Pilgrim Life on the Road to Santiago

The past couple of days have been somewhat uneventful but with no lack of beautiful views with every turn of the head. The Camino del Norte has us on pavement. Climbs of 600 feet and back down again have become normal. The weather has not been as hot and humid as it had been. We have enjoyed every minute and are getting along quite well!
We have a new habit forming. Getting in the middle of organized races. Today's was a Half Iron Man Triathlon. We started seeing signs of officials and police on corners but when we saw a police motorcycle go by with flashing lights and the lead rider, we knew something was up. Then we realized that all the riders on the other side of the road were going to be coming back and passing us, things got interesting. Groups of spectators cheered us on as we passed. One guy yelled in Spanish, "He's riding for two!"
The off road riding today was great. Hard but well packed surface with little to slip on. We ride along listening to music from our little stereo mp3 player mounted on the bike so we can both listen. Its hard to not smile. Everyone loves the tandem as we pass.
The food here has been great. Being along the coast there is Seafood at every stop. These people know how to eat and are quite proud of it. They love sharing tips as to what is local and what we should not miss.

The photos of the Medieval town are Santillana Delmar. It attracts tourists from all over Europe. Its hard to not see someone taking a photo with their phone. When we arrived it was starting to shower, so people were running for cover. Most Tourists do not spend the night, so the streets were a little less crowded when we headed out for dinner at 7:30.

Heading out the next morning we came across the French Pilgrim in red. We had seen him the day before taking a break on the side of the road.We called out "Bien Camino!" (That we do when ever we see a Pilgrim or a group) He shouted back with a big smile.
He told us today that he had been bitten by a dog and had just spent 2 days in the hospital because of it. Nice fellow, when we last saw him he was telling his story to a large group of older French tourists on the corn

We are finishing our first week on the road today. We have another two days before we have a day off the bike in Oviedo. After that we will be on the road for another full week to finish in Santiago. So far we have only had one flat and the broken derailleur cable. Smooth going for the most part we wake every day looking forward to our days adventure!