The theme of this past weekend was towns of Asturias. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Spanish principalities, Asturias is a region of northwest Spain whose regional capital is….Oviedo! So this weekend I was able to explore the province that surrounds my temporary home here in Spain, thanks to the organization of Rollins.
Saturday morning, the Rollins crew packed into a bus heading to Los Picos de Europa to see Los Dos Lagos de Covadonga. Because the lakes were located in the heart of the mountain range, I could turn in a circle and continue to have my breath taken away.
From there we traveled to the town of Covadonga, where locals go to worship the shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga, the Blessed Virgin Mary of Asturias. The shrine stands in the Holy Cave, where it is fabled that the ghost of Our Lady of Covadonga appeared. Right below the cave there is a fountain with seven streams that our coordinator, Ana, said if we drink from all seven streams in one gulp we would be married in one year. None of us drank from all seven streams, but a few of us drank from one stream. Maybe that means marriage in seven years? Who knows.
Sunday we were back on the bus to explore more sites of Asturias! First stop was Cabo de Peñas, the most northern point of Spain. Once again, Spain has some pretty impressive cliffs. The pictures do not do it justice. Looking down below at the intensely blue ocean as I stood on the top of these humungous rocks, I couldn’t help but be a little scared. I was just so tiny compared to the cliffs and the vast ocean beyond.
We then made our way to the quaint little fishing town of Cudillero. The houses were stacked on top of one another, fitting like puzzle pieces into the side of the mountain. We grabbed some food, all seafood (of course) and all very delicious.
We ended our excursions at Gijón to watch their soccer team, Sporting de Gijón, play against Valencia. Unfortunately they didn’t win, but I had a good time eating popcorn and yelling in Spanish so I consider it a win for me 😉