Oviedo

Hola de Oviedo, the stunning and well-heeled capital city of the Asturias region in the north of Spain.  And what a beautiful part of the world it is.  Catherine, my Spanish teacher, lived and worked here and speaks very fondly of it and we can see why: mountains, an old quarter, a stunning cathedral, great bars & restaurants, cider houses (Asturias is known for its natural cider) and good, heart-warming food (stews, lots of meat, a bit of fish).

We arrived and wasted no time hitting the town: we found a little restaurant serving the regional speciality - fabada (white bean and morcilla stew) and lomo en sidra (pork loin in cider).  What a feast!

One for Catherine: enjoying the Asturian speciality, fabada

Onwards to the lovely central park, the Woody Allen statue (he filmed Vicky, Christina, Barcelona here and felt a real affinity with the city - home from home) and so a statue was erected as he put Oviedo firmly on the map, not that it needed any help in our view!

With Woody

We also visited the Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts) in which we spotted some Miro, El Greco, a Picasso, Juan Ribero and plus work by some really good local artists, including Pinole. We stayed in a lovely, central hostal (guest house) and we hear the bells of the nearby St Isidora Church throughout the day and early morning - they play a beautiful song rather than just chime.  It is truly a city of bells.

We enjoyed an evening paseo in the City and decided to try out the local natural cider.  It is flat and unsweetened and is why the waiters pour it from the bottle into your glass from a height, to give it some fizz.  You are poured a small amount each time and you down it in one - we like to rise to a challenge!

The art form that is pouring cider

Whilst in cider central, Gascon, we were treated to some Asturian music. 

Thursday 24 October - Senda del Oso (bear trail)
In case you don't know we're a couple of nature kids at heart and we couldn't resist the temptation to hire a couple of mountain bikes and cycle 20km (of a possible 32km) of the green route, Senda del Oso, which runs through some stunning mountain scenery, cascading water and past two European bears!  Paca and Tola are sisters, orphaned when very young by a poacher.  They were nursed through their young years with a view to returning them to the wild but it was soon obvious that they wouldn't survive for long in the wild.  Today, they are aged 23 and home is a large compound in which they are cared for by a local Foundation.  They have tried to introduce a Serbian bear into their compound but they've showed no interest ... not all is lost though, there are still some 250 wild bears in Spain - long may it last.  And the company we hired the bikes through, the brilliant TeverAstur, have the esteemed company of Prince Felipe & Princess Letizia of Asturias (Felipe is King in waiting and talk of abdication has rumbled on for some time - big stuff in Spain). And if it's good enough for them it's good enough for us!

Paca & Tola at Senda del Oso

Outward bound

After all that activity we felt it was time for another menu del dia - today we enjoyed shellfish soup, pork belly, salad and cheesecake - yum!

Friday 25 October - Oviedo Statue Trail
Today we fancied checking out the statue trail around Oviedo - there are so many it is quite a circuit.  Top of the list for us was Woody Allen closely followed by Dali's Man on a Dolphin - weirdest looking dolphin we've seen for sure but Mick is a big Dali fan and couldn't resist a shot.

Mick with Salvador Dali's Man on a dolphin

Other statues included El Viajero (traveller), Libertad (freedom) and Paz (peace) as well as Esperanza Camando (hope walking).  All very thought-provoking, so much so that we found ourselves stoking the fires at Jamon, Jamon wine bar for another menu del dia - very nice too!

Fliss with El Viajero (traveller)

So that's a round-up of our trip to Oviedo.  We've really enjoyed our time here and will definitely return.  We'd recommend it to any of you that fancy a city break but don't come too late in the year - the weather can be a bit unpredictable at this time of year.  We've been lucky so far, although you may note the beret has made it's first appearance since leaving Dunkirk. :((

Late news: Prince Felipe & Princess Letizia of Asturias are in town tonight to host the Prince's Foundation prizes, which honour people from all over the world that have made a difference in their chosen field, including my fave photographer, Annie Liebowicz, my fave actor/director, Woody Allen as well as J K Rowling and Stephen Hawkins.  Their reception was amazing - check out this for a bit of live atmosphere - you can just about see the cars arriving at the Theatre:

The very photogenic Prince Felipe & Princess Letizia of Asturias

So, as usual, somehow we pitch up at just the right time for the big event.  This is the closest I've been to royalty - Mick has seen our Queen.  So, over & out for now.  Our next post will be from Santiago de Compestela from where we'll spend a week exploring the region of Galicia.  Until then, pasatelo bien (have a good time).