Ponferrada

The bus arrived in Ponferrada at midday, where I was met by Jorge from Hacienda El Val.  After doing some shopping and banking, we drove to his place a it 5 kms out of town. He stopped on the way to pick a big bunch of yellow iris growing by the roadside because tomorrow is his saints day!

The restoration of this old hacienda is very much a work in progress, as he puts in new guest rooms and numerous other projects. He cooked a late lunch of Caldo (soup), followed by trout stuffed with jamon.  It was now raining heavily and I was glad to be inside.

Later we went for a short drive to the village where he was born. We looked at some very interesting restorations of houses which had been done with no expense spared. Kevin M should come here with his film crew!

Oviedo Cathedral

After a good siesta, I was ready to tackle the cathedral San Salvador. There was recorded guided tour in English which would take 90 mins to do the lot. Highlights were beautiful cloisters and a museum upstairs which contained part of the shroud of Jesus when he came down from the cross, bloodstained!

There were few signs of the early building apart from a low crypt. The structure was very Gothic, with a really elaborate carved wooden altar screen from the Baroque era. In a sheltered area outside was a pilgrims' cemetery.

Pilgrims' cemetery just below the arches

Floor of cloister

Ancient olive tree near pilgrims' cemetery

Up bright and early this mornng to catch the 8.30 bus to Ponferrada via Leon. The first part pf the journey was spectacular, with the motorway streaking through the mountains, over viaducts and through tunnels, with frequent warnings about accident black spots. You need to have a clear head to drive at speed on these roads, with a steep drop on one side into the valley below. On our left was the sharp pointed peaks of the Picos de Europa NP.

The road from Leon was much more boring: much nicer on foot than on a bus. I could remember bits from last year, and we saw several pilgrims making their way along the Camino when it came close to the road. There was a thunderstorm as we approached Ponferrada. Hope this isn't the end of the good weather!

Oviedo continued...

Next, on to the second church on the hill, San Miguel de Lillo, also built in 848. No photos allowed inside.  The latice window on the southern wall was sculptured from one single piece of stone.

I walked back down the hill into town, about 3 kms, had a quick coffee at the station, and then decided to take a taxi to the 3rd important monument, San Julian de Los Prados. This is the largest remaining pre Romanesque church. A sign said it was closed except for Sundays, but some workers were inside repairing the floor. I really wanted to see the frescoes, but they wouldn't let me in. Finally they said I should go and ask the rector who lived next door. After some persuasion he let me have 5 minutes inside!

Information from the internet about this church:

San Julián de los Prados is also known as Santullano, and was the largest Christian construction in Spain up until the 11th century.

The church of San Julián de los Prados, or Santullano, is among the monuments in Oviedo and Asturias designated a World Heritage site by the UNESCO. It is located in Pumarín, a suburb of Oviedo located to the right of the A-6 motorway. The church is in pre-Romanesque style and was built between 812 and 842, in honour of the martyrs Julián and Basilisa, a married couple who retired into monastic life. The roof of the building is made of wood, apart from the three apses at the head which are crowned with barrel vaults. It has a basilical floor plan with three naves, a transept and three doorways, two of which are lateral. The naves are separated by pillars and semi-circular arches. The mural paintings at Santullano are worthy of special mention. They are packed with geometrical symbols and figures in a wide variety of colours

The wooden roof is visible through the arch

I had lunch at the Spanish time of 2.00 pm at a Sidreria near my hotel. Asturias is  famous for cider and cheese.

Lunch Menu in Oviedo:

Sidra 6.5%

Scrambled egg w mushrooms and prawns

Pimientos de Padron

Cider v refreshing, not sweet at all, but quite alcoholic!  Waiters like to pour it into the glass from a great height.

Total: €21.80

Free taste of local Asturian cheese on way out!

Oviedo monuments

The sun rises at 7.30 in this part of Spain. Today the town was covered in a blanket of fog early on, but by 10.00 am it had lifted to become a lovely sunny day.  I took the bus up to Monte Naranco from outside the station.

Santa Maria del Naranco was built in 848 as a palace for Ramiro I of Asturias, and later converted into a church. Now it is a world heritage site. It is one of the prime examples of Pre Romanesque architecture.

I had to take a tour in Spanish to see inside, but fortunately I had extensive notes from Wikipedia with me. It is an early example of a building which had a vaulted stone roof and not a wooden one. The view from the upper floor down into Oviedo was stunning.

Oviedo

My plane from Dubai left half an hour late, so it was touch and go whether I would catch my connection in Madrid for Oviedo.  I had to race through the airport like a mad thing!  I caught it by the skin of my teeth.

I watched Mr Turner en route.  It was full of atmosphere but hard to follow the plot because the sound through headphones was so poor. Must watch it again properly. 

The route into Asturias Airport went along the coast near Gijon, before turning inland again. On arrival at Oviedo I found that the next bus into town was at 6 pm in 45 minutes time. But the trip was worth the wait - a real scenic drive through mountainous country. I was torn between looking out the window or playing with the free wi fi, which is a feature of all ALSA buses in Spain. 

In Oviedo, I had to find my way to Hotel Vetusta, where I was booked for two nights. I was pretty tired by this time, but after a bowl of soup and a red wine, I just had to make a quick walk as far as the cathedral and was rewarded by seeing the west facade bathed in the light of the setting sun.

Hotel Vetusta

I'm off then!

This is a famous phrase in Camino circles. I'm currently sitting in Dubai Airport waiting for my flight to Madrid. Not much sleep was had last night. The Emirates flight was packed as usual, so no chance to stretch out.

Hope we get away on time as I have a very tight connection in Madrid to catch the Oviedo plane.

Planning for 2015

Accommodation list 2015


Depart Perth on Sunday, 19 April.  Arrive Madrid and fly Iberia to Oviedo on the afternoon of Monday 20 April.

M 20. Oviedo Vetusta bkd

T 21. Oviedo. Vetusta bkd  (visiting Naranco churches)

By bus to Leon and Ponferrada

W 22. Hacienda El Val, near Ponferrada

Th 23. Hacienda El Val, near Ponferrada (visiting Las Medulas)

F 24. Villafranca Las Donas del Portazgo bkd

S 25 Ruitelan (21k)

S 26. O'Cebreiro (9k) Venta Celta bkd

M 27. Triacastela (21.3k)

T 28. Samos (10k) Hotel A Veiga bkd

W 29. San Mamede (13k) Paloma y Lena bkd by email (Confirm the day before).

Th 30 Barbadelo (10.7) Casa Barbadelo bkd

F 1 Portomarin (18k) Portomino bkd

S 2. Lestedo (20k) Rectoral de Lestedo bkd

S 3. Melide (20.4) Hotel Carlos bkd

M.4 Ribadiso (12.7) Los Caminantes bkd

T. 5 Salceda (14.2) Albergue Turistico bkd

W 6 Villamaior (19k) Casa de Amancio bkd

Th 7. Santiago (9k) Hotel Virxe da Cerca bkd

F 8. Santiago Hotel Virxe da Cerca bkd


ALSA bus to Oporto dep at 12.00 and arrives Oporto at 15.15 (4 hrs 15 mins with time change).


S 9. Porto Lounge Hostel and Guesthouse bkd

S 10 Porto Lounge Hostel and Guesthouse bkd

Walking on Camino Portuguese