in the sauce tha it is simmered in...usually tomatoes and wine.

Check out this link for a little more detail on this delicacy.

http://madridfoodtour.com/what-is-carrillada-beef-cheeks-pork-cheek/

Well I hope you enjoyed the tapa tour....I certainly did!!

The Camino Primitivo

I was facing a tough decision on my return to the city of Oviedo after my excursion into the Picos de Europa.  Should I stay in this beautiful city for a day getting to know it and sample more of its great food or start the walk on the Camino Primitivo?

I calculated that walking the 320 or so kilometers on this route would take me about 12-13 days.  I only had some very basic information from the internet about the route and its albergues, so I decided to visit the tourist office in Oviedo to see if they had anything to offer.  They did have a guide but only for the section in Asturias.  I would have to find additional information once I reached the final leg in Galicia.  Coming out of the tourist office, I noticed a young woman in pilgrim costume talking with some tourists.  It turned out she was an employee company that gives city walking tours.  This particular tour offered a reenactment of a pilgrim experience as they entered the city.  The second part of the tour was with another guide pointing out the most important buildings and history of the city.  It was only an hour and a half in length so I would learn a little about the city and still have enough time to get to my first night's destination only 15 km from the city.

An important part of Oviedo and Asturian history is that this kingdom is credited with the start of the reconquista in the 9th century.  The moors had conquered almost the entire peninsula except the mountainous regions of Asturias.  The reason being, every time the Moors tried to advance north through the rugged terrain they were ambushed in the mountains by the armies of the Asturian kings and forced to retreat.  Even villages conquered earlier by the Moors, encouraged by the successes of the mountain battles, took up arms against their invaders.  It still took about 500 more years to finally reconquer the peninsula....but winning these battles in Asturias was the turning point.
It was also in the 9th century that King Alfonso II made the first ever pilgrimage to Santiago on this Primitive Route when the tomb of St James was discovered in a field in Galicia.  This is the reason that it is also known as the Original Camino because after word of this king making his way to Santiago was made known, pilgrims from all over Europe began walking to Santiago creating all the different routes that exist today.
Well enough history...more about this Original Camino Primitivo.
The Primitivo is considered the most challenging of all the routes for its difficult mountainous terrain but also the most rewarding for its scenery....the Cantabrian mountains, forests and quaint mountain villages.
I definitely agree with this assessment...at least that is when the fog lifts, usually about midday.

 Oviedo is only about 35 km from the north coast of Asturias so naturally it is quite humid and often foggy.  There are far fewer services on this route and by that I mean hostals, albergues, fountains and in general...the availability of food.  But it also means fewer people competing for those spots.  With fewer places to sleep, it also means that many of the days can be quite long as no albergue is available for 25-30 kilometres which can be difficult in the mountainous terrain.
But ever present is the conch shell and comforting yellow arrow pointing the way.

After the city tour I was eager to get started and instead of eating something nourishing that would stay in my system for awhile,  I decided to try one of the famous pastries that the city of Oviedo is known for.  This pastry, called a carbayon, is so famous that the inhabitants of Oviedo are known as "Carbayones".
The tour guide had pointed out a certain cafe that was a favorite of the locals and not knowing if I would ever have this opportunity again, I decided it was a must!

This delicacy has a pastry base and a filling of almonds and egg yolk then covered with a carmel icing.  Along with a cafe con leche I was ready to begin the Camino Primitivo, the last leg of my journey to Santiago.  Within a short time it was obvious that this was not a good choice for the energy that is required when walking with a backpack.  Although I did not really feel that fatigued, my legs started to shake and I had to sit down and eat an orange and my emergency stash of roasted almonds which got me to my destination and next meal.
And what a meal it was!!  Grilled goat cheese salad with Iberian ham.

They say to really have a feel for a country, you need to know its history and customs, speak the language, take part in its traditions and eat its food.  I am really good on the food part :-)

The Primitivo definitely has a different feel.  With far fewer people and fewer towns and villages along the way, you do feel somewhat isolated.  You can walk for hours not hearing another voice except the one in your head or out loud singing along with one of the earworms that has taken up residence there.  Nor is there total silence as there are birds, bells on the cows, sheep and goats, the occasional barking dog and the peeping of frogs.  It is quite comforting walking through a dense forest made even closer by a thick mist and hearing the constant tinkling of animals with bells reminding that civilization is not that far away.

