The joke within our family and about our family is that our motto is “I could eat”. This is meant to be the answer to the question(just about any question for that matter) Have you eaten? Are you hungry? Would you like ( Can I fix you) something? Perhaps this is why I love Spain so much. There is almost always a chance to eat.

To begin the day, most in Spain actually have very little. A cup of coffee and toast or a croissant. Then around 10 AM there is the mid-morning snack. Along the Camino we call it Second breakfast. Easy to do on most Camino days as one would have stayed in an Albergue that does not have a kitchen or you started early to take advantage of the cooler temperatures.

Nothing is open in most places before 8 AM anyway so you walk from 6-8, have a coffee and toast with marmalade then walk from 8:30-10:00 and have a second breakfast of coffee and a wedge of Tortilla Española (an omelette made with caramelized onions, fried potatoes, and eggs). This happens to be a favorite of mine especially when on the Camino as it is the right combination of delicious and an energy producer.

As lunch is traditionally later in Spain than in the US, the kitchens are working between 1 and 4. Don’t expect anything before 1 PM and if you are running late and walk in after 4 PM, the best you can hope for is a salad and a sandwich. Now that would be a fine lunch for many Americans but in Spain, the midday’s meal is the big meal of the day and the kitchen will not open again until after 8. Eating a big meal after 8 or 9 on the Camino and expecting to sleep well before you rise early for the next day’s track is not good for you.

So I have adjusted well to the rhythm of life in Spain and on the Camino. Pictures below please find what Joe and I found to replenish our worn selves today. I hope you enjoy seeing it as much as we enjoyed eating it.

Could you eat?