Because Ellen was still feeling the effects of her cough (spoiler alert: it's now better), we took a short day today (only 11 km) to Tineo. Our path continued through the rolling hills and farmland of Asturias.
We arrived in the small city of Tineo a little after noon, and went to the local tourist office to see about hotels and pensions. Just as we were sitting down in the central plaza to make calls from our list, a woman approached and asked if we were looking for a place to stay. (In small towns, non-locals and especially pilgrims with backpacks stand out.) She had a new pension just a couple of blocks away, it had everything we wanted, and that was that.
Tineo is a great combination of older and very modern buildings, and a very friendly place. The sundial below, which we passed on the way into town, is constructed around a life-size sculpture of a pilgrim.
We enjoyed a great mid-day meal in a little outdoor restaurant looking out over the surrounding countryside. We also went to a pharmacy and bought some antibiotics for Ellen, which have worked like magic.
Because this was a Saturday in Spain, the town was in fiesta mode. One event was an annual gathering of motorcyclists (mostly sport bikes, but all kinds including some cool vintage ones). There were dozens cruising around the town, and part of one street was closed off for them to park and schmooze. The other big event was the town's celebration for San Juan. At the edge of town (and visible from our room in the pension), a stage was set up for live music and the celebration. Because things didn't really get going until after 11 (by which time we'd be in bed), we walked up earlier to check things out. Part of the celebration is a bonfire at midnight, and we noted that the bonfire (about 15 feet high) was topped by an effigy of Angela Merkel: a little editorial comment on Spain's present economic situation. There were fireworks, and the music was still going strong at 3 am.
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