The rain

Odometer reading: 160461

(the rain = der Regen {with two L})

In the morning, we started in Ribadesella under bright sunshine. We had read the weather forecast and knew it would rain by noon, and just as predicted, it did.

On our drive on the A8, the Cantabrian Highway, towards Avilés, it began to rain halfway through the journey. After the exit to our parking spot, we passed a huge steel mill; along the country road stretched the almost endless area. It started with mountains of scrap and containers filled with sorted scrap, followed by conveyor belts and the massive building. At the end lay neatly stacked blocks of freshly cast steel, known as 'slabs,' which could now be rolled and reshaped.

We reached our parking spot in the eucalyptus forests just behind the beach of Avilés and decided to take a break; perhaps the weather would become drier.

When it was still raining at 5:30 PM, we set off with our umbrellas. We wanted to check out the area and the beach. Given the current weather, we were almost the only ones there, with just one brave surfer in sight. The lifeguards arrived at 6:00 PM and collected the red flags indicating the swimming ban. We hiked for a while and then went to eat at the local bar.