Until Next Time, Asturias. Nos quieru!

So, Liv and I are on in a train passing León, Spain, which according to Liv is one of the ugliest places in the whole world. I don’t disagree. Fortunately, we’ll be heading to Lyon, France in just about a week, which up until this year, I’ve always said is one of the most beautiful places in the whole world.

That, however, may have changed and been replaced by Asturias, the region that we left only a few hours ago. I might be slightly biased by the fact that when in Asturias, I am showered in love, but even someone not so necessarily saturated in amor would agree that it’s quite exceptional.

Yesterday, Miguel and his friend, Andrés (Suku), gave us the ultimate in surf and turf tours. We started the morning by driving to Covadonga, which is Spain’s second most popular religious destination because of the virgin that is tucked away in a mountain cave/waterfall. When standing near the virgin’s sanctuary, you are also near the tomb of Asturias’ first king, therefore, it’s a destination for devotees and patriots alike. You can then choose to marvel at the views of the church or drink from the seven fountains, which will guarantee you luck for the next year (as if 12 grapes weren’t enough) and if you drink from the fountains in the correct direction, then you will get married within the next year. Only Liv drank correctly. Are those wedding bells I hear? No, it’s the loud speakers playing Little Drummer Boy again.

From the snow-capped mountains near Covadonga, Miguel then drove us thirty minutes to the coast. Therein lies the charm of Asturias: it’s one of the only places where one can show-shoe in the mountains and surf the waves all within half an hour. We stood from a tall look out point and saw the rolling hills of the county of Llanes as well as the wide stretch of the Atlantic Ocean ahead of us. When Miguel’s other friends, Carlos (Wuelles) and Diana, arrived, we decided to then head to the bufones, giant sea-geysers that burst from the ground with the same intensity as those in Yellowstone but that leave a saltier after-mist.

After witnessing our share of marine explosions (and after Miguel rigged a picture so that it looked like one was coming out of my big nostril) we decided it was time for lunch- it was after 4pm, so I should like to think so. It was too late for even Spain to be serving lunch, so instead we went to the grocery store for libations: Manchego and Alperal cheeses, jamón york and Serrano, as well as cecino (cured, thinly-sliced beef), an empanada with béchamel sauce and more ham, sidra and, of course, wine from Ribero del Duero. We spoke a hybrid language of English, Spanish and Asturian and we all seemed to grow more and more fluent after a few culines of cider.

This morning, we were awake long before the sun…or Sammy (the dog that kept Liv up the night before) or the goats that generate traffic in the streets of Vibañu. And now, we’ve passed León (thank goodness) and are headed in the direction of Vitoria, which will only serve as a linkage point for our subsequent train to SAN SEBASTIÁN: the city that is rumored to be Spain’s most beautiful. We’ll see about that, Sanny-boy, Asturias is stiff competition.