5/28/17 – 18km/11.2 from Llanes to Nueva, with nice easy strolling.
We got a slightly late start today as we planned, because we wanted to take advantage of the local laundromat to wash and dry clothes. Every day, most of us hand wash the clothes we wore that day. It can take time, but I learned a trick on an old Camino forum: get in the shower with your clothes on and get some soap on them. Then, trample them under your feet while showering, then hand wash to rinse. It works great in a pinch, but sometimes having all of your clothes machine-clean is a nice feeling.
Otherwise it was a relaxing and nice 4 hour hike into Nueva, but there was one critical highlight: we walked through a town named “Poo.” No, I didn’t misspell that. The name of the town is actually, literally, “Poo!” As you might imagine, we had some fun with photos. The hotel we stayed in Nueva, Hotel Luna del Valle was awesome. Every room was individually decorated, every room had really interesting wood pieces, leather carvings, and I find myself continually interested and impressed by Spanish craftsmanship. The people that work there are awesome, and the prices are great. It’s definitely worth coming to this place.
Besides that, we all had a huge dinner at the “Barrel House Cidery” where we ate all kinds of meatz. There’s a lot of good food on this Camino, but you’d be surprised how much more protein we need than we’re getting. David and I wound up ordering dishes that neither really wanted, but that the other liked… and that led to us haggling contentiously to make a trade. We jokingly called it the ART OF THE DEAL! We eventually arrived at a mutually acceptable agreement on a pork for pork swap. Good times.
