It was nice having the unexpected bed for Viki and ground for me last night! We woke up at 6:45am but got ready slowly because it was a chilly 13 degrees and we didn’t want to go outside. We finally set off by 8am to clear skies and a beautiful, but tough day to come.
We passed by Santillana del Mar, which is listed as one of the “Bonitos of Spain” and was highly recommended to see by Augustin yesterday (though we didn’t stop). At 25km we stopped in the beautiful and quaint town square of Comillas for coffee and pastries. Just as we were leaving I got a flat tire right at the valve (maybe from being too aggressive when pumping?) So I fixed the tire and Viki took a nap.
We continued on past more beautiful seaside towns, which we talked about visiting again in the future. At 60km we stopped for spanish omelet and cider (Asturias is famous for it, “sidra”) with me not realizing that cider comes in a 700mL bottle at 6.5%. The tortilla had ham in it, but wasn’t our favorite, since the flavors didn’t come together as nicely as others we’ve tried (it’s been fun to try this typical dish in many places and taste the differences!)
After an already hilly day, we then began two big climbs as we entered Picos de Europa, one around 350m and one around 250m. I cycled the last bit of one twice, since I started chatting with another cyclist, Jose Antonio from Llanes, and then cycled back down to rejoin Viki. There were cows in the middle of the road and many sharp bends, so important to stay mindful while riding!
We arrived to our hotel in Beni de Onis in the evening, checked in to a nice room, had ice cream in the village square, and are looking forward to another relaxing day tomorrow.
