After breakfast and a long neighborhood walk, we had a good lunch nosh and then headed out to the agricultural fair. This ended up being a huge thing with massive tractors and farming equipment, live poultry for sale, food booths, horse demonstrations etc. We probably didn’t even get to a quarter of it. Watching a lady have horses dance for performance was really cool. Then it was off to a very windy beach for another walk and back to the chateau for a bite before Léopoldine’s friends went to the train station.

Started today with a metro ride to Gare St Lazare, then 2 hour train ride to Carentan. Joan was on the same train, and picked up by Léopoldine and her friends at the station. We immediately headed to Chez Roget for lunch which turned out to be a lovely old house converted into a great restaurant. The menu was a number of delicious courses and a bottle of champagne was consumed. Then it was off to town for a coffee and a walk, a stop at the war memorial and then the family Chateau. Wow!! The place is huge and bit of a maze. We got the tour and settled in, walked around grounds, dodged the watch Geese, who are quite aggressive. Then a long nosh on dinner. Leo had bought 6 dozen oysters! Big fireplace in the kitchen dining room. Much fun!

A lovely fall day in Paris today. Handyman due at 10:00am for some more plastering. Went over to storage space to get my bag, then coffee at Peloton, then picked up some drain cleaning fluid and met Joshua, the handyman. He is a Kiwi. Put up a couple more layers of plaster and then went out for paint. I put drain cleaner down the kitchen drain for 30 minutes and did get major improvement. Lunch at Brigade du Tigre with Joan from Seattle. Back to apartment. Dinner at Avant Comptoir du Terre and then a glass at La Lutetia on Ile St. Louis where I met Harlan from Port Townsend. Did shower drain with cleaner and sink again. Fumes not nice but it did seem to work! Train to Normandy early AM from Gare St. Lazare.

After breakfast at my favorite coffee place in San Sebastián, Simona Coffee Club, it was back to the Pension, then bus to Euskotren station and then about 30 minute ride to Hendaye just over the border in France. A quick lunch at the cafe there and then train to Montparnasse, about 4.5 hours. Had an upper deck first class seat and for most of the ride it was not crowded. Arrived Montparnasse only about 4 minutes late, which considering the turmoil of yesterday was great. Bus 96 to apartment, and then some settling in before heading over to St. Germain for dinner. Apartment has some painting and repairs in process and I did some drain clearing. Avant Comptoirs were too noisy and too crowded so some not great duck at les Editeurs across the street.

After a quick tram ride to the Bilbao bus station, one of the nicest bus stations ever, it was an hour and twenty minute ride on the ALSA Supra bus to San Sebastián. My usual hotels were way overpriced, so staying in a pension in the old town area that I like. Nice room, clean, small balcony, good location. Pension Iturriza in case you want to book it. Went out to get some Tapas and Pinxtos for lunch and do some walking around. As evening came, so did rain, off and on, which gave way to very strong winds. Umbrellas had to be retracted! Tomorrow it is back to Paris, with Euskotren and SNCF. Hopefully the block everything strike of today will be over!

After a lovely evening last night, took bus to Bilbao. For those planning trips to Spain, make sure you download the ALSA app, they are the primary bus company in Spain. It is worth trying for the SUPRA service which gives you wider seats and more direct service. In this case about 4.5 hours, but went by quickly and comfortably. I have been to Bilbao a number of times and have stayed at this hotel, AXEL, a number of times, so easy to get around from here. My first visit to Bilbao I was not enamored of it, but on subsequent visits I have grown to like it. Today, 1.5 hour bus ride to San Sebastián. I have done the Euskotren for this, but it stops something like 40 times and takes 2.5 hours for the same trip.

Did a little exploring of Gijon today. Went to the Aquarium which was quite good but obsessed with toxic animals of different sorts. After an excellent piece of Sea Bass at El Globo, back for a nap and then dinner with my NH friend Micheal’s in laws. This was very fun, his 80 yr old mother in law is a lot of fun and various other teenagers and Sister and brother in laws showed up for a total of many people all relaxed and raucous, felt right at home! So fun to be invited to someone’s home when traveling!

Quite the bus ride from Villaviciosa. All turns and switchbacks for the better part of an hour straight. I am not particularly prone to motion sickness, but I was feeling distinctly uncomfortable by the end of the ride. The Parador in Gijon is a lovely historic building but unfortunately a mile plus from the historic center. Dropped my stuff and walked into the center along lovely beach promenade. Found some lunch and then headed for the railway museum. Also took in the Roman bath ruins along the way. After getting my room and some down time, met up with friends of my NH neighbor and we has a fabulous evening out. Lots of celebrations for local saints going on, so the whole town is in party mode. We went to a local place for dinner and had seafood, octopus, calamari and Tuna. Delicious. Great evening, off and on rain.

Wow, quite the evening at the hotel in Colunga. Not much Gluten Free, but had a salad and some Gazpacho on top of the ham happy hour and that did the job. Solid duo playing American Blues classics, all outside. Very nice. Took the bus today as it turned out to be really hot and there was a lot of distance and hills involved. Small 8 room hotel and Villvicisio was having their annual Cider festival. Lots of people, many still going now after 10:00pm. By eating lunch shockingly early by Spanish standards, at 1:00pm I was able to get something, Many were still finishing lunch around 5;00PM.

I realized that between chafing and blisters I was not wanting to walk 20km today, so grabbed a bus to the 10km mark and walked from there. Seemed like a really long 10km! Some beautiful scenery but a lot more of “whose bright idea was this anyway?” Eventually got to my hotel feeling barely coherent, but rallied after a shower. So, slight change of plan going forward, tomorrow is Villaviciosa which looks like a decent size town, so will bus there. Then canceled the following night as it was the middle of nowhere and booked an extra night in the Paradore in Gijon. A neighbor in NH is married to a lady from Gijon so I am very much looking forward to meeting them.