Passing through a village you are always greeted with buenos dias or buenas tardes and always BUEN CAMINO...the traditional greeting given to pilgrims.  A literal translation would be 'good road' but actually something more along the line of the old Roy Rogers and Dale Evans song 'Happy Trails...'   Gosh, that was a long time ago....but I am sure some of you remember?
Some villagers want to know where you are from and others, surprised that you are walking alone tell you to ten cuidado or be careful.
Look closely at the feet of the gentleman in the following photo.  It may be difficult to tell but he is wearing wooden shoes that have three platforms to keep the feet above the 'guck' found in corrals and barn floors.

Here is close up of the said shoe I took while visiting an amazing museum dedicated to the tools and lifestyle of an era gone by.

In this next photo, the structure you see is called an horreo which is pronounced like OREO...the cookie.  Note the mushroom like structure supporting the building at each corner.  These buildings were used to store grain, cheese, wine etc.  and the purpose of the mushroom shape was to prevent mice from getting in to the horreo.  Nowadays, some have just been left to decay but others have been carefully restored and I am told can even serve as extra bedrooms when company arrives.

***Note the rows of corn drying to the left of the door***

Besides friendly villagers, there are also friendly animals.

The route passes long forgotten monasteries....

Roman bridges overgrown with wild blackberries....

many embalses or pantanos, which are artificially created reservoirs of water collected and stored for the dry seasons.....

and of course quaint mountain villages

amazing landscapes....

and of course, more Camino Art!

I am feeling a mix of emotions having crossed the border into Galicia, the last leg of the journey, marked by a plaque that I would have missed if not for some pilgrims creating a line of stones across the path.

After 36 days and 848 km there is excitement that I am so close to the final destination of Santiago de Compostela and sad that the walking and the vacation is almost at an end.  Should I spend the precious few days that I have left and walk another three days to Finisterre (literally translated as the end of the earth) or take a completely different track and take a bus or train and visit a couple of cities in Portugal?
You will have to keep reading to find out.
I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floatin' around accidental-like on a breeze. But I, I think maybe it's both. – Forrest Gump

Gifts from the Camino

When you read and research about the Camino you often hear that the Camino gives you what you need, not necessarily what you want..... what you need.  But, I feel it also gives you special gifts along the way.
Today the Camino gave me the gift of rain.  Granted, rain on a hike is not really considered a positive thing but what immediately came to mind was that now I could justify carrying that rain poncho in my pack for over 30 days....and it must weigh at least a pound!  Besides, it also dampened the dust which comes in through the holes in my shoes...and there are several now!  One last thing about this gift of rain; the landscapes in both Asturias and Galicia are so verdant and rich with vegetation, that I feel it would be a pity missing what makes this landscape possible.
This photo is actually taken holding my camera inside my rain poncho.

The next photo shows some other gifts I have received along the way.

First, the blue denim heart was a gift from my friend B7 to carry with me on the trip....a reminder of friends and family at home  It has proved to be the perfect pin cushion to hold my large safety pins which I use when my hand washed clothes do not dry overnight and I have to pin them to my pack while walking the following day to let the sun do the job.
The small gold pendant was given to me by the owner of a bar where I stopped to buy some fruit and a cold drink.  This gentleman had a wall dedicated to all the pilgrims from all over the world that had stopped and signed or left something on his wall.  He carefully pointed out many different countries and I so wished I had a Canada pin or something to leave for his wall.  It was now so full he told me he was going to extend it to the adjoining one.  After I left I thought I could have asked him if I could take his photo beside this wall he was so proud of but I am sure the camera could never capture that moment.
The gold arrow was a gift from the hopitalero or host of the albergue in Bodenaya.  This was a very special albergue and a very special person named David.  He was such a gentle and welcoming soul (has been to India and practices yoga....explains his nature).  Not only did he feed the 20 people staying there that night but also washed and dried every ones clothes.  In the morning he played some very soft music to wake us along with the aroma of fresh brewed coffee.
The yellow arrow, if I have not already mentioned this fact, is one of the markers you follow to find your way.  It may be painted on the ground, a wall, building, rock, fence post, guard rail and I am sure I have left something out....of yes, even on trees.  You will see it along roadways, in forests, fields, towns and cities.
Another important marker that sometimes accompanies the arrow and sometimes is on its own, is the conch shell.  I prefer the yellow arrow as some regions have a different way of positioning the shell.  For example, in Asturias you proceed in the direction of the hinge but in Galicia, you follow the part of the shell that would open.  Every single arrow or shell that greets you is a gift because without them you would be totally and hopelessly lost as there are so many roads that criss cross and head in all directions.

