small catch up

so I am in Lugo and this is the first t¡me I have had internet access since I left Oveido. wonderful country, some tiring days and some incredibel people. Will send more details when I get to Santiago and have a day or so to rest and resupply before leaving for Morocco.
Got to Asturias airport a week or so and was feeling good as the bus for Oveido was right outside and leaving shortly. things were obviously going well. got off the bus and didn´t know where to go. Was in a part of northern spain that doesn´t see many anglo tourists so noone spoke english. Couple of guys were very helpful and downloaded google instructons for how to get to the >Cathedral where I thought there would be Camino information. Goodle instructions didn´t work. Met a fellow pilgrim who gave me bad instructions. Figured out on my own how to get to the cathedral. Noone there. No information. Found pilgrim´s hostal and all OK. Went for dinner and saw stuff happening looking like a kid´s festival. Very cool with many families out enjoying themselves. many people out socializing but noone eating. I forgot the Spanish day which includes dinner not usually earlier than 9. Earlier on the other camino where there are more foreigners but this camino has fewer travellers and fewer foreigners. mainly spanish. returning to the pilgrim´s hostal (albergue) I saw a tv crew interviewing what appeared to be two local celebrities. I walked right by them but they had no interest in me. Imagine that. checked out the camino route out of town for the next morning and went to bed.
NEXT MORNING Tuesday started walking in the early morning. First 10 k were strenuous. kept going and got to Grado about 28 k where there was an albrgue but the tourism office informed me that there wasn´t an albergue anymore in Grado and I would have to walk an extra 3 k to San Juan de Villapanada which by the way had no food service or bar or cafe nearby. It was really hot and I was tired. I started walking. Didn´t buy any food cause I dind´t see anything open and I was really tired and it was hot. >The way out of town was steep up hill of course. Got a bit short of the albergue and someone leaving it stopped and asked me some qustions that I didn´t answer well as they were in Spanish and I was hot and tired. Told me to go on and it turns out he was the volunteer custodian (hospitalero). Got there and took a bunk in the dorm. Got into the routine and took a shower and washed my clothes in the sink and hung them outside to dry. People got together to put together a meal. I bought a bottle of wine as a contribution. Much fun. The local celebrities were there. Pilgrims got togther in one of the traditional activities in the evening. bandaging feet and checking out each other´s feet and toes and blisters. There was more up and down than in 2008 on the Camino France and I don´t seem as strong. Boots that fit at home don´t fit as well here. ¿how can that be?
Wed Sept 1 - a tiring day but not as bad as the previouos day. Walked with Maria and her son Pau and sometimes ¨Kiko and his partner Merced. they are the people interviewed on tv the other night not cause they were local celebrities but cause they were the 3,000th people to start the camino primitivo ´CP´ from Oveido this year. Everyone got up in the dark and ready and waited half hour or so until it was light although a couple of people started by headlight. local note - someone mentioned to me that something happened at nine o´clock in the afternoon. Got to albergue in Salas and was lucky to get a bunk. thought I would end up with a mattress on the floor or worse. couldn´t shower cause everyone had used all the hot water so went to lunch with others. Had lunch with Oliver a dentist from Quebec (note - saw him a day or so later but not since and is only other Canadian I have met on the CP. no yanks or brits or aussies at all.) after lunch went looking for some shower sandals. asked Pao along cause he seemed bored. think he thought I wanted his help which I let him give. Have to see how this route works out. It is hotter and steeper than the route I did in 2008 ( spanish note ' bars and cafes serve many drinks - pop and beer in 200 ml containers)
Thursday Sept 2 shared brief breakfast and set out with 4 or so. Climbed steadily for 2 hours or so. after climb route was basically up and down. got separated from others and when I got to Tineo was lost and couldn´t find albergue. helpful local figured out that directions wouldn´t help so he walked me about 1 k or so and bought me a drink along the way to the albergue. tired and taking off pack and boots helped and shower rejuvenated me. did laundry in outside basin. no plug but the plug I brought with me worked and others borrowed mine. lost raincoat along the way. old raincoat no loss but must have one so Maria helped me find sports hop and buy raincoat - cheap but adequate. Internet available in >Tineo but by the time I had dealt with essentials it wasn´t available. Forgot to mention the countrywoman we met on a country lane. she asked us to wait until her son had driven her cows past - no problem. she was dressed as a spanish countrywoman with simple old dress but had several bracelets on each arm, rings on each finger and several gaps in her front teeth. Her speech was simple and declarative and I learned afterwards that she had dealt with the marital status of each of the women pilgrims she was talking with. The pilgrims I was walking with all looked rather like urban sophisticates compared with her.I keep making decisions to walk a reasonable distnce each day and not push too much but this camino doesn´t work that way. there isn´t many options for accommodation and the stages tend to be long, strenuous and tiring.
Friday Sept 3 - we were going to walk to Borres but 3 k before Borres a woman at the bar cafe said the community alberque at Borres was in poor shape and we should beware. Fortunately she had just opened a brand new private albergue where we were and could put us up and private great and filling meals as well. the albergue was nice and new and she didn´t stint on the toilet paper which is a blessing but the food was poor. the wine she said was homemade and very good. well it was homemade. we decided she was trying to payoff the cost of the ablergue very fast. I thought her flowered suit was curious and Luz, who is sensitive to odours, thought she smelled. Tomorrow we will get up early and do a route variation which evidently isn´t done often - no people, houses, occomodation - 29 k and great views. I strongly suggest we all take lots of water and we take about 3 k each. steep climbs and magnificent views, wild horses and old ruins. Luz who has joined our group is a part time dula who supports pregnant women but not medically - emotionally and psychologically.