I know from experience that Bruno sleeps soundly, so from 6:30 a.m., I start getting ready and make a bit of noise. We agreed to have breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in the owners' restaurant, as it’s included in the price. Slowly, Bruno wakes up, and around 7:45 a.m., he appears in the breakfast room where I am already seated. It’s a simple breakfast with a large roll for each of us, coffee in all possible forms, jam, honey, butter, and tomatoes in small cans with oil; deliciously Spanish. I ask for extra bread and coffee, and the elderly Mrs. Charro, who clearly has a soft spot for a ‘nieto’ (grandchild) traveling with his grandfather, treats us wonderfully. I ask if I need to pay for the extras, but no, they are on the house.
Virginia with Bruno; the misty surroundings of Santa Marina and Bruno on his repaired bike
After breakfast, Bruno first needs to fix the gears on his bike. While I wait for him, a young woman, Virginia, 24 years old, passes by. She has just graduated from the University of Pisa in Mediation Linguistics, which includes translation and interpretation. She is on her way to Santiago with her mother and a family friend to commemorate her father, who recently died of leukemia at the age of 63. Pilgrimages (even by car) as therapy seem to be more common than I thought, not just for me. Then Bruno appears, and I need to help him by holding up the wheel while he tries, through trial and error, to make sure the chain works over all eight gears. This takes more time than he expected, but finally, it functions well. At 10:00 a.m., we can leave and depart from our beautiful colonial house, where we were so kindly taken care of.
The gently rolling hills; the casino of Navia and the surroundings
It thundered and poured rain last night, but now the sky is gray and remains gray all day. The clouds hang low over the hills, so Bruno doesn't get a good view of the various bays we see below us. The landscape and roads go up and down, but the slopes aren’t too steep. In Luarca, after 30 km, we stop at the market square and go for coffee; Bruno gets a large piece of tortilla as well, as he’s already hungry again. Then we go to the Oficina de Turismo for a stamp and get back on our bikes towards Navia. From that town, the road is gently undulating with long, straight stretches, and we make good progress. We make a brief stop in Navia to buy bread; Bruno has another coffee. There’s nothing particularly remarkable in either Luarca or Navia; they’re two cozy little harbors on the Atlantic Ocean with some tourists around. The beaches are deserted, as it’s gray and cool. In Navia, there’s a 15-meter section of a 13th-century city wall that has been preserved, which is quite overblown as a world wonder.
The city wall of Navia. Picnic near Ermita San Pelayo pastTapia
After Navia, we continue cycling, and past Tapia, we stop to have a picnic: Spanish cheese, Iberico ham, and fresh bread, delicious. The last 25 km go smoothly; we cross the Eo River as part of the Ría of Ribadeo (estuary) on a bike path attached to the high Ponte dos Santos. Impressive and a bit frightening, as the bike path is narrow and if someone comes from the opposite direction, there’s a problem. I encountered a cyclist who dismounted, lifted his light bike up, and passed me along the bridge. Once across, we are 1 km from the Hotel de Santa Cruz, where we are warmly welcomed. Bruno immediately starts working on his thesis, and I go out to do some shopping..
I also explore the town, but in the middle of the main square, there’s a noisy fair. The alleys are particularly steep toward the marina, and there isn’t much of great significance to see, but I still take a few photos. Later, we’ll go out to eat at a pulpo restaurant nearby, as Bruno loves pulpo (octopus). Tomorrow we can sleep in a bit longer because we only have 60 km ahead of us, with one steep climb. Cycling together is a pleasant experience between grandson Bruno and grandpa Yves; when it’s tough, we stay quiet and pedal on, and when it gets easier, we chat. I truly have a wonderful oldest grandson, who is very considerate given my age, but that also irritates me a little sometimes…
Ribadeo
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