Sharing the way with people, whether it be an hour, an entire day, or off and on over several days is also a great gift.  And there have been so many interesting encounters.
This lovely woman came out to greet us and invite us to pick perfectly mature golden plums from her garden.

We felt a little disappointed that this small village had no bar although they did provide some picnic tables and a vending machine that had a very good selection of high calorie goodies and another for coffee.  I guess the Camino decided that I needed some fresh fruit more that a fresh cafe con leche.

  When I met this couple from Toledo, I immediately noticed what I felt was a strong resemblance to my neighbor, David...which tugged a little on my hearts strings reminding me of the people waiting for me at home.

I met Eva, a woman from Barcelona, at a communal dinner in the albergue.  We confided we were both a little worried about walking alone on the route the following day. We had to cross over the highest point on the trail and rain and dense fog was in the forecast.  So, we made a pack to stay together on the crossing and spent the next several days meeting a parting.  Her special gift to me was not letting me know how well she could speak English and so I had a lot of opportunity to practice Spanish.

And a very special gift of sharing the Camino with other people was when Carlos from Murcia (my long time partner on Skype for practicing Spanish/English) and his partner Gelo, devoted 2 days of their vacation to meet me in Carrion de los Condes so we could spend some time together.

Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery and Today is a gift:  that's why we call it - The Present.

Los Picos de Europa

I hopped on the bus in Oviedo with the destination of Arenas de Cabrales in mind but not really knowing the fine details of arranging the Cares-Cain walk along the beautiful Cares River Gorge nor the walk to Bulnes...a small isolated village in the Picos....population 32.  I had researched enough to know that there was even smaller village called Poncebos located at the trail head of the two hikes that interested me.  There were two hostals, but already full as this is the height of the hiking season.  Luckily when I arrived to Arenas, the tourist office was open and gave me a list of pensions and hotels in the area.  Walking up the street I saw a sign for a hotel that interested me......you must check out this link and read the description of the kind of person they are trying to attract and then you will understand why I decided to rest my head here.

http://hoteltorrecerredo.com

Here is a photo taken from the dining room of the Hotel Torrecerredo....

And the food was excellent...salmon cooked to perfection!

I also must mention here.....carrying over from my last entry....three nights with a full size towel!!!
Jim was the perfect host, facilitating my travel to and from the trail head.  The small town of Arenas was lively and filled with restaurants, bars, bakeries and sports equipment stores.  I briefly contemplated buying some new shoes as mine are definitely showing some wear and tear, but decided against it as all the blisters are healed and the toes that are bereft of nails no longer miss them.  I don't want to chance developing a new set of blisters from new shoes.  So unless holes appear in the soles of my current shoes....I will carry on.

The hole is not so much of a bother other than allowing a lot of dust to enter on the portions of the trail where it is quite sandy.  I am attempting a fix with some duct tape!!
Following are some of the photos from the two days hiking in this marvelous area.
First, following the River Cares up a steep gorge to the village of Cain and back again.

And before returning to Poncebos via the route in reverse....it was necessary to fortify myself with some of the local cheese.

The route to Bulnes, although shorter in distance turned out to be more tiring than I anticipated or perhaps it was the accumulation of kilometers on the legs.  The routes were quite different with the Bulnes walk following a much narrower gorge filled with vegetation and always acending rather that acending and undulating as did the Cares-Cain.

