Thank you for the information. We may end up taking an 1130 pm bus from Madrid to Oviedo . This will allow us to spend a few hrs in Madrid but will get us into Oviedo at 515 am. Hope to sleep a couple hrs on the bus , get credentials and start on pilgrimage that morning . Getting into Oviedo earlier and getting a hotel is still an option but much rather an albergue. We stayed in countless albergues last year and loved the communal atmosphere. Thanx again to all
Buen Comino
Hi, addicted, I have met several people who have done that, night bus to Oviedo and then start walking. If you want to get your credential in Oviedo, you'll need to hang around for a few hours till opening time.
If you are pressed for time, or chomping at the bit to walk, this may be the best solution, but as Thornley suggests, if you have time, consider a stay in Oviedo. I think Oviedo is one of Spain's most beautiful cities. Its historical core and cathedral are beautiful, there are lovely grid-street neighborhoods with stately buildings, the parks are great (both the huge in-town San Francisco as well as the Parque de Invierno on the edge, from which you can usually see snow capped mountains), and the pre-Romanesque 8-9 century church and palace in Naranco, about a 35 minute walk from the train station, are IMO jaw-dropping. And I didn't even start my list of the great street sculptures all around town, including a life sized Woody Allen. It's a sophisticated and perhaps a bit snobbish city, lots of public life, lots of bars, cafes, good food and of course sidra, the very popular cider.
Either way, though, you'll love the Primitivo! Buen camino, Laurie
