We took a bit of a break after our stay at the farmhouse albergue in Peón. In the morning we set off with four friends on a path that started with a serious climb and descent.

We arrived at the town of Deva after walking six kilometers. Our friends moved on. We caught a bus to the nearby city of Gijon, where we replenished some supplies and found lunch.

Another bus ride took us past the industrial outskirts of Gijon — a part of the Camino that we found others try to avoid — and into the city of Avilés, where we stayed in the charming historic district.

Walking around, we marveled at the architecture and appreciated the ample wide pedestrian passages lined with shops and eateries. One park spotlighted a statue of native son Admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviléz, who founded St. Augustine, Fla., nearly 400 years before Sharon was born there.

The plaque on the statue reads (according to Google Translate):

PEDRO MENENDEZ DE AVILES

1519 – 1574

KNIGHT OF THE HABIT OF SANTIAGO

GENERAL CAPTAIN OF THE OCEAN SEA

ADVANCED AND CONQUEROR FROM FLORIDA WHERE HE FOUNDED THE CITY OF SAN AGUSTIN

Around Avilés

Road to Avilés

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