Last day

Two glasses of Tempranillo and two glasses of Freixenet Cava Reserva. I hope I wake up on time in the morning.

Dinner with Steve and Judy & Juan Carlos and the Venezuelan brothers, Pavel and Gustavo and Pavel's son, Pavel, was quite entertaining and once again the food was delicious. A tuna tortilla, a pate, a goat cheese bruschetta, a tomato mozzarella and olive salad followed by an apple tart. Muy delicioso!

We spent most of the day relaxing, reading and visiting. When I felt guilty about how hard Judy was working, even though she wouldn't let me help, I went up to our room and packed. At least, I wasn't sitting around while she was bustling around.

Steven and I went on an excursion to the El Arbol in Trubia to get snacks for the plane. Of course, on the way back, when we were really close to Faedo, the low fuel light came on so we had to drive back to Proaza and figure out how to say just a little bit of gas in Spanish. The rental car company charged us for a whole tank of gas so it's in our financial interest to return the car as close to empty as possible. I think it was just a scam the foreigner move but whatever, I'm on vacation. So we got 10 euros worth of diesel and motored back in time for our 9:30 pm dinnner.

Now bed and a 6 am wake up for a 7 am departure for a 9:30 am flight to Barcelona.

Tomorrow, 20 hours of travel. Man, the getting there and getting home sure does suck.

But, not to end on a negative note, the being here rocked.

Gijon y Aviles

Slow morning and finally out the door around 11 am after taking Aspen Times and Aspen Daily News pics with three of the four Aspenites, Judy still being in Leon.

Off to Gijon to explore the old port city and have lunch at the Mar de Bien. Good choice with good food and friendly service. Karinjo and I had cod while Steve had pork cutlet, preceded by scrambled eggs and mushrooms for Karinjo and me and potatoes and chorizo for Steve.

After getting our fill of Gijon, we drove to Aviles where Karinjo showed us where the Aspen Institute conference had been held and a few of the sights she had seen last week.

We then dropped Karinjo at the airport and took the long short way back to Faedo. Between the twisty mountain roads and the new highway which the GPS didn't know existed, we had quite the adventure. We were glad we had at least some familiarity with the area.

I then joined Judy, Juan Carlos and their three Venezuelan guests for a glass of wine. It was quite entertaining watching the four Latin men holding forth, even though I understood almost nothing.

Tomorrow, who knows?

Lazy day

This morning, had coffee, visited with Karinjo, Juan Carlos and Judy, watched Juan Carlos install shelves, caught up on email and Aspen news and just generally puttered.

Finally, about 2 pm, Steve and I headed out to find lunch. Judy had told me that she and Juan Carlos really liked a place in Santa Marina, El Rubio, so we decided to check it out.

Most of the restaurants that we've eaten in this week have served very good, rustic, rural fare. Not El Rubio. They were definitely serving Spanish fare with a flair. We found some foodies here. The decor was a mix of rustic and contemporary as was the food. Very well presented and eye appealing. We had mini queso, a selection of four cheeses; a warm spinach salad with fried goat cheese, ham and avellanos (hazel nuts); and pulpo (octopus) with mashed potatoes. All excellent (although I doubt I'll order pulpo again anytime soon).

We then explored a bit by car and stopped for a walk at the Embalse de Vademurio (the reservoir).

Back to Hotel Fuentes de Lucia for a nap, to be followed by dinner. But Judy got called to Leon because of an emergency with a client on one of her Camino tours so Steve, Karinjo and I had a barley and tomato salad and a fabada for dinne while Juan Carlos watched Spain beat Serbia for the European basketball championship.

Tomorrow, Gijon and Aviles before dropping Karinjo at the airport.

Leon

Slept in today because we awake so early yesterday. Up at 6 am and away at 7 am bound for the airport so Bud and Sandy could fly to Barcelona and we could see about renting a car.

We were able to do so, complete with a GPS which I quickly taught English so we were off to Leon by 8:30 am, arriving there about 10:30 am.

We parked on the street while we got our bearings by walking around searching out the tourist office which we kept being told was just "over there."

We stumbled upon the Museo de Leon from which we were able to scope out the city a bit from the museum's panormic view; the Casa Botines, Leon's Gaudi building complet with Gaudi sitting on a park bench out front; the Catedral de Santa Maria with its fabulous stained glass windows; the Basilica de San Isidoro and the Roman Walls; but no Oficino de Turismo.

After our "maximum time" on the street parking expired, we braved the Saturday noon time traffic to move the car into the underground parking garage, whereupon we set off in search of food. Unfortunately, as we are wont to do, we waited until we were too hungry to make a good decision and ended up with a barely adequate, overpriced menu of the day from a small cafe on a side street of the Calle Ancha.

After lunch, since it was 3 pm, we marveled at the difference in the city now that everything was closed. We wandered and then sat on the steps of the cathedral watching the few people still around and listening to the cathedral organ practicing for its 9 pm concert.

After watching the cathedral reopen at 4 pm, we wandered through the commercial area and found an Eroski where we bought crackers, jamon and emmentaler, which we ate sitting on a bench near Gaudi in front of Casa Botines.

