13. Stage Camino del Norte from Barro to Camango

For your information; I heard nothing from the donkeys at night and in the morning. However, they do have a huge meadow and were standing far away early in the morning. :-)

I was the only "early" guest for breakfast today. Pedro brought me breakfast and chatted with me a bit in German. The breakfast wasn't particularly good, but I was satisfied.

Oh yes, I must mention something from yesterday. When I went for dinner, I had to walk past a pasture with cattle. Suddenly, a medium-sized dog ran into the meadow, wanting to stir up the herd. That's when “El Toro” positioned himself and chased after the dog, just like you see on TV. Luckily, he didn't catch the dog. The dog ran back to its owner. When El Toro returned to the center of the meadow, the dog came back to the herd. The bull pawed the ground and snorted. Before he ran off again, the owner managed to catch his dog. I found it fascinating how the entire herd positioned itself behind the bull. It looked amazing. Wow, but a bull is just a pure muscle package! It looked quite frightening!

Before starting today, I had to check my right shoe. It felt like there was still a little stone in there. At first, I just knocked the shoe, but I still felt pressure. I then removed the insole and lo and behold, there were several stones that had gotten in. After I removed those little things, the tour could start.

The weather was like yesterday: lots of clouds, but still warm – just absolutely perfect for me. In Barro, there could have been a nice church to visit if it had been open.

We then went through several small wooded areas until there were again two paths to choose from. This time I decided against the coastal path and preferred to hike through the hinterland.

The first village was small, and I wanted to quickly grab a coffee, but like the previous days, nothing was open. Nothing was open. This definitely needs to be addressed. ;-)

Well, I definitely had plenty of provisions and water with me. I quickly ran through the village, and another longer stretch through the forest with many eucalyptus trees and even more ferns followed. Then, out of nowhere, three houses appeared, and then it was back into the woods. It was incredibly quiet, which I enjoyed. I only saw one pilgrim on the entire path today. Most people probably walk along the coast.

After the forest area came a great village. Some bars were open there, so I could strengthen myself. The Camino passed through the entire village, and I really liked it there, as some houses had mountains in the background. It looked very nice. Also, many locals were outside in front of their houses. As soon as it gets warm, life is indeed lived outside.

When I left the village, I had to cross tracks again. I always have to laugh at that; I have no idea why. You are allowed to do it, but it still feels forbidden in some way. ;-) Of course, there is also a warning sign that advises pilgrims to be cautious. That's clear, and it has gone well. Grin.

Then came a passage over a narrow field path, from where I had a great view of the mountains. Dark clouds were hanging over the mountains, it looked like a storm was brewing. But so far nothing has happened, and according to the owner, nothing will happen.

What struck me today was that many farms and houses were completely dilapidated. I was fascinated by one house and almost walked in the wrong direction because of it. Luckily, I had still spotted the yellow arrow out of the corner of my eye. I really got lucky!

The inclines were no problem today; I managed them very well. Since I didn't want to walk all the way to Ribadesella, I booked a nice accommodation in Camango last night.

I am always happy when I arrive at my accommodations. But I am also sad because that means the tour for the day is over. Even today, it was scenically an absolute dream; the mountains, the coast, the animals, everything is very, very beautiful, and I am grateful that I get to experience all this :-)!

When I arrived at the accommodation, the owner asked me if I had eaten or had something with me. “No and no.” She then reserved a place for me at a restaurant, as there was nothing nearby. I would have had to walk 30 minutes to get there. Just as I was about to leave, the owner called me back and told me that her husband would drive me there. “Oh, that’s nice.” The man spoke only broken English, but we still had a nice conversation. Suddenly, I see a disgusting yellow spider with long legs crawling on my right arm. I screamed in the car and slapped the spider off my arm. The man looked at me completely shocked and asked, very disturbed: “What’s wrong?” I said it was a “spider.” I was really very, very, very embarrassed, but I was so disgusted by the little creature... He apologized for the spider. Aha...! Fortunately, we quickly arrived at the restaurant, and I first had a fit of laughter outside and thoroughly brushed myself off from head to toe. Even now, I have to laugh again. The guy probably thinks the German has lost it! But whatever, I just can't help it.

I will now spend the rest of the day in the garden of the accommodation and relax.

Today's stage was 20.0 km long and again very pleasant to walk.

Best regards

Anke - Flip