In the next photo, if you look in the distance somewhat to the left, you can just catch the famous rock climbing face of Narano de Bulnes with its perpendicular sides or as the locals prefer to use its original name...... Urreillu.

And right in the village of Bulnes, along side a crystal clear stream, a quaint little
restaurant for a refreshing drink before the walk back.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. - Hilary Cooper

The Camino San Salvador.....continued.

As I mentioned in the first description of the Camino San Salvador, arriving to Campomanes, it was necessary to take a hotel.  The bonus of a pilgrim discount was nice, great food always appreciated, spending an evening with the cyclists was unforgettable but another thing that I remember very fondly is having a full size towel!!!
After weeks of my teeny tiny hair towel and barely larger body towel, I luxuriated in the full size bath towel.
See my watch in this photo for perspective....

 I contemplated having a second shower before leaving next morning just to enjoy the feeling a second time.  But my conserving the environment nature along with knowing that some parts of Spain have a severe water shortage, although not this area, changed that thought.
Although, I did enjoy the super king sized bed and started a little later than my usual very early morning get up and on the road schedule.
After such a challenging day previously, this day was a joy walking along a river and mostly on a pathway shared by other local walkers, runners and cyclists.  Arriving to Mieres was a bit of a shock...a large, thriving, mining city of over 40,000 people.  Fortunately the albergue was located in the old part of town which is also famous for its 'Siderias'.  This word refers to an establishment that serves a very potent apple cider...but the interesting part is that it must be poured into a glass from a height of about a meter or the farthest distance between the bottom hand holding the glass and the bottle in the upper hand creating bubbles or foam that wake up the taste of the cider.

This is a long standing tradition and the city of Mieres has a statue to commemorate it.  I would not be at all surprised to find out that this is one of those traditions protected under the UNESCO list of 'Intangible Cultural Heritage'.

Well, of course I am going to try the cider....the next two photos show my own personal bottle of cider and having it poured by the waiter who is holding the glass inside a special barrel which helps keep the restaurant a little dryer.  As you can imagine...there is a whole lot of splashing going on.  However, outside on the terrace or patio, the pouring is done without this special protection.  Another curious aspect to this tradition is that the cider comes in quite a large bottle (for sharing) and you also share the glass.  It is important to drink the cider while the foam produced from pouring from the high altitude is still present....but leave just a mouthful which you then throw on the ground as a way of cleaning the part of the glass your mouth has touched before a serving is poured for the next person.  Hence, walking anywhere near these establishments means walking over a very wet and a bit sticky surface.

Did I like it???  Well, I only had to summon the waiter the one time and hoped they might gift the almost full bottle to another customer.

Returning to the albergue after enjoying this unique Austurian tradition, I was met by a trio of hikers from Portugal; Jesus, Rosa and Maripalma.  I thought that my walking the distance between Leon and Oviedo in 5 days was an accomplishment but they were doing it in 4 days!  And this was a very special day for Maripalma as it was her birthday.  She mentioned that some friends asked why she would spend her birthday doing this, but we both understood what a perfect way it is to celebrate yourself!

We walked together off an on over the next 20 km to Oviedo where, with our credentials stamped to prove we had made the trek, we were allowed to visit the beautiful Cathedral of San Salvador for free and also qualified for the Salvadorana or certificate of completion.

Having reached the city of Oviedo I was now ready to change gears and be a tourist and enjoy a few days of hiking without the backpack.  I had decided to take 3 days to visit the beautiful hiking area known as the Picos of Europa, then continue again on yet a different camino....the Camino Primitivo.  This route is about another 320 km before it connects with the French route where I oringinally started in France.
After checking the bus schedule, I had an hour an a half to spare and spent it enjoying a typical Austurian feast of Fabada; a thick bean stew flavored by 3 to 4 different kinds of embutidos or sausages; lacon, tocino, chorizo and morcilla.  All the flavor of the garlic and smokey paprika is joined by a touch of saffron in the broth. This was followed by a hearty leg of pork....flavoured and cooked to perfection.

Do I eat to walk or walk to eat.....both I think!!!!

Here is a link to the Picos de Europa...enjoy!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picos_de_Europa#Geography