Lakes & Cows

The plan was to drive to a couple of mountain lakes and do a good hike around both lakes. The drive was another beautiful drive up a mountain road where the road only seems big enough for one car. You wonder how they decide where they put the railings because most of the time, you are on a steep cliff with nothing from keeping you from going over the side if there is a car coming at you and you need to get over as far as possible so you both can pass.

To find the road to Lago Enol and Lago Ercina you just have to drive past the town of Covadonga. From there it is pretty easy to find the correct road to start going up. It was about a 30 minute drive to the parking lot. The road is closed in the summer, and you have to take busses up because there are so many tourists.

Once parked, we followed the people up the path to the first lake. It is a very picturesque lake with lots of cows around it. From there you have to take another path up for about 15 minutes to get a view of the second lake. And what goes up must come back down to get to the second lake.

We were going to start our hike at the second lake. Little did we know the grass was like a swamp. My shoes and socks were soaked from the beginning, and I had mud on my pants. They must have had a good snow melt because it hasn’t rained since we have been here and it felt like we were in a swamp. Not only that but you have to be very careful of where you step because of all the cows.

We found the trail that we were supposed to be on but it was very muddy. And there were signs for construction on the trail and detours. One of the detours took us up and around some boulders. But once we got the other side we decided it was way too muddy to continue on. We aren’t talking about just a little mud puddle but deep thick mud that you can’t avoid and it went on for as far as we could see.

We decided to turn around and head back. We had already been there for 2 hours and literally only made it about a quarter around the first lake. We still had a decent hike back to the car so we still got a good amount of walking in. On the way back down from the detour, I thought I was stepping on a rock but I was very wrong. Next thing I know, my feet went sliding out from underneath of me and I was on the ground. Yep, I stepped in a very large pile of cow manure. It was very mossy green on the inside and boy was it slippery. After having a very good laugh, I walked back to a water fountain that wasn’t that far away to at least wash my hands and try to get some of it off of my pants. But the damage was already done and I smelled and looked like I fell in cow manure. It sure was a fun drive back to the hotel in smelly clothes.

Good thing the lakes were so beautiful and I got a good laugh in at the same time. Sometimes you just need a good laugh at yourself I guess.

Bilbao, Spain

After a long travel day yesterday, we finally arrived in Bilbao. Surprisingly, we arrived 6 hours earlier than expected because we managed to secure an earlier flight from Frankfurt. We originally had an 8-hour layover in Frankfurt, but everything went smoothly, and we were able to board the earlier flight to Bilbao This was fortunate because I was struggling to stay awake.

We started our day today by exploring Bilbao. Situated in northern Spain, the city is surrounded by lush green hillsides, making it an ideal starting point for a trip. Bilbao is very walkable, especially along the river. One of the city’s most famous landmarks is the Guggenheim Museum, which happened to be free today. The city was bustling with people out for their Sunday walks, and the flower market was particularly lively.

After a day filled with walking and exploring, we plan to pick up the car tomorrow and head west to Picos de Europa National Park.