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Picos de Europa

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From Oviedo we've headed into the mountains where the camping's been good and the traffic light. View from our campground in Fuente De.  To get here we've ridden through nice country, a misty morning and mostly gradual climbs. Unfortunately we weren't able to try the most expensive cheese in the world, but had an excellent cousin. Exploring beverages is keeping us busy, birds look for our crumbs in camp and we're well rested. Today we skipped riding to take a cable car, hike and picnic. From here we'll go east through the mountains and maybe south a bit to reduce the chance of getting rained on.

From Santiago to Oviedo

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Stephen and I rode north to camp on the coast.  It quickly became more rural (and hiillier) than the rest of the trip. We happened on this 5000-6000 year-old dolmen (tomb) after a massive lunch in a small town. We're here before the summer begins and have found few open campsites unfortunately.  Some only serve people with campers also.   Several nice murals along the way.  And plenty of street art. In  Ferrol we decided to rent a car and drive to Oviedo saving a week of coastal riding and giving us more time to explore in Asturias.  I like Oviedo's old town and we enjoyed the local cider and a good meal (served by a surly waiter) tonight. It's fun to share the experiences and decision-making with a good friend!

To Santiago

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I decided to explore western Galicia and rode 3 days along the Rias Baixas.  I was on and off a variation of the main Camino route and back on the EuroVelo 1 for a bit. See the distance remaining noted down to 10 meters...saw another down to single meter measurement.   Water's still chilly, but I went in. More than 2000 arrive per day in May! Stephen and I met up without hitch and enjoyed paella for dinner.  Off to A Coruña in the morning.

Bom Caminho!

I spent two nights in Porto and enjoyed it.  Here's the view from my room... The long roofs below are port houses where it's aged.  I tried several... Besides having a washing machine in my room (easy clean clothes!), my favorites were the incredible tile work and the sunset watching party just above my room. Yes it's heavily touristed. Porto is a popular starting point for a Camino de Santiago and I decided to follow the Central route to see what it's like.  I passed about 100 walkers by lunchtime over 35km to give an idea of how many are walking. The Camino uses old Roman and medieval routes that had bridges. Many km of cobblestone riding is tough on the wrists. Spring views and primo weather compensate though.  I ended up today at the border with Spain in Valenca so it'll be goodbye to Portugal in the morning.  First we (with Camino walkers) relaxed and had a nice dinner.