I drove back to Faedo since Steve had driven to Leon and we arrived in time for a zucchini tortilla and tomato salad for dinner with Judy, Juan Carlos and Karinjo.

Many glasses of wine later, bed.

Paella!

Hiked from Faedo to Coanana to Barzana where we toured the Museo Etnografico de Quiros, then had a cafe con leche at Josmay Cafe before heading back up the hill to Faedo.

Juan Carlos then gave us a cooking lesson in making paella and we enjoyed a long lunch with much food, wine and laughter. We ended with cafe Fuentes de Lucia made by Juan Carlos and George, the Krups espresso machine so named because George Clooney hawks it on Spanish TV.

A quiet afternoon is planned so Bud and Sandy can prepare for the next leg of their adventure. We might go visit Miguela, the mule, later.

Tomorrow, we're thinking of renting a car and touring to Leon.

Somiedo National Park

Today dawned quite a bit clearer so after breakfast, we headed out with sack lunches to hike Somiedo National Park. After about an hour drive and a pit stop in Saliencia at a small bar, Cafe Raquel, where Steve and Judy had cafe con leche so we could all use the servicios and Judy tried to chat up the surly twin brothers, we arrived at the pass on the border of Asturia and Castille-Leon.

We hiked off on a jeep road into the rugged terrain which until recently had been home to a large mining operation. Now, there's hardly a trace after a comprehensive effort to restore the area. Once we got past the former mine site, we took off through alpine pastures, complete with sheep, cows and, yes, cow pies.

Because the weather seemed to be threatening, we topped just short of our intended destination of an overlook above Lago del Valle and its valley. We ate and after considering our options, decided to head back.

Of course, on the way back, the weather began to lift so we took a little detour to see Lago de la Calabazosa which we think means lake of the prison cell. After getting back to the van (20 kilometers later) where we marveled at the snow on the Pena Ubina, we headed down a dirt road (in a 9 passenger van) to Torrestio (pop. 8) where we stopped at a bar for a tempranillo and a plate of the local cheeses and meats.

Back to Hotel Fuentes de Lucia where a couple of hours later, Juan Carlos prepared a dinner of tapas, chorizo, sauteed pimientos, mushrooms and ham, mista salad, cheese and bread. And of course, the omnipresent vino tinto.

Tomorrow, a light hike and a cooking lesson. Paella!

Museum Day

Another rainy day, this one rainier than the last.

So, a museum day rather than a Somiedo day.

We went to the bank to change dollars for euros at the crappy exchange rate of $1.51 per euro. At least that included all fees.

Then off over the pass to El Entrego to visit the Museo de la Mineria y de las Industria where we toured a mine (although I strongly suspect it was a replica), saw some cool old pre-industrial mining equipment and visited the Casa de Explosivos. They had a large man-powered wheel that we could walk in to show us how they pumped water out of the tunnels hundreds of years ago.

We next traveled to Nava where we had lunch at Casa Angelon, an Asturian sidreria. (I had the lenguado.) After lunch, we went to the Museo de la Sidra, where we learned about the history of hard cider making here in Asturias.

A stop at El Arbol, the grocery story, completed my day. I love going to foreign grocery stores, so familiar and yet so different.

Dinner was a traditional gazpacho and segundo, albondigas, gigantic spanish meatballs in a savory green sauce. For dessert, a creamy confection of yogurt, lemon and condensed milk topped with nutmeg.

Tomorrow, Somiedo, come rain or shine.

Rainy day

Slow start today. Breakfast at 8:30 am as usual but since everyone was feeling chatty, we didn't get away until after 10 am.

With low hanging clouds threatening rain, we headed over to the rio Teverga valley where he hiked a branch of the Senda del Oso from Caranga to Entrago. It's a trail along an old railroad bed similar to the Rio Grande trail. It has a 301 meter long tunnel with motion detector lights to illuminate the interior.

It rained on us enough that we all dug out our rain jackets but not enough that we were really uncomfortable.

Lunch at Pena Sobia Taberna Restaurante in Entrago. I had sopa and stuffed peppers and Steve had garbanza and jamon.

We then stopped at San Pedro de Teverga, an 11th century church, before heading back to Hotel Fuentes de Lucia for a rainy, restful afternoon.

A tortilla and a pear and hazelnut salad for dinner with a fascinating defense of bull fighting from Juan Carlos.

Tomorrow, Somiedo if it's sunny. Museums if it's not.

Desfiladero de las Xanas

Dinner last night was a fabulous panga with a rice pilaf.

This morning, breakfast at 8:30 am, then a 9:30 am departure for Villaneuva and the Desfiladero de las Xanas, an incredible canyon hike. We hiked up to La Rebollada and then down to Pedroveya to La Generosa where we had lunch of fabada, pota and two stews whose names I didn't catch. A drive to Bermiego where we walked to El Teixu de Bermiego, considered to be the oldest yew tree in Europe. We also visited some of the 32 horreos and paneras in Bermiego. Nanette, Steve and I then hiked down to Arroxo while Judy took Bud and Sandy back to Hotel Fuentes de Lucia. At Arroxo, Nanette and I walked along the Senda del Oso to Barzana while Steve went up to the hotel to let Judy know our plans.

