6/3/17 – 25.9km/16.1mi from Avilés to Muros de Nalón
Our larger group stayed in different places last night so today Team Vegas and Wooju headed out early while David, Keith and I brought up the rear. We woke up and prepared for a full day of rain – but at least that allowed me to put on my ridiculous new pink poncho, which I lovingly named “Big Pink.”
There were some beautiful things to see today, even though the visibility was quite low. On the way out of Aviles, we passed the Cathedral, which had its doors open with a clear view of the altar within. As we headed out of the city, it started completely pouring on us. David and I both tried fashioning makeshift gaiters (they go over your ankles to keep boots from getting wet) from first aid tape and plastic wrap. They worked OK, but they made us look like low-budget MacGyvers. In the end, water always wins. We had several stops to change socks – you never want to risk blisters on a rainy day – including an Irish pub where we took a picture in our nostalgia for Joe. Other than that it was just one long, wet, slog all the way to where we were staying, except for a few nice views as we busted out of forests and saw pretty towns like El Castillo
Our albergue in Muros de Nalon, Casa Carmina, was both beautiful and delightful. The owner inherited it from her mother and converted it into one of the absolute nicest albergues on the whole trail. I did some relaxing yoga after arriving, then spent the evening talking to peregrinos and locals alike – aided of course by wine!
