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Our first rainy day in Spain came on Wednesday 17 May. One of the crew members greeted us with a barely disguised scowl on his face. “British weather.” he said.
I am feeling the burden of all these ridiculously mouth-watering meals they keep placing before us. Despite an expanding waistline, I cannot say no to the bread which is always a heavenly revelation, the delicious wines (vino tinto – the red - is my preference) and the array of regional dishes we sample whenever we are at the restaurants. The on-board cuisine is also exemplary. We dined on Tuesday night in a one Michelin starred restaurant, “El Corral del Indianu” in Arriondas where we had “berthed” overnight. I will never forget the bite-sized appetizer I ate first, Bombón de queso Cabrales, chocolate blanco y manzana asada (goat cheese with roasted apple bonbon – encased in white chocolate). It may sound an odd combination but it was divine.
Before starting this train journey, I thought I might be able to exercise some restraint vis à vis food, but I was wrong. Every meal they set before me in the dining cars of El Transcantàbrico is a delight. On Wednesday we
were served favada for lunch, a white bean stew with local pork meats. It was outstanding. Unfortunately, that was after sampling a mid-morning snack at Lake Enol in the Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa on a moodily foggy and misty day at a rustic eatery nestled just above the lake. I say unfortunatley because my stomach can only hold so much! Plates of the local blue goat’s cheese called Cabrales accompanied by bread were served together with another white cheese made from cow, goat and sheep’s milks and also a local chorizo styled sausage. All of this was washed down with traditionally poured local cider. I am not even going to mention the sanctuary at Covadogna we visited on Wednesday or the roman bridge at Cangas de Onís. The food delicacies on that day eclipsed the sightseeing, in my humble opinion.
The rain rather dampened the late afternoon’s walking tour of Oviedo and San Julián de los Prados. My attention kept being highjacked by my squelching shoes and the cascading rain.
Thursday the weather cleared up somewhat but the day proved cold. Avilés had a very nice old town section although the outer areas of the
city were rather industrial and less attractive. In Gijón (the pronunciation reminds me of the hee haw sound a donkey makes) we had a mercifully light fish meal at the Parador Nacional Molino Viejo entertained by stories told by some of our fellow travellers who originally hail from Cuba.
Luarca was our final stop for the day. We had traversed some of the most spectacular scenery of the ride to reach this seaside town which is set in a deep valley; the scenery from the little chaple of Eremita de la Regalina of crashing seas to one side and seaside harbour to the other is quite something.
On Friday, the forecast was for another cold day and this time we headed into our final region of the trip – Galicia. Already from our window we could see a change in the architecture of the local houses. Previously, there had been chunky, squat cottages made of stone with terracotta curved roof tiles; in Galicia, the houses are usually plastered, painted and their roofs are made of the local slate. There are swathes of eucalypts covering the hills. The trees are fast growing and are used for their timber but
they have taken up the land where the traditional oaks used to grow which the locals do not like. I also often see the most beautifully constructed dry stone walls.
Our stay in the town of Ribadeo was leisurely and we enjoyed another very good meal in the Parador Nacional de Ribadeo which featured fish. Earlier in the day, the majestics rocks at Playa de Las Catedrales had been well worth the visit. In the afternoon, we visited a sleepy town Viveiro and on return to the train we had to begin the task of packing up our luggage.
Well, I am writing this last little bit on the last day of the tour having said goodbye to all the lovely people we travelled with and to our simpaticissima guide Cristina. She started crying, so then others started crying.
But, on the up side, we are now in Santiago de Compostella on a lovely sunny day and have the rest of the afternoon to explore, just the two of us once again, along with the seemingly hundreds of pilgrims who are converging on the city. The main square just outside the cathedral is teeming – one crowd
of pilgrims arrived to the sound of cheering from the rest of us who were gathered there. There is a real buzz of solidarity in the air, but of course, I haven’t done the camino, so I look on and simply drink it all in.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Spain
The joys of train travel