Nanette and I enjoyed a glass of vino tinto while we awaited our ride back to Faedo.

Juan Carlos' garlic soup and a mista salad for dinner and an apple pastry for dessert.

No van day (almost)

Today, we did a wonderful loop hike right from the Hotel Fuentes de Lucia.

Breakfast at 8:30 am, early for the Spanish but perfect for the Americanos still suffering jet lag. Juan Carlos made scrambled eggs, unusual for the Spanish who usually just have coffee and perhaps a piece of bread.

We then hiked up to the Molinos de Corroriu (the mills) and the village of Fresnedo, down to Villaorille where we stopped for a cold drink at El Pantano Parrilla on the Embalse de Valdemurio, the reservoir on the rio Trubio. Then back to Faedo via the Senda d'Oso. A wonderful lunch of an eggplant moussaka, again courtesy of Juan Carlos, and now some quiet time before we head into the village of Proaza where they are having their fiesta this weekend. At 6 pm, they will be trying to set the Guinness World Record for the most people doing a traditional dance.

Last night we had potato puree (mashed potatoes) and roast chicken with apples and garlic. Yum!

Senda Costera

A fabulous day.

Arose early (7 am) after a jet-lagged fitful night's sleep so that we could get on the road to the airport to pick up another couple, Bud and Sandy from Durango. We had a short unexpected delay when the ATM ate Bud's debit card (he's having another Fed-ex'd) but we then drove up to Cudillera, an exquisite old fishing village where we hiked up the winding streets to the farm land above. Then a short shuttle to the beach at Playa de Aguilar where we picked up the 4 km Senda Costera de Muras de Nalon (but not before I had a small clumsy mishap on the slippery rocks on the beach).

After walking 4 spectacular kilometers along the cliffs above the ocean, we went into San Esteban de Pravia where we ate lunch at Tasca Marinera El Puerto. Sumptious calimari, hake, monkfish and goat cheese salad left all 6 of us sated.

A drive back to Hotel Fuentes de Lucia, a shower and now some relaxation time.

I finally caught up with Rachel on Skype and will try again before I go to bed.

I have no idea what we're doing tomorrow but I'm sure it will be great.

Faedo

Faedo. That's the name of the actual village we're in. It's really tiny, not really what we'd consider a village but it qualifies here.

Thanks to 30+ hours with no sleep and an Ambien, I slept straight through to 8 am and didn't get out of bed until 9:30.

Spent the day getting caught up on email and blogging, reading and soaking up the atmosphere. Took another walk this afternoon to get some more pictures and then we all (Judy, Sophie, Ben, Steve & I) went back into Oviedo. It's got a great old city center with a wonderful cathedral that is showing its age in charming ways. Today was the start of the Festival of San Mateo which meant lots of music and food in all the squares.

Back to Hotel Fuentes de Lucia for dinner of a traditional potato tortilla.

Tomorrow, hiking along the coast.

Arrival

It's really beautiful here!

Since yesterday and today were basically one really long travel day, this entry could be one long whine but I'm going to focus on the positive and say that everything went smoothly with little to no delays. Immigration was a breeze and customs was non-existent.

I will say that US Airways has the most cramped international flight I've ever been on and Iberia the most cramped flight period.

We flew Aspen to Denver to Philadelphia to Madrid to Oviedo, 21 hours total including layovers.

Judy met us at the Oviedo bus terminal which was great. The drive from Oviedo to Barzana de Quiros was gorgeous and the Quiros Valley is spectacular.

Although we napped for short periods during our travel, we are exhausted but we worked really hard to stay up until 10 pm to try to adjust our internal clocks. We visited for a while, then showered and then walked a bit through the village. This area is basically dotted with tiny villages built into the mountain sides. Very quaint and rustic with lots of centuries old houses, corn cribs and the narrow windy roads.

Since some other guests arrived unexpectedly, Judy cooked a wonderful dinner of pumpkin soup, tomato salad and pork cutlets and we are now collapsing from jet lag.

Perhaps the festival in Oviedo tomorrow.

Happy to help

Yesterday morning, I woke up to a local news story on the radio. Realizing that a friend of mine was being interviewed, I was confused and surprised to hear that his last name was the same as Steve's. That just didn't seem right. I knew his wife's name wasn't the same as Steve's and I knew she no longer used her maiden name.

I just couldn't wrap my groggy mind around how her husband's last name could be the same as Steve's when I was sure that hers wasn't.

As I pulled myself into consciousness, it came to me. The last names were similar but not identical and the wrong one was being used.

So, in the spirit of ensuring my friend his due credit and of helping to ensure that our local news is accurate, I called the radio station, spoke with the news person and by the next local newscast, was gratified to hear my friend being referred to by his correct name.

I wonder if anyone noticed . . .