Stuck in the Middle with You : Salas to Tineo

We decided to sleep in a little and stay for breakfast at 7:00 am, thinking we'd have a quick bite to eat and still make a decent start to the day. It was a delicious breakfast of café con leche, cereal and yogurt, and toast and jam.  As we enjoyed it we were joined by the whole crew from last night, as well as Ronnie from Israel and Ben from England.  Good food and excellent company rarely make for an early start, but there are definitely more important things in life, and we really had no complaints. 

 

When we finally headed out it was into a warm, sunny morning with only the last remnants of fog remaining.  At the edge of town we dove into a lush green forest of deciduous trees with a thick carpet of ferns and moss.  Beside us a cool, clear stream bubbled and rushed along, adding its voice to the birdsong around us. 

 

 

Almost right away we came to a small fountain with a statue of Mary standing in a small, naturally formed mossy cave beside it, the fresh water cascading down around her like a veil.  When we looked up through the forest canopy, high above us the concrete arch of the elevated train track curved through the last of the silvery mist like a halo.  It felt quite magical. 

 

 

As we followed along beside the stream we crossed several tiny offshoots that flowed across the trail, as well as the remains of several abandoned flour mills.  We climbed up and up, eventually emerging on a more open track that skirted the edge of a hill.  The strong, spicy smell of eucalyptus filled the cool air, and in the shaded valley the remains of the morning mist were still evident. 

 

 

Our late start had put us just behind a group of three pilgrims that had caused us quite a bit of consternation yesterday afternoon.  Their natural pace was slower than ours, and they stopped often to talk, look around, check their phones, take a photo, or simply have a chat for a minute.  Walking three abreast, it was impossible to pass them, and any time we managed to squeak by, even if they were in the process of putting down their packs for a break, they would quickly pick everything up, quickly jog to catch up, and fall into step behind us, essentially speeding up to stay right on our heels.  Not enjoying the feeling of being pursued like prey while jogging down the trail, we'd let them pass, only to have them slow right down or stop for a break around the next corner.  We recognize that our frustration with this behaviour is our own problem, but we nonetheless haven't found a way to deal with it.  

 

 

Just as the trail became extremely steep, switch-backing up rocky slopes, we were in the midst of this group.  The going was tough for us, having to stop and wait every few feet in the steepest sections.  To make things worse, a growing number of other pilgrims were beginning to bunch up behind us as well. A stretch of rather unnerving walking followed, during which we walked single file along the shoulder of a winding highway that was full of fast moving traffic.  In this stretch we crossed under the main highway, which passed high above our heads in an elegant double bridge.  A bit farther along we passed back under it once again. 

 

 

When we finally left the highway behind and picked up a dirt track once again we stopped at a pilgrim rest area, intentionally waiting about 20 minutes to let the others get well ahead.  When we continued on we were walking by ourselves, free to enjoy the trail and walk at our own pace. 

 

 

Around us the countryside stretched out over rolling green hills covered by small fields interspersed with stands of green trees.  Tiny villages were nestled among the hills, bathed in the warmth of the midday sun.  As we walked through one of these we momentarily lost focus and missed an arrow, ending up at the far end of the village at the bottom of the hill instead of higher up on the Camino.  We huffed and puffed up the extremely steep streets of the village, emerging at a colourful and eclectic looking albergue with a beautiful view out over the valley below. 

 

 

Our walk continued through pleasant countryside, past the highly recommended Bodenaya Albergue.  Just as we reached the outskirts of La Espina, which was one of the larger towns we passed through today, and one in which we hoped to get a cold drink, we caught back up to the other pilgrim group. The bars at the edge of town were extremely crowded, with locals spilling out onto the sidewalks.  We continued on, hoping for other options, and soon discovered the reason for the chaos.  The main streets of the little town were filled with tiny race cars, and the whole town had come out to admire them.  The central square and pavilion were being used to display the best of the lot, and it was through this chaos that we threaded our careful way. 

 

 

In the end we walked through La Espina without stopping or getting a cold to drink.  The one advantage seemed to be that almost everyone else did decide to stop, and for the rest of the afternoon we walked mostly on our own, seeming to find a gap in the flow of pilgrims where we could fit in. 

 

 

From La Espina it was another 11 km to Tineo, our destination for the night.  It was mostly a pleasant walk through rolling hills, along both paved roads and dirt tracks that took us through countryside. It felt like we did a fair bit of climbing, but we were rewarded with beautiful views.  A high point was coming across a water fountain with a vending machine and a long wooden bench next to it.  We purchased two ice cold Aquarius drinks and sat on the bench, enjoying the view and the refreshment.

 

 

By early afternoon we reached El Pedregal, which is essentially on the outskirts of Tineo.  The trail took us around a large sports complex, and eventually arrived at a small bar located in a treed and grassy park.  We sat on the veranda of the low stone building with two ice cold orange juices, and were soon joined by Ronnie. 

 

After a short break we continued into town, following a brick sidewalk lined with ornamental street lamps.  To our right a tall stone wall divided us from colourful homes and gardens.  To our left we had a panoramic view over the countryside.  The promenade was lined with benches and we passed a creative sundial in the form of Santiago, standing in the middle of a blue and yellow shell. There was also a small and tasteful plaque remembering the victims of Covid 19. 

 

 

 

When we got to town we followed the main road into the central square and found our home for the night - La Plaza Albergue.  It featured a nice terrace with a lovely view out over the valley, as well as a kitchen and a good deep sink and washing machine for doing laundry.  We were shown to our bunks in a room with ten bunk beds, and left on our own to have a shower and do our laundry.  It was a roof, a bed, and a shower, but otherwise it wasn't too inspiring. 

 

 

After doing our chores we went in search of food.  We wandered up to La Griega, a little restaurant and café where we spotted several other pilgrims we knew.  We stepped inside and learned they offer a vegan burger!  In Spain it can be difficult to find vegetarian food of any kind, so we were pretty excited, and it turned out to be delicious!  Not wanting to return to the albergue, we stayed there for the rest of the afternoon, eventually being joined by Mik, Mike, Linton, Ben, Agnes (who came from Bordeaux and had just finished her last day on the Camino until the fall), Victoria (from the Czech Republic), Ronnie (from Israel), Tom (from Chicago), and several others.  

 

 

In my opinion, one of the best parts of a Camino is having conversations with people from all over the world.  It is so interesting to hear the different perspectives, knowledge bases, and ways of thinking and expressing ideas and opinions that are held around the world. Adding to this, conversations like the one tonight included participants ranging in age from their 20's to their 70's.  

 

 

The owner of the bar was extremely nice, and had a book he asked each pilgrim to write or draw something in.  Some of the designs in the book were truly impressive, and one of them now appears on the menu of the café.  He also supplied each pilgrim with a free care package, containing a very useful map of the route, a tiny packet of tissues, a croissant, a crocheted yellow arrow pin, a razor (for men), and a tampon or condom (for women).  I'm sure it was a clever marketing strategy, and it certainly worked, because by the end of the night everyone was sporting their homemade arrows.  

 

 

We stayed until just before 10 pm when we were afraid the albergue would lock its doors (it may not have done so until 11 pm).  We returned with great reluctance, not really expecting to get any sleep in a room with 20 other people, and not wanting to bring this classic evening on the Camino to an end.  It has been a long day, but a good one, full of new friends and new ideas. 

 

Distance: 19.7 km

Accommodation: Albergue La Plaza