Cangas de Onís, Asturias {Part IV of VI}

Ignoring the ominous dark clouds, I left Mirador del Fito with one more stop to make before checking in at Potes. This was to a town called Cangas de Onís - one of the recommended stops in Frommer's guide book. Another blue star!

Although quite charming, there isn't very much to see in this small town apart from a handful of iconic monuments.

Despite that, I realised that Cangas de Onís seems to be the gateway to many other adventure activities around the area. They include mountain hiking, canoeing, quad biking, potholing, camping, fishing, tree top obstacle courses, etc.

Gosh, I'd need a whole week! Find out more here.


Above: The old footbridge, Puente Romano (Roman Bridge) over the river Sella.
Suspended from its middle is the 'Victory Cross', the emblem of Asturias.
Puente Romano is probably the most photographed structure in this town.


Above: Getting across the arched Puente Romano.


Above: View of another bridge for traffic use, from Puente Romano.


Above: You can't miss this - a shop selling 'the cheese of Asturias' and pretty much everything else locally produced and typical of the region.


Above: Here in the foreground is the statue of Don Pelayo, the first monarch of the Kingdom of Asturias. Behind the statue stands the tower of Palacio Pintu on the left, and the town's parish church on the right, with a 3 tier belfry.

Mirador del Fito, Asturias {Part III of VI}

Day 2 of my roadtrip basically involved driving east from Gijón, and eventually arriving at a little village, situated somewhere in the valley below the Picos de Europa (Peaks of Europe). At this point, I must say that the weather was not looking great and thick clouds were hanging overhead.

But of course, I couldn't resist the sound of the obscure miradors calling out to me en-route. {Well actually they are clearly indicated in my trusty travel bible, the Michelin Atlas}.



I had to indulge in a little clicky clicky, but yet not spend too much time off course. Nonetheless I decided to make a quick stop at Mirador del Fito, a scenic viewing point marked by the blue star in-between the 2 red stars which are my beginning and ending points.

Here's what I saw, a panorama of the Asturian landscape...






Above: Stairway to a buena vista & fresh air...


Above: View of the mountain ranges of Sueve.


Above: View of the coast of Colunga.

Gijón, Asturias {Part II of VI}

So after spending a couple of hours in Oviedo, we finally arrived at the coastal city of Gijón.

Once an important ancient Roman town (evident from the ruins of the Roman baths that still exist), Gijón today remains as one of the major seaports in the north of Spain, on the Bay of Biscay.

Geographically, the historical city center of Gijón is located on a promontory flanked by the Poniente & San Lorenzo beaches on its left and right. The hill that forms part of this headland is called Cerro de Santa Catalina, and the vibrant fishermen's quarter and old town are built inland on its slopes.


Above: This is Playa de San Lorenzo, the most prominent beach in Gijón.
I took this night shot standing on the beach during low tide.



Above & Below: The bay of San Lorenzo in the day.




Above: The Harbour.


Above: The Ayuntamiento at Plaza Mayor, a great place to start exploring the old town.


Above: An outdoor market held at Plaza Mayor.


Above: An iron sculpture entitled 'Nordeste' (Northeast) by Joaquín Vaquero Turcios.


Above: The 18th Century Revillagigedo Palace is currently a cultural center for exhibitions.



Above & Below: The quaint houses in the fishermen's quarter of the Cimadevilla district, built on the slope of the Santa Catalina Hill.

From Cimadevilla, a hike up to the top of the hill of Santa Catalina brings us to a location where it was once a military base. Presently, it is a public park for visitors to enjoy the view of the Cantabrian Sea.


Above: Undoubtedly the most iconic sculpture of the city, this huge concrete monument entitled 'Eligio del Horizonte' (Praise of the Horizon) is by Basque sculptor, Eduardo Chillida.

Oviedo, Asturias {Part I of VI}

For my recent 4-day roadtrip, I've decided to take one of the recommended routes from Frommer's guide book that is described as ''The Green Belt of Asturias''.

On Day 1, we headed north from Madrid, passing León before entering into the Kingdom of Asturias. The first stop was the capital city, Oviedo.

Oh boy was it a charming City of Statues! Oviedo resembles a huge outdoor museum adorned with statues & sculptures every corner you turn. It also has an interesting historical center where most of the city's most significant buildings can be found. Strolling around the city center was really pleasant and it was easy connecting to the urban districts through its many plazas.

{If you have watched the film 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' by Woody Allen, you might find some of the photos familiar as you recall that Oviedo was where Juan Antonio whisked his two female american friends to for an indulgent weekend of unadulterated spanish cultural immersion ;) }


Above: Cathedral of the Holy Saviour (Catedral de San Salvador) at Plaza de Alfonso II.


Above: The Town Hall (Ayuntamiento) of Oviedo located on Plaza de la Constitución.


Above: Next to the Town Hall, is the Church of San Isidro el Real.


Above: Mercado del Fontán, just behind the Chuch of San Isidro.

I simply adore the traditional iron & glass structure of the market!


Above: The arcaded Plaza del Fontán. It's so lovely!


Above: Sculpture entitled La Maternidad, by Fernando Botero, located at Plaza de Escandalera.


Above: Sculpture of Woody Allen, by Asturian sculptor Vicente Menéndez-Santarúa Prendes.

You might find it surprising that Woody Allen is immortalised in the form of a life size statue on the streets of Oviedo. Well so did the cast members of Vicky Cristina Barcelona as they chanced upon it one night while exploring the city after filming.

Apparently the American screen writer was awarded 'Prince of Asturias for the Arts' prize in 2002 and his statue was erected to honour him. Pity though, that time and time again, vandals seem to have an obession with prying off his spectacles. Look closer and you'd see that Woody is sin gafas.

Above: The Campoamor Theatre, which incidently is the venue for the annual Prince of Asturias Award ceremonies.

Above: Sculpture entitled Culis Monumentalibus, by Eduardo Úrculo.

Folks, it is what it looks like. Beyond this point is Oviedo's shopping zone.

Now a couple of other must-see sites away from the city center are located on Mount Naranco, 10 minutes drive away. Go back 12 centuries as you visit two of Oviedo's most important religious monuments built on the slopes of the mountain - The Church of Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites.


Above: View of the city of Oviedo, from the slopes of Mount Naranco.


Above: The Church of Santa María del Naranco

Originally, this was meant to be a recreational palace for King Ramiro I of Asturias when he goes hunting in the area. Subsequently, the slender, 2 storey pre-Romanasque building was converted into a church to honour St. Mary when the original one (currently known as San Miguel de Lillo) collasped in the 13th century.

The building is not huge at all, but believe me, for some reason it looked arresting sitting on the open grass field. Just one of those sights that I'll remember for a long time.

A stone's throw away is the reconstructed Church of San Miguel de Lillo.


Above: San Miguel de Lillo

Wait, Day 1 is not over yet! Reluctantly leaving the city of Oviedo, I continued further up north of Asturias...