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April 19-21
Edited and done May 19
Dear Friends and Families,
 On
Friday (April 19) we left Bilbao heading west along the coat and then
inland into the mountains. Our next two days would be at the Picos de Europa. This is being written just after our drive, arrival at the Posada San Pelayo, and lunch at the Penas Arriba.
Drive
down. The coastal road was pretty spectacular, but not photogenic
for windshield shots. However, when we turned up into the
mountains, anyone could see interesting shots, even shooting out our
little car's screen.
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We are staying at the Posada San Pelayo
and our arrival revealed a picture-perfect Spanish mountain chalet, as
charming as anything Austria has to offer. Language is a bit
harder here, because we could use English or German at an Austrian
chalet, but here it is Spanish only. Oh well, "hands and feet"
work adequately.
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The drive made us hungry,
so we went a kilometer up the hill to the Posada Penas Arriba, a small hotel and
restaurant. The door was open, but the dining room was
empty. Nevertheless, we asked for recommendations (via hand and
foot), heard "baaa" and hoped we had ordered a salad and lamb. Lamb is
what showed up, truly the finest piece of lamb we have ever had. It was
probably born and raised within a few hundred feet. A wonderful
start.
 
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Then it was siesta time.
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The nearest town, about
5kilometers (2 miles) away, was Potes and we went there for our evening
stroll. This time of year it is not filled with tourists, but
from the large number of restaurants and bars, we assume there are
crowded times for sure.
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Saturday dawned bright and sunny. I probably should have gone out
to get dawn photos, but the old body just couldn't get out of the warm
bed. Besides, the pictures from the balcony were enough to get
the idea.
Satellite view of the ring of mountains around us. (Note our track in lower right corner.)
   
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After breakfast, we decided to see if we were brave enough for the
cable car at Fuente Fe. After getting all my photo gear packed
up, we looked up and decided that the process would have been too long,
too expensive, and, mostly, too high.
Instead, we opted for top-down driving and picture taking. We
ended up all over the nearest valleys. We stopped in the
picturesque village of Mogrovejo and a few kilometers farther, we
stopped at a distillery to sample and buy some Orujo de Liebana
firewater.
Eventually, we made it back to Potes for lunch and ordered the local dish, "cocido
Liebana". It is a stew using chick peas and assorted meats.
The broth from the stew is served separately as a soup. It was
all delicious.
The rest of the day was siesta and resting around the hotel, a very relaxing end to our stay in the Picos.
  It's Sunday and, after another good breakfast, we are headed to Oviedo. We'll see what the drive holds.
John and Marianne
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On
Friday (April 19) we left Bilbao heading west along the coat and then
inland into the mountains. Our next two days would be at the Picos de Europa. This is being written just after our drive, arrival at the Posada San Pelayo, and lunch at the Penas Arriba. 
It's Sunday and, after another good breakfast, we are headed to Oviedo. We'll see what the drive holds.