From Footsteps to Feasts in Avilés

A meaningful morning

We were up early for our 8:20am walking tour – but first, we rang Mum for her birthday. We’d tried the night before (6am in Brisbane) but were too far out to sea for a signal. Probably for the best – she confirmed she was very much still asleep.

We were still buzzing from the night before and thankful we’d flown in the helicopter when the weather was good. Back home, Carol and Mick were representing us at the PanKind Put Your Foot Down walk in Brisbane. Mick even won ‘Best Adult’ – go Mick Mick! Though we couldn’t be there this year, we marked the occasion our own way in Avilés. I wore my Pancreatic Cancer Survivor shirt, and Ros had her Support Squad one on.

Wandering old streets

Today’s turnout was smaller than the day before – perhaps the idea of more walking scared off the knee brace brigade. Our group of 22 began just outside town, and we slowly made our way through the quiet Sunday morning streets. Bullet holes from the civil war, charming lanes, and the silence of a town still sleeping made it feel like we had Avilés all to ourselves.

We decided to continue and just meandered around Aviles enjoying the sights. After what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only 20 minutes, we opted for coffee, hot chocolate and a pastry in a café overlooking the city hall square. We bided our time until it was time to rejoin the guide.

Sips, snacks and serendipity

We were down to 11 people – the other 11 having disappeared back to the boat. Our walk took us through a newer section of town towards a tavern, expecting arrival of 22 people. The table was set up for 22 people so there was plenty of food for everyone – ham, cheese, quince paste and apple cider. We were told that to enjoy the cider that you had to pour it through the hole in the cork at the top and drink it within five seconds to get the best taste. Anything longer and it would be different and not as good. This was because it had no gas. It was an interesting taste, that’s for sure.

One of the restaurant staff came out and showcased how they pour it – from a great height and attempting to get it into the glass. His first attempt meant a lot went over his hair and forehead before going into the glass. The guide drank it … thankfully it wasn’t offered to me. The second attempt was cleaner and all of it went into the glass. I was offered this one and gladly accepted, had a taste then passed it over to Ros to have some too.

Over some cheese, ham and bread, we talked to one of the people at the table. He was a retired GP from Melbourne. We mentioned about my pancreatic cancer experience and talked about the PanKind Put Your Foot Down walk in Brisbane. Given his experience he did say it was very rare that there were many survivors of pancreatic cancer. He had survived a heart attack around the same time as my diagnosis which confirmed his desire to retire and travel.

A quiet afternoon, then a culinary adventure

As our time at the restaurant came to an end, a number of people were wandering back to the boat by themselves. Upon heading to the boat, it was just Ros and me left. The guide wasn’t too worried – it was solely because people could wander to the boat at any stage as opposed to being 100kms away on a bus trip. We got to talking about a variety of topics and got to my cancer diagnosis. She said that she was watching a story on pancreatic cancer the night before where they said the number of survivors was very low so she was very glad to see me surviving and travelling.

We were still a bit full from our tapas so settled into the room for a bit of a rest. I did order some Australian lamb chops and chips though which were cooked absolutely perfectly. Ros went off for a nap and I ventured down to the Azure Café for a snack & drink and to write the start of this post …

Serenaded on the dock

As Ros slept, I heard the sound of bagpipes outside and wondered if I had somehow ended up in Scotland. Nope, they were Spanish pipes and drums. The two guys were playing outside for quite a while. In addition, there were a lot of people who were on the dock looking at the Scenic Eclipse.

Dinner at the Night Market

Our dinner booking tonight was at Night Market, so we got prepared for the Captain’s welcome drinks at 6:15pm and then dinner at 6:30pm. We were talking to an Australian couple from Singleton at the drinks who mentioned the polar plunge in Iceland. They suggested that we do it – they have a rope around you etc. and once you are in it’s fine and even better once you get out.

Night Market is a dining room for 8 people. They do two sittings a night at 6:30pm and 8:30pm. Given the 11 nights on this cruise, that means they would only get through 176 of the approximately 220 people on board.

We were shown to the room, with the chef in the centre section, kind of like a Teppanyaki bar. He explained that it was an Asian-fusion restaurant with a variety of items on the menu – 7 dishes plus a dessert. We were introduced to the dinner by a mocktail from the bartender made up of peach, passion fruit and lots of other yummy stuff.

The dinner was exquisite. Each dish was explained in detail what it was made up of and how it was prepared. The eight dishes were:

• Devilled Itlog – Tagalog Guacamole, Crispy Garlic, Ensalada

• Filipino Dragon Roll – Shrimp, Burnt Eggplant, Pink Tempura

• Salmon Sinigang – Norwegian Salmon, Tamarind, White Radish

• Lucing’s Gift – Pork Belly, Chicharron, Calamari

• Naughty Adobo – Beef Short Ribs, Peanut Butter, Coconut

• Paella de Pato – Duck Confit, Green Peas, Spicy Mayo

• Backyard Manok – Jidori Chicken, Atsara, Tsuma Carrots

• Kabataan Surprise – The National Fruits and Rice

Overall it was a fantastic menu. We both chose the Filipino Dragon Roll as our favourite dish.

Over dinner we got to talking to one of the couples with us – two of the 60 from the same town/area on tour. Ros was talking with a couple, about the Pankind walk that was held in Brisbane, how supportive her family was walking to raise funds for research, he said that his sister was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer on Christmas Eve and passed away in February, less than two months. He congratulated me on looking so healthy after the surgery and for being a good statistic. Hearing that, and being able to talk about surviving, hit hard. It made me quietly grateful all over again – for the journey, the people, and this moment.