Oviedo, Spain Day 2
Day 4 was intended as a zero day, as in zero miles. A day to recover and enjoy the sights of the city. The thing is, I live my life like a kitten chasing their favorite yarn ball. I rarely convince myself to rest and do nothing. So instead of taking a zero day in the city and lounging in the local haunts, I decided to hike up a mountain.
The call to climb hit me while I was washing laundry in the city laundromat. There was a giant statue of Jesus staring down at me from a mountain. In my opinion, Jesus is the coolest of all time. (Or am I supposed to say the coolest beyond time?) And here was a giant statue of Him right next door to my city. Probably close enough to walk to - if I wasn’t on a zero day. Then again, I wasn’t confident of returning to Oviedo EVER IN MY LIFE, and technically I was on a pilgrimage, and wasn’t visiting a Jesus statue so much more valuable than seeing the empty church buildings on my official route? My thoughts did circles with my hiking clothes in the dryer.
And so I found myself a couple hours later, “ONLY” walking toward the base of the mountain. And then not stopping when I had to cross a city mile and a giant park to finish getting to the base of the mountain. And then asking an elderly lady who looked upset with the world how long it would take to get to the top of the mountain. And then skittering up the trail hoping that the nasty brewing storm that was blowing toward the peak would skip over me - maybe in the name of a miracle for someone trying to go see a Jesus statue. I went to the very top on my non-zero day. Past a couple of tourist bars strategically placed where you might want water or a spectacular view from the cliff-side. Past a lot of cars on a windy mountain road I probably didn’t need to use. I am convinced there was a dirt trail somewhere for the people who knew two bits about the area. Up and around and up and around. And I made it to the top.
It was a super cool sight to see the statue up close. I think it was about 40 feet tall. The mountain is called Mount Naranco and I highly recommend you check it out if you are in Oviedo. I was feeling stubborn about not using a car during my portion of the camino, but you can drive all but the last 5 minutes to the statue if you are short on time.
To make a surprise hike even more memorable, I found nun cookies on my way home from the mountain. My friends back home had explained that some of the nuns in Spain sell cookies to the general public and you can buy them if you stumble upon a church with this practice. I was tickled pink when I realized the banner I was looking at was a sign for nun cookies and I purchased a box of the snacks from the cathedral.
I ended the day in a very simple but splendidly clean pension. The Pension Romero, Calle Uria 38 in Oviedo. After sampling the cookies I laid down in bed exhausted and had a beautiful night’s sleep. I ate a few more cookies the next morning before tossing them out in a nearby trashcan. When all of your possessions are in your hiking bag, you’ve got to pack simply.
