Riffs on The Way

Other than a handful on days two and three, we have seen very few other hikers heading west toward Santiago.  Our group has yet to pass anyone, so the few pilgrims we have seen have either blown past us on the trail, or while we have stopped for Aner or Bea to tell us something about the traditions or culture.

The trails have been a mix of mud, dry dirt, concrete, village roads.  Some parts are badly rutted, while others are nice and easy to walk on. 

Tomorrow we head for two days on the French Way, which I presume means we have to surrender.  (Just kidding, I love France and all of the French people we have, except for two of them!).

The food has been great.  We love Spanish breakfasts, and so far the hotel in Oviedo is tops – they even made omelets!  That’s not what defines Spanish breakfasts – instead it is the mix of jamon (time for my obligatory note: the best ham in the world.  If you have never had it, do not try to imagine it, because it looks different and tastes better than you can imagine.  If you HAVE had it – what are you waiting for?  Get some more!).  There is also plenty of fruit, bread, pastries, cheese, including (Rick/Rod, wait for it. . .) Manchego cheese! Oviedo also wins thus far because they had small bottles of agua con gas – sparkling water. 

(I’ve just written a whole paragraph about how great the food is, and yet I have only mentioned breakfast!  Lunch, you ask?  Lunches have been amazing.  It’s especially difficult when we stuff ourselves with lunch and then have to hike.  And, the dinners are fabulous. 

I think I’ve written this already, but Spanish food is my favorite, beating out Italian.  The variety, the small plates, the flavors are all amazing.

The hotels have been good.  They are not luxurious, but we do not need that.  More importantly, they are not dumps.  Each hotel has had en suite bathrooms, which is a huge plus, with plenty of hot water.  Like Utah I’m taking reverse day showers – not showering in the morning, but waiting till after hiking to wash the considerable stink off.

The number of different wildflowers along the trail have been stunning.  We are quite lucky that here in early October we are still seeing so many.  Compared to the dustiness of much of Spain, the north is green.  We are in the state of Asturias right now, heading toward Galicia.   

So, I wrote that paean to great breakfasts and food overall this morning, and then managed to have back to back so-so meals.  I jinxed myself on this! There was no buffet breakfast, so instead we ordered off the menu in a comical sequence.  The waiters seemed shocked that people were coming to have breakfast (although apparently it happens every morning).  They ran around quite flustered.

We were lucky – we got to the bar early, so our order was taken pretty much right away.  They had English translations on the menu, but it was English as a second language translation.  I panicked and ordered fried eggs with potatoes.  Turns out that means cooking the eggs until they have died twice, and french fries.  It was not the classic Spanish breakfast that I rhapsodized about a few paragraphs before.  The bread on the plate was quite tasty; soft, just the way I like it.  I ate almost all of it, because it was fine.  However, breakfast in Tenio won’t go down as one of the culinary highlights of the trip.  In a way we were lucky, as those who came later than us had to wait forever to order.

Then, after today’s hike, lunch was a huge piece of grilled ham, two more fried eggs, salad, and french fries.  The post-hike cerveza was the best of the lunch, as I lost my appetite just looking at the ham.  It’s not what I expected. . .if, like Waffle House, they had pictures of the food, I definitely would have ordered something different.  Oh well – most of the food has been great, and I look forward to dinner! 

There will be more riffs on the Way.