melaniehyers
It’s almost 9pm, dinner time. A full-day of walking later and I am ready to dive into this typical Asturian dish of cachopo; cheese and Serrano ham slipped between two sheets of thinly sliced breaded beef.
I’m walking the Camino, Saint James’ Way, with my dear friend Nasco.
Through valleys, over hills and over a still gorgeously intact Roman road(!! ),we made it to the Villa Palatina.
Roman Road 
The Village of Paladín and our fist night on our pilgrimage
The evening is a bit chilly but as I sit here in my shorts and flip flops I am grateful for the chill on my skin after the heat of the day, sweating from our 22km (13mile) hike.
It feels good to be tired!
The North of Spain is emerald green! Pacific Northwest of the US in feel.. and, along with it comes the early morning fog and a delicate mist that tickles as it gently lands on warm skin.
Much of Spain hit the mid 30’s today, Celsius (93 Fahrenheit).. but here, in Asturias, they were keeping it real at about 18 degrees (65 Fahrenheit)!! Perfect for the task we set out for ourselves.
The day started with Nasco and I trying to get the hell outta Dodge…aka, Oviedo. Bank problems, backpack issues and then it was 11am and we were hungry!!
Building faces in Oviedo, I love the architecture here! 
More colorful buildings
I grabbed a cup of caffeination, wrapped up a tortilla española for a bite on the road then headed out!
We started by getting “lost”, or rather, turned around, as we did a bit of zigzagging through roundabouts and streets with “y” directions— it just so happened at the last “y” we chose the wrong arm and lost our way for a bit…. but that’s when we found our first Camino Angel.
Asturian singer, Tino Casal 
Sculpture by Colombian artist Fernando Botero
The Camino is generous, giving, and there are always gifts that appear along the way. Our angel showed up as a lovely lady on her way to the market who took her time to walk us through an unmarked shortcut that meets up with the Camino… We knew we were finally underway when the tell tale veira shell and yellow arrows started marking our journey…
I felt my body relax after several days of stressful bank mishaps which I attempted to manœuvre while finishing up the school year, packing and moving out of my piso, and planning the Camino trip, which admittedly changed so many times I’m not sure if there is a plan, which is fine, just follow the shells.
And now, we have finally begun– destination ‘walk’–325km (201miles) through forests and prairies, pueblos and cities through Asturias and Galicia along the oldest known route to the Cathedral in Santiago, the Camino Primitivo. In the IX century, King Alfonso II made the first pilgrimage to, what was then, the recently discovered tomb of the Apostle James, Santiago. It is known as the original Camino, and the most difficult as it passes over the Cantabrian Mountain Range.
Day one down… 18, 19, maybe even 20 days to go, the path is unfolding!
Today was good, stressful at the start. At times I found myself wondering what the hell am I doing??? But, as the km added up, the meditative flow began, my mind settled down, my thoughts drifted and I found myself noticing the beauty surrounding me; colorful spring flowers, the chirping of the birds, the blue sky, and the quaint pueblos built of stone.
My body aches, my big toes are barking, my left hip feels out of alignment and I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m going to try to count all the sheep I saw today… it feels good to be tired!
