Mind quite relaxed yesterday on the very comfortable Alsa Super Service. .... mostly motorway ... at Aviles a request to the universe for a simple bed near the station in Oviedo ... and wandering along a sign on the Sidreria says Camas and since limited vocabulary includes this word an optimistic enquiry establishes that there is indeed a single room available for just €25 ... booking dot com, having declared the whole city full, clearly not aware of small Pensions ... anyway, thanks are offered and lack of WiFi or fellow sleepers enables a deep sleep ... morning options do not include the very scenic train ride, since 7 hours is excessive for a trip taking 2 hours 15 minutes on Alsa's Super Service. .. slower, cheaper off motorway bus trip skipped ... this route has been walked and local scenery not required today ... Santander calls, ferries tonight, tomorrow and Monday ... let's see what's free ... Monday best for timely arrival in Portsmouth. ..
Oviedo an interesting mix of trendy, expensive and older, reasonable ... pedestrian friendly streets ... a €10 menu del dia last night, €3.60 coffee and croissant this morning ... both greeted with a smile and interesting to note the woman serving the overpriced breakfast avoided eye contact until the final sarcasm-free farewell Muchas Gracias ...
On contrasts, an angry alsatian with an extended sense of territory appeared the other day, after Olveiroa, requiring a balance of keen awareness and reduced focus, until it moved too close with its teeth when full attention caused it to skid to a halt and resume barking a little further off ... 20 minutes later, another alsatian emerged silently, unseen, came close for a stroke and left ... weird ...
In Santander a visit to the Maritime Station secures a ticket for Monday ... other sailings not keen on foot passengers ... a reclining seat will do for one night's sleep and other locations are often available later ... so, two days in Santander, the sun is shining and the city packed with wandering long weekenders ... day 3 of the holiday, shops re-open, religious tale pauses until tomorrow's happy ending after yesterday's gory story ....
And after a wander to stretch the legs, Marianna's vegan restaurant provides lunch without meaty discussions ... busy today, a sign of the times, changing fast ... vegetarian menus popping up along the Caminos ... even a little dog joining its humans, safe from predators ...
Still early for bed seeking and even booking dot com suggests budget options available ... let's see ... mind wanders momentarily to the Convento at nearby Santillana, though pilgrim persona on hold for now ...
A little fruitless wandering leads to the 2 star Hotel San Glorio, a reasonably priced comfortable and simple room, without view to distract the imagination ... well, tomorrow's price is reasonable, tonight's is an Easter special ... seems rather unfair on slaves, but that's the capitalist market for you ... the price is what the customer will pay ... anyway, it's a central base, close to the boat ... itself parked more or less in the centre of town ...
The editor writes from France, suggesting the tone of the blog has turned despondent ... maybe his projection, mood here stable enough and quite content with a shorter than usual Camino season ... the Primitivo has been in view for a while and well worth the effort ... as other pilgrims have noted, the whole enterprise becomes crowded towards Santiago, especially in Easter Week ... no ambition to walk in busier seasons or, for now, other routes ... even pilgrimage can become an attachment!
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