Day 18 – An authentic Asturian Feast

Colunga to Villaviciosa, 19Km

I was sorry to leave the lovely little Hotel Mar del Sueve this morning with a fine breakfast inside me. I shared breakfast with Kim and some other pilgrims but set off alone at my own pace. After only a short distance, Heidi from Copenhagen caught up with me and we walked the rest of the way together. She worked as a journalist covering conflicts in Afghanistan and the Middle East as well as other media work. It was an interesting walk.

The hotel warned me about the lack of any facilities along today’s walk which went inland, far from the coast. However, we found a rustic barn with a vending machine selling all sorts of food and drink. There was also a microwave. It was decorated with notes from the many pilgrims who have passed through it.

In Villaviciosa I found a restaurant offering lunch. It had a fine and varied menu and I could have eaten well. Except, being in Asturias, I decided to order the famed local menu. What could be better than eating authentic local food right in the heart of Asturias?

The first course was a dried meat salad but as I dislike dried meat I asked for a green salad instead. “Si”, the waitress said but brought the dried meat anyway with a delicious crust of fresh bread. I ate the bread.

A drink was included but not beer. This is cider country and the waitress came with a 70cl bottle of 6% strength cider. Rather than dumping it on the table she stood on a little pair of stepladders, popped the cork and poured a little from a great height straight into the glass. The custom is to drink it immediately so I did that and soon remembered that I really don’t like cider.

Next came the house special: Asturian beans. I like beans and they’re so good for you. The waitress appeared smiling and bearing a huge dish of steaming beans in the manner of a midwife presenting one’s latest offspring. I poked around in it. In addition to the beans, there were two pieces of sausage and a large slice of fat, all submerged in a basin full of oil. I ate a few of the beans, apologised to the waitress and asked for the rice pudding which was excellent. I escaped from the restaurant and checked into my hotel, ordering a glass of Estrella Galicia 0% to take the taste away.

And just as I sat down to drink it, I heard a familiar voice, “Howdy Tim!”. Somehow I’ve caught up with Bill from Texas.