Asturias

Asturias ("Asturies" in Asturian language) is nowadays one of the "autonomous communities" in Northern Spain, but its history as a kingdom stretches back more than a thousand years.

Did the Romans drink cider?

Actually, already back in the first centuries CE the Roman power had a stronghold centered in the harbour of Gijón (named Gegionem at the time; Xixón in Asturian) in the region; today, there are remains of the ancient Roman wall as well as Roman baths, next to the church of St. Peter and the 5km-long beach of San Lorenzo.

St. Peter's church, in the old Cimadevilla quarter of Gijón

San Lorenzo beach, Gijón

One of the attraction points of this city, the industrial capital of Asturias, that I most enjoyed was the public park in Cimadevilla ("upper town") overlooking the Cantabric sea and crowned by the famous "Eulogy of the horizon" sculpture by Eduardo Chillida. At the bottom of Cimadevilla, next to the sport marina, I also found a more modern art piece, perhaps an "Eulogy of cider", though I could find no name plaque. Cider is Asturias 'national' drink and, in contrast to other places where it is also popular, here it is traditionally served by pouring it ("escanciar") from a ~1m height into the glass to get air bubbles into the drink, making it slightly sparkling.

"Eulogy of the horizon" by Chillida, overlooking the Cantabric Sea from the top of Cimadevilla

Unnamed monument next to the sport marina, formed by hundreds of empty cider bottles

Lastres/Llastres, a beautiful fishing town with steep streets

After spending the morning in Gijón, I decided to enjoy this sunny day by going to a nearby town called Lastres (Llastres), well-known for its beauty as well as its steep streets. Luckily, the bus from Gijón has two stops in the town: I got off at the first one, on the upper part of the hill from where I took this photo. After walking through the narrow, cobbled streets and visiting the harbour --that used to be an important whaling port in the 19th Century-- I got on the return bus from the second stop on the lower part.

Oviedo: 1000+ years within walking distance

The next day I spent visiting Oviedo/Uviéu, the capital city of Asturias and my base camp during these holidays. Oviedo was the capital of the Asturian kingdom between 9th and 10th Cent., before it was moved to León with the expansion of the king's domains. During this period, it was also an important religious center, playing an role both as a spot on the Way of St. James towards Santiago de Compostela, as well as a focus of Christian power on its own, as testified by the quantity and 'quality' of the relics kept in its Cathedral. As a testimony of this power, I visited two pre-romanic buildings that are within walking distance of the city center: Santa Maria del Naranco and San Miguel de Liño (or Lillo). These buildings are impressive examples of the characteristic local style before the unifying power of Romanic style spread throughout Europe and have been included in UNESCO's World Heritage list since 1985. 

Santa Maria del Naranco - initially (9th cent.) a civil palace, it acquired religious use after partial collapse of San Miguel de Liño

San Miguel de Liño, built in 9th cent., it suffered a partial collapse in the 12th or 13th cent. whereby two thirds of the original structure are missing

One of the things that I liked from Oviedo is that, in not more than 10 min walking distance, one can see signs of how it has evolved in the last few centuries, all forming a coherent environment. Close to the Cathedral, one finds beautiful little squares with colorful houses, such as Trascorrales of El Fontán. The limit of this old part of the city is perhaps the Campo de San Francisco, a large park on the site of an ancient monastery. Next to it is the main street of the city, Calle Uría, where wealthy families got their houses in the early 20th century, some of which still survive. At the end of this street, one finds the train station; going left, one finds some modern, colorful 'cubic' buildings, while going right one reaches Calle Gascona, "the boulevard of cider", and the Fuente de Foncalada - a water spring dating back to the 9th century!

Plaza de Trascorrales. Don't miss the various sculptures around!

Elegant houses along Calle Uría

Modern buildings next to the train station

Don't leave Asturias without trying the local delicacies and sweets!

The birth of a Kingdom

I started this post talking of the 1000+ years of history of Asturias, and we've gone as far back as the 9th century, when Oviedo was its capital. But if you ask anyone, they'll tell you you're still missing the main historical site of Asturias: Cangas de Onís and Covadonga. Covadonga (Cuadonga) is nowadays the site of a small basilica in the Sella valley on the Northern side of the Picos de Europa mountain range where. As the story goes, in 722 CE a battle took place here that would signify a important victory for the local Christian forces against the ongoing Islamic control of the Iberian peninsula. Though it would not immediately lead to a Christian kingdom fully independent of Muslim power, this victory has been traditionally seen as the "start of the Reconquest" of Iberia, and its winner, Don Pelayo, as a founder of Spanish monarchy.

Of course, such a victory in such a context could only happen with divine help ("Divine providence brings forth the King of Asturias" as the Chronica Albeldense puts it), which is symbolyzed by the Cross of Victory that accompanies Pelagius in any sculpture, as well as under the bridge over the river at Cangas de Onís (Cangues d'Onís), the small town where Alfonso I but soon afterwards locate the capital of the kingdom. Both Pelayo and Alfonso are buried within the Holy Cave at Covadonga.

Statue of Pelagius ("Don Pelayo") in Covadonga

"Roman" bridge in Cangas de Onís. Note the cross hanging from it. It represents the Cross of Victory, symbol of Asturias

For those less interested in history and mythology, there are other reasons to approach Cangas and Covadonga too, as from these towns one can easily reach the Lakes of Covadonga, a series of small glacial lakes at more than 1100m altitude, and a good starting point to explore many trekking routes of varied difficulty through the Picos de Europa National Park, as well as a typical stage end of the professional bycicle Vuelta a España.

Enol lake in the Picos de Europa