Day 1: Oviedo - Paladin
“Shall I ring the bell?” Niek asks.
“Go ahead, we’re here now anyway,” I say. He forgot his pilgrim passport at home and needs a new one, which is why we are now standing in front of a women’s convent where a bell hangs with a Spanish text (incomprehensible to us) attached to it.
A nun opens the door and rattles off an incomprehensible Spanish story. “Si, si, si,” we say, nodding. Then she goes to stand by the road and points to the cathedral; there we buy a passport for Niek.
After some food and drink and stocking up in Oviedo, we walk 26 km to Paladín, partly thanks to a small loop on and around a hill. There we stay in a super nice hostel where there are all kinds of other people from all over the world.
Feet are doing well, fitness too. Breaks every now and then, drink lots of water, and keep going!