CUDILLIERO

This is a tiny fishing port not far from Orbieto but probably a Sunday in August was not the best time to visit it especially as it was raining.  I went anyway to have a look.  It reminded me very much of the Cinque Terra in Liguria, Italy.   Houses build on the hill sides and tiny roads.  Parking was at a premium.

ORVIETO

Orvieto - What a lovely city in Asturias and so proud of it's tradition.  The local cuisine is renowned so I decided to splurge and try out a really fine restaurant for lunch.   A great decision.  The name is El Raitan (the robin) for any of you who go there and the owners are so nice and kind too.  It is very near the centre and the cathedral.

El Raitan

A beloved image
People here dress up for a wedding.  Most of the men in tails.  Many women wearing long dresses.

LEON

Leon, a city of such history and wonderful buildings, parks and fountains.   It has a cathedral where the play of light is supposed to be magnificent but unfortunately I was too late to see inside it.  I did stroll around a great museum and its cloisters.  The slabs in the pavement had little low water fountains in the centre so the children (and adults) could dance around in the water.  It was a good walk in to town and the whole way was a green park, walkways and places for people to bike and jog.

another Gaudi influence now a bank

CASTILLO DE LA PULVAZARES

This is a really beautiful old village that has been kept that way.  Only inhabitants are allowed to have cars and all the streets are cobblestones and the buildings are all built of the same local brick and have almost entirely green doors.   These doors lead in to a lovely entrance area that is decorated but only visible if the door is open.

main street

An open door

ASTORGA

Pilgrims and Merlin in same shop

ASTORGA is a really lovely place on the camino.  Lots of Pilgrims around and shops doing a good trade in boots.   The cathedral is based (like many around here) on the one at Santiago and is huge for the size of the town.

It is overshadowed by the fairytale palace, now a museum, designed by Gaudi.  It looks as if it stepped out of a fairytale like many of his wonderful buildings.

Gaudi's Bishops Palace

The town itself is lovely and small.  

LUGO

The walls of Lugo are intact and run all around the inner city so it is mostly wonderfully free of cars.  One can easily walk all around the walls.

the museum

walls

cloister

Architecture

statues and street theatre

The make up and costumes on the mimes is usually absolutely wonderful.  How can they stand still for so very long and so patiently.
Here's a few of them and the statues I passed this week

Isn't she fab.  Santiago

what an angel

Merlin on the camino

This is how they pour the cider in Asturias

famous donkey and milk girl in Orvieto

Orvieto lady

SANTIAGO

At last I've reached the famous destination of the Camino.  A great city and so many pilgrims even now in the very hot season.   The cathedral is as massive as expected and gold glitters in every direction.

 For me, despite the wonderful architecture, it's something that turns me off.   I grew up where massive churches were built to hold the barefoot masses with huge families and scant income. They gave their little when the plates were passed.
I had a great stroll through the tiny, crooked streets, had some lunch and vino and wondered if I could still manage the Camino.???

They've arrived at last footsore and weary but exalted.

Regardless of how often I've seen the evening and night "paseo" in Spain I'm still amazed at the amount of people strolling along arm in arm in absolutely every city even very late at night.  Most cities and towns have lovely walks along rivers and parks and the citizens take full advantage of them.  They gather from early until late at bars and cafes many having beer even quite early in the day and coffee late at night.  Their very late hours do not seem to reflect in their getting up in the mornings as they seem to start as early as places where people go to bed by midnight.

PORTUGAL

I was so close to Portugal when in La Guarda right on the border that I thought I'd run over for a few days and get a preview of next year's trip (if all goes well in between)
I loved it from the first minutes   The weather didn't add to that as it is rainy and quite cool especially for the time of year.  The town just across from where I was is called Vicenca and is just lovely with walls around it.  At this time of high season it was full of course and the tourist shops were in full swing but what great people.

part of the walls

I've only been in Portugal for two and a half days but have heard more laughter and spoken with more people than in the last several months.  I was lucky enough to reach Carminha on a market day.   They will have their festival in 2 days for a saint naturally but many were already in traditional costume and going to a festival in a nearby village.
It was market day and many of the old women were selling their own produce.  It was only one euro for a large bag of cherry tomatoes and the same for 6 fresh eggs.  The lady also slipped in a few passion fruit as a bonus.  I'm really looking forward to next season.
I couldn't just leave immediately so decided to postpone my trip for a few days and go to a camp site I heard about in the middle of a very rural community.

the festival patron

I drove on through Braga to a wonderful little campsite east of Chaves named Time Stopped (in Portugese "O Tempo Parou" There's only room for 10 campers and the owners are most obliging and friendly.  As I arrived they had just fixed lunch for 4 French people and I ordered also of course.  great food of ribs, big salad, roast potatoes, wine and coffee plus dessert all for 8 euros.  Their daughter played accordian for us and the owners danced.  This is a very quiet village mainly built of stone and there's a lot of horses used for work.