Turns out that Asturias is known for their cheese. The soft white cheese is called Afuega’l Pituor and if has paprika added it is Rojo del Aramo which has just a little afterburn. Both are local specialties. I also purchased a small amount of Cabrales which is the most famous and the most popular Asturias cheese. In fact, it was the first cheese to be awarded a designation of origin. That means it is like Champagne and other places can't make cheese and call it Cabrales. It is a little stronger cheese that looks like blue cheese. Yum. I haven’t eaten any of the Cabrales yet because I keep getting too much food at night and end up backpacking it the next day. Long live the baggie in the purse.
Last nights dinner didn’t disappoint. My teaser was a little of the Afuega’l cheese on toast (gluten free) followed by a bowl of green beans possibly called romanos. They were very wide, flat beans,richly seasoned with Iberian ham and absolutely delicious. They would make any Southern cook proud as punch. My main course was grilled pork loin served with… what else but home made thick cut french fries, fried in something terrible (but scrumptious). The French can’t possibly eat as many french fries as the Spanish. I skipped dessert because I was full of beans!
My notes on today said "although this is a relatively short stage (12.5 miles) of the Camino, it is also quite a tough one due to the amount of climbing". Well, it didn't say yesterday was a tough day and I thought yesterday was pretty darn difficult. I had some trepidation. And after two intense days every muscle in my body ached right long with my feet. What a start. Sure enough, as promised, it was uphill and steep. And it started immediately straight up. I swear Spain is going to fall in the ocean because there is a lot more uphill than down hill. It was well marked so that was good.
Today started out drizzly and rainy and I wore myself out putting my poncho on and taking it off. As I got further along on the trail, it got really muddy...boot sucking muddy which certainly slows you down. Lucky enough, it was chilly on top of the mountains so I was no longer sweating to death.
And with about three miles to go I got caught behind this tractor and another farmer herding cows to a different pasture. I certainly wasn't going to pass but I ended up very slow moving for about a mile. The man in the green with the stick kept tapping the back cow and talking ever so gently to him (it was a bull) in Spanish. I finally was able to pass and head on my way.
At one point during the journey, in the middle of nowhere, I was wishing for a potty break and I didn't trust that there were no people behind me and I rounded a corner and poof... It was a real working toilet, not a porta-potty. It was pristine clean and even had TP.
The views today were spectacular. I spent the day in the Austurian Mountains. I think it was even prettier with the clouds. It is always hard to take photos with the off and on rain. My camera was tucked away under my poncho but I did manage to take a few.
All and all, it was a pretty good day. I lunched at a school bus stop, out of the rain, on my pork loin sandwich that was left over from last night. At breakfast I was served two carajitos del profesor de salas which are a flourless hazlenut cookie. I loved them, ate one and put other one was in my backpack for lunch. I could have eaten a sack full of them. They were excellent. I am going to look for them at a pastry shop. My hotel is a simple one but clean and that is most important. So I shall write more tomorrow. God bless you all!
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