Grant had a late start today and left Gijon at 10 am, riding on a wonderful bicycle track with a spectacular view of the snow capped mountains in the distance as he left the industrial area surrounding the town.
He stopped at a roadside cafe for a warm up cup of coffee - the shop was Cafe Generosa in Al Padreiro...he knew he needed generous doses of coffee and sunshine to ride in today.
There were men drinking glasses of red wine-obviously the coffee wasn't enough of a warm up for them!
After the break he ventured on to San Esteman where a photo stop was needed to capture the picturesque harbor and the estuary, flanked by a majestic medieval castle on the right bank.
At Pinera another photo stop captured the Vila Maria ( we have a standing joke about Maria - call out that name among the continentals and you're sure to get multiple responses) and a cemetery that was eerily pretty too.
Stopping for lunch at Artido after riding under the most amazing bridges and admiring their imposing structures, Grant rested a bit before pedaling on to Sotto de Luina, another town with a beautiful churches and grandiose bridges that were imposingly picturesque, the churches here were especially important as they are all famous because they are on the Camino trail, which Grant intercepts as he goes along, with passers by shouting encouragement by chanting "Camino, Camino" and clapping for him.
"It was quite a tough day- I had to wait for a while because I wanted to leave without having to ride in torrential rain, and it took a while to subside. About two hours out of Gijon, it started again, starting off with a light drizzle and then coming down in a heavy downpour. It rained throughout the day.I stopped here because I couldn't handle riding in the rain anymore today and about an hour after I had checked in- the rain stops! I managed only 88km."
Grant- voice note
Settling in to a Pension for the night and trying to wait and see what the weather does, Grant has a bit of time to reconsider his planned route and to decide if he wants to ride on the internal roads to try and make some kind of progress towards Santiago and get out of the rain.
Not a bad effort at all in less than perfect cycling conditions!
Our Mission. Their Future.
Wow!! Those photos!! Almost as inspiring as you are! Geez... well done for sticking it out in that grizzly weather... don't know how you do it. One or two days may be kinda bearable, but day after day of unrelenting #$%@!* is no joke! I feel your pain (says she in her comfy armchair). No seriously, G, you deserve a medal! Lovely that you were egged on while on the Camino trail... that must've warmed your heart a bit. Those very high, arched bridges are incredible (my dad, the civil engineer, would have loved them!). All I can say is that I hope the weather doesn't drive you even more crazy than you already are, my fearless friend! Here's wishing…
Words seem inadaquate to describe your determination. You are amazing.