Day 7: Mieres to Oviedo

Day 7: Mieres to Oviedo

We might not get much sleep tonight with the San Mateo wine festival going on here in Oviedo. We should be out there celebrating, too, after making it to our final destination, but we’re tuckered out after hiking  21.5 km from Mieres del Camino to Oviedo.

What a great day! What made it extra special was an invitation for coffee as we were coming down a narrow trail towards Casares. First a little  dog started barking which alerted a Spanish family from Madrid who were vacationing there at a little house on the hillside. They are Balbiya (Babi); Yolanda (Yoli); and Javier (Javi). Javi spoke good English but said he doesn’t get much practice and is afraid of making mistakes. He welcomed the opportunity this morning to speak English just as I was happy to try out the little Spanish I know. Slowly I am gaining more confidence.

When Dave and I reached Oviedo mid-afternoon, we headed straight to the cathedral and presented our Credentiales at the entrance and received our Salvadoranas (special certificates of completion), “Congratulations!” (music to our ears), and free admission to the cathedral. 

Now that our Camino de San Salvador is over, I would sum it up by saying it was my favourite Camino. I think Dave agrees. It was the most challenging, most rewarding, and most beautiful. We saw fewer than a dozen other pilgrims but we had more interactions with the wonderful local population. Unforgettable! 

Here are some photos of our final day and one video of what’s going on outside our hotel window right now. I hope the video works and, if it does, turn up the volume! 🤣 Next: the north coast.

26 thoughts on “Day 7: Mieres to Oviedo

    1. Thank you, Pat! The Salvadorana we received yesterday definitely needs to be framed. The last certificate we got is still in a tube but this one has more meaning.

  1. Congratulations Judy and David,
    Wow, it does seem like it went fast. And I’m inspired to hear you say it’s your favourite Camino. The pictures were beautiful.
    And now onto the Norte. Look forward to following along!
    Take care,
    Toni

  2. Huge CONGRATULATIONS to you both! How special that this Camino was your favourite. Your pictures show the beautiful scenery so well. Thank you for all your stories. Enjoy savouring your accomplishments. Hope you got some rest with that party going on!

    1. Thank you so much, Cathy! It was well past midnight before the celebrations outside our hotel ended. We’re at the ocean now for a new journey after a better rest tonight. 😴 💤

  3. Well done you two – what an accomplishment!!! Through all the ups and downs you made it and what stories you have to tell. Love the pictures and the video – cherish the moment – to celebrate. And onward it is – 👏💕

  4. Congratulations Judy and Dave. What an amazing accomplishment to get up and walk 20+ Km every day. So enjoyable following your journey and seeing your beautiful photos.

  5. So glad you enjoyed it – I agree the best Camino in my opinion – of course I can only comment in comparison to the others I have done! Well done and enjoy Oviedo

    1. Thank you, Joanna! I didn’t think at the beginning when temperatures were so high that it would be my favourite Camino but it is. Breathtaking, really! And making connections with the local population rather than just other pilgrims made it so special, too.

  6. Congratulations to you both! It was a real pleasure for us to meet you and share that time together chatting in our house. You were a great example of courage and energy for us! 👏🏼👏🏼

    We hope you have a great journey, the three of us (four with Shiva 🐶) will follow your adventure through this well-written blog! Keep on pushing! 💪🏼

    Best regards,

    1. Thank you so much, Javi, for you hospitality. We really enjoyed meeting you and your family and Shiva, too. (Thanks to Shiva for being such a good watch dog!) Spending that time with you and your family made our journey very special!

  7. Congratulations! The time seemed to go so fast! I really enjoyed reading your posts and the photos are beautiful! Looking forward to seeing and hearing all about your travels in a few weeks!

  8. A big accomplishment indeed! Congrats and wishing that all goes well on the next leg of your journey. We will share our travel stories soon! 😎

    1. Thank you, and I’m looking forward to your travel stories, Diane. You’ll have two countries to tell about and we’ll have two Caminos! 😊

  9. It’s official – you’ve completed the first leg of what turned out to be a more challenging, but rewarding journey. Huge Congrats to both of you! Glad to hear you’re now resting at the seaside before the next adventure begins. We so look forward to reading about your trip each day and enjoy the photos. Can’t wait to see the whole ‘slide show’ when you return.

    1. Thank you! I’m so glad you are enjoying our journey, Maggie. We’ll have a “video night” eventually after Dave gets all the photos in order.

Leave a Reply to Denise Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *