Asturias is one of the sections of Spain, equivalent to states in America, that runs along the northern coast of Spain right under Great Britian. Because it is in the north, it experiences more precipitation, none of which we saw, than central Spain where Alcala is. It was slightly colder and MUCH greener and mountainous than flat, brown Alcala. On our never-ending 8 hour bus drive up Thursday morning, the only GOOD part of the drive was the marvelous views of the Pyrenees Mountains we experienced as we entered Asturias. Other than that, the drive was long, uncomfortable and of course, I felt sick for all eight hours. In Spain I am not sure they even know what speed limits are and spanish drivers are what Americas would call "balls to the wall"; they are CRAZY. Jose Luis, our driver for the next for months, took hair pin turns in, up and around the mountains at what seemed like 80 mph....
FINALLY able to get off the bus, we arrived in Oviedo, the capitol of Asturias. As we began to venture around the city, the architecture is light years different and more beautiful than American cities. With old, hand built and well preserved buildings the city was flawless. We sat down for lunch and embarked on a feast of carne (steak, chicken, lamb and pork), mariscos (fish, clams, and shrimp), patatas (potatoes) and SIDRA (the local drink of choice, a cross between wine and cider). Unfortunately our stay in Oviedo was only for a brief few hours but nonetheless was perfect! Here is what one of the streets was like!
We then continued our journey to Gijon, a coastal surfing city in Asturias, where we stayed the weekend! Literally a beach within a city, Gijon was a perfect combination of everything, beach and city, relaxation and activity. It had EVERYTHING. With bottles of Sidra in hand, we embarked on a night on the town.
Friday morning we joined Jose Luis back on the bus, and headed to Ribadesella, or as I'd prefer to refer to it, paradise. Mom - you would have DIED. A breathtaking coastal vacation town east of Gijon, Ribadesella had the brightest aqua and clear water I have EVER seen. It was amazing. The green mountains and cliffs went right up to the ocean and dropped off, disappearing into the ocean. With gorgeous Spanish architecture the hotels and restaurants were marvelous. It was a picture perfect place that I vowed I would one day return to. Having to leave and get back on the dreaded bus, which was growing to become the enemy, brought tears to my eyes. Here are a few pics of the landscape and ME!
Unfortunately, the rest of the day Friday was subpar to say the very least. After many more painful hours of travel on the bus, we arrived in Llanes. The afternoon was filled with educational (yuck) information on the Spanish civil war, a VERY late lunch (4pm - which none of us Americans are used to) and a three and a half hour lecture in Spanish which not one of us paid attention to. Finally, at 11, we had DINNER and got back on the bus (again) to return to Gijon.
Thankfully, Saturday was a 180 from Friday. In the morning, we traveled to los Picos de Europa! In the Pyrenees, Los Picos are a group of mountains that have beautiful glacier lakes on the tops. At the base, there was a 19th century Basilica and una cueva (cave) which contained a mass area. After walking around and taking some photos we boarded smaller buses (8 people each) and began our ascent to the top! Again, the driving had my stomach flipping and palms sweaty but the views made every second worth it. Never have I seen more natural cows, tall mountains and vast views. The lakes were gorgeous and every place we stopped looked as though it was straight out of post cards. Because we were almost 3000 feet up, it was misty and foggy, but here is a picture of the Basilica and a lake!
Finally, Sunday arrived and we had to depart but not after a 4 hour kayak trip up the Ria Sella (which ends in Ribadesella...) Two people per kayak, Maggie and I were very hesitant for this activity BUT with open minds we made it! One of the cleanest rivers in the world, Ria Sella's water was drinkable (yes I tried it) and was crystal clear, as you could see tens of feet down to the bottom the whole time. About 2/3 of the way through we stopped at a cliff area and you could only guess what we did... CLIFF JUMPING! Never in my life did I think I would jump off a 30 foot cliff into the river below, but with the help of a little peer pressure and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I jumped twice! It was the most thrilling experience ever! Unfortunately, no one brought their cameras on the kayak trip for obvious reason but it was spectacular! Between the perfect water, cliff diving and wild horses along the banks, the strain of the ride on my weak body somehow disappeared. At 4 o'clock when we finally made it to the end, we embarked on our bus ride home which I slept about 5 hours of, very unusual. All in all, the weekend was a blast! The breath taking landscape of Asturias is one that has no competition in America thus far and is a place I suggest all you nature lovers get to! I am thoroughly exhausted at this point so that's all for now! Hasta luego!
112TJP.
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