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Tuesday, June 07, 2016

The Coastal Camino: Day 3

Not quite so good a day as yesterday, as we approached the 'hills' of Asturias(Visigoth for 'The folk of  vast thighs'). Early afternoon saw us tacking a mile-long climb after La Acebosa, graphically represented here as virtually vertical:






This foto gives some idea of the challenge, but not a truly accurate one. As we (naturally) slowed down, we were overtaken by the only 'pilgrim' who passed us all day.


Perhaps not surprisingly, we came upon another pilgrim coughing his/her guts out at the peak of the climb. Never saw him/her again. 

A useless bar in Tejo:


Cantabrian garden gnomes along the wall. Inter alia:


First sight of the golf course designed by Sevi Ballesteros in Santa Maria. We had to walk through this and saw absolutely no one there:


First sight of the tourist centre of San Vicente de La Barquera. Note the long bridge. Local lore has it that, if you can hold your breath while walking the length of it, you'll have a wish come true. If so, you'll deserve it. But it'll be too late to regain your life.


We saw several pigrims at the bus station in San V de la B and in the adjacent bar. We never met any of them again, suggesting they all had guides that said: The next section is very tough, get a bloody bus!

Here's evidence of the local popularity of something called bolo palma, played on a bolera. It seems all the skittles are set up in a straight line. Miss one, you miss 'em all. See here for more info.


Looking back down at the bridge into San Vicente de la Barquera, and wishing we'd taken the bus to Sedio. Though there isn't one, in fact. It's Unquera or nothing. What there is in Sedio is a bar serving large shandies and great jamón sandwiches.


In another bar at the start of the bridge into Peséus, I witnessed something not seen in almost 16 years here - an eastern style toilet. Or, for those not familiar with these, a (porcelain) hole in the floor, with ribbed placements for your feet. I'd have been more shocked, I suspect, if I hadn't lived in Iran. 

Meanwhile, back in the real Spanish world, the far left IU-Podemos is reported to have taken over from the centre left PSOE party as the main opposition to the right-wing PP party. Only 2 weeks to go until we get confirmation that Spain still doesn't have a government.  

Finally . . .  El País reports that a company called Hyperloop is developing a compressed-air train which can travel at 1,223km an hour. Not 1,222, 1,224 or even 1,200. But 1,223. But perhaps this terribly exact number only appears in the Spanish media. See here for details of this startling prospect. Where the top speed is given as 1,200kph.

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