Day 4: Nueva to Grado

Today did not go as expected, but it actually turned out great!

We woke up bright and early to make it to our train that was supposed to leave at 8. So we got all our stuff packed up, walked to the train station, got there early, and waited and waited....

At about 8:20 we decided the train wasn't coming today. So we walked back to the bar next to our Hostel and tried to call a taxi. After trying to call and failing to successfully order a taxi in a reasonable time I decided to go inside, order something and beg for mercy. The bartender graciously called us a taxi to the next town where we were supposed to take a bus to Oviedo.

We finally make it to the bus station in Ribadisella and that's another issue. The bus we need isn't running anymore??? Eventually we figure it out after only getting yelled at by one bus driver. At about 12:30 we're finally rolling into our destination that we were supposed to arrive at around 9:30. Our plan was to arrive in Oviedo, tour the magnificent cathedral, and walk to Grado, a full stage.

By the time we toured the cathedral and all it's grounds it was almost 2....knowing me I couldn't do another day of skipping lunch and we didn't have a bed booked for this evening. We made the decision to get a cab to Grado so I can eat and guarantee a place to sleep. I regret nothing.

(By the way the Cathedral was awesome! We had some time to pray in the very spot where St. John Paul II prayed and see a piece of the true cross as well as thorns from the crown of thorns. What a beautiful and profound experience)

We found a great little hostel. Mom and I are sharing a room with two elderly men who are the cutest. We went and got lunch. We had no idea what we were ordering so we just pointed at a couple things and were pleasantly suprised. I was lucky enough to accidentally order ice cream cake for dessert.

After lunch we showered and drank a couple beers in the gardens of our hostel. I walked the couple blocks and scoped out the church which seemed very locked and went back and reported to mom. At about 6 pm we tried again... again, locked. We were told there was mass at 7... but we decided the next Catholic thing to do was go make friends with our fellow Camino walkers and drink beer.

I was so happy to find a couple of English speaking people making conversation outside and so we grabbed a couple beers and joined in. We made friends with an American who is a police officer in New York named Jack.

We just now ate supper at our hostel and I'm ready for bed. Even though we didn't walk today, I'm still so tired. It's a little funny that we didn't walk at all... but it's ok, we still got our steps in. I'm also happy that it gave my feet a chance to heal. I'm hoping for the best for the rest of our walks!

I'm so excited to fall asleep, still praying for all your requests and hope you're still praying for me and my feet :)