Camino de San Salvador Days 4 & 5

May 29, 2023

After a cold and rainy night, the day started clear and sunny. I didn’t sleep well the night before from a combination of an uncomfortable mattress and a snoring roommate. I set off around 7:45 for a mile of steep downhill from Pajares to meet up with the main Camino route again. It was steep but not as bad as I was anticipating. Most of the day was spent following overgrown trails over undulating terrain. And with the storms from the previous night, there was plenty of mud and puddles. The best part was the two waterfalls that had taken over the trail and required some wading to get across! You could hear the rushing water long before you could see it. It was beginning to get hot so walking through the water was actually quite refreshing!

I finally made it to Herías and turned to Bendueños, about 1.5K off the Camino. It was straight uphill for at least half a mile. There was a building on top but that was not the destination. Instead, the road went down again and through the village of Bendueños until I finally saw the turnoff to get to the albergue and church. I was the only one there and the doors were locked. I waited outside for about an hour before I got the brilliant idea to check for keys under the doormat. And there they were!

This Albergue is so cute and unique!  The upstairs had 8 beds and a couple of tables with lots of crocheted bedspreads. There is a spiral staircase that leads downstairs to the kitchen, dining area, and bathrooms. There was even a washing machine although I didn’t know how to use it. I quickly hand-washed my clothes and hung them outside while there was still sun. Then the rain came, of course. I brought everything inside then the hospitalero, Sandra arrived with a pot of soup for dinner. Evidently, there was a big party the night before and she was very tired.

Soon after, the only other pilgrim arrived. She is an American from New York and we have stayed at the same place every night so far. We were the only ones here for the night.   Sandra came back and took us on a tour of the church. They are in the process of restoring the frescos in the back of the sanctuary which are just incredible. She had lit the gas heater in the Albergue for us but didn’t want us to sleep with the heater on. It was a little chilly that night!

I’m feeling pretty good so far. Getting into the routine of the Camino life again. The next few nights are at hotels/private rooms and I’m very excited about that!

May 30, 2023

This was my least favorite day so far. So much road walking!  I left the albergue this morning just after 8:00 with Christine. She opted to take a shortcut which was a steep downhill trail that was wet and muddy. I opted to stay on the road back to Herías and join the Camino where I left it yesterday. After passing thru Herías and heading up a steep hill, the trail became a wet and muddy tractor trail with slippery sheets of rock. It was a long and steep downhill and it was here that I had a major slip and fall. My left leg went out from under me out straight while my right leg bent up behind me (like doing a quad stretch). I laid on my back saying many choice words. It was like being a turtle on its back trying to get up again with no traction on my feet. I’m sure it would have been quite entertaining to watch. Luckily, the only injury was a bruised shin right below my knee.

The rest of the day was walking through a series of villages along the highway. The river was there too but the road noise ruined the mood. Between the towns were long stretches of road walking. From walking on the road with quite a few cars and cyclists to walking along a service road right next to the highway. Then there were many miles of walking on a hike/bike sidewalk along the river all the way into Mieres. The day’s highlight was the Santa Cristina de Lena Hermitage (above). It was beautiful and majestic sitting high on a hill. Unfortunately, its opening hours are in the afternoon so I couldn’t see inside.

I did stop at a Mercadona in Lena to get some food for lunch and snacks and it took me several more miles of walking to find a shady bench to sit at and take a break. When I finally arrived at my hostel, my feet were done!  I ended up with bruises on top of both feet to go along with my shin. The 14 miles I walked that day felt like many more!