Everyone on the ship was up late last night after the exciting Total Solar Eclipse and in anticipation of the Perseids Meteors show later. Unfortunately, the clouds rolled in so no meteor shower. Today, I am off to visit the town of Oviedo in the Asturias region of Spain.

The ship docks at Gijon and touring this city is also an option. Gijon was a fishing village but became a major port on the coast along with Coal Mining. A mine along with mountains of coal are seen in the port. And another major Moors battle occurred here in the 700’s fighting the Muslims back and keeping the culture of this region.

The ports the ship has taken us have allowed us to visit three distinct regions of Northern Spain: Basque, Galicia, and Asturias. Each have their uniqueness which has been quite educational. I do not think I ever studied anything about Spain other than they came to explore America! Did you know that Spain is larger than California but smaller than Texas? It would be the third largest state in the USA!

In each of the regions, there have been palm trees 🌴. The story goes that during the 18th and 19th centuries, people from Spain travelled to America to make it rich. If they did, they came back, built a home and placed a palm tree in front to show they ‘made it.’ In Oviedo there is an even a square called The Americano and the Americas are celebrated there every year.

The history in Oviedo is rich. They have preserved their old quarter with minimal traffic allowing for walking every where to explore the old buildings and experience the history. Narrow streets and a major complex of buildings built over the centuries. Two monks founded the city in 761. The person who made a difference in this city is King Alfonso II The Chaste (791–842). King Alfonso made this the capital city of Asturias. He is definitely revered here (mentioned many times in our tour!).

From Wikipedia: the creation of the Pilgrim’s Route to Santiago de Compostela was a major event in the history of Oviedo. It resulted in a church dedicated to The Saviour, the Cathedral of San Salvador. Together with a royal palace, these buildings formed the nucleus of Oviedo.

Thus, King Alfonso II The Chaste is considered the first Pilgrim to the site of St. James remains and ordered building a shrine – Santiago de Compostela.

That’s probably enough history to give you the background of the old quarter section now. The architecture is Romanesque and Gothic style. The Cathedral was the main part of the tour. It is also a requirement for people who walk ‘the Way’ to visit both the statue of King Alfonso II outside and inside The Saviour statue. Even Popes have come to visit this cathedral and the statue of The Saviour.

Before entering the old quarter, our tour took us around Oviedo to other interesting city sights. A strange looking building – the Congress Palace of Oviedo. Definitely futuristic!

The streets leading to the old quarter are busy with shops and restaurants. Some of the streets are made from granite. Unusual. Some buildings have glass windows extending out from the building to allow more sunlight in. Not too good in this heat!

Our tour stops in an indoor market to experience the sale of fresh foods in this ancient city.

The well known dish in this region is Fadaba – white beans cooked overnight and then lots of meat put into it and cooked all day.

Now on to the Cathedral. Lots of gifts were brought here and lots of relics are here. Too many to describe here. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The carved wood features covered in gold and jewels throughout the inside of the cathedral are incredible. Who did these? Many date to the 15th and 16th centuries while many of the jeweled gifts kept here are from the 800-1000 years. After giving their riches to the church, I’m certain the people who did this must reside in Heaven.

https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6168/

As we walk around, there are many old buildings part of the ancient city complex created by being the capital city.

Finally, refreshments at a local bar/restaurant. More tapas and we are treated to the famous beverage and pouring of Spanish sidra (cider). It goes back to the Roman times, basically fermented apple juice made in a certain way. The tradition is to pour it from very high up in to a glass which is shared (no longer after Covid). Probably I’m missing something in describing it but I took a video. Definitely an acquired taste.

Back to the ship to relax and enjoy our evening as the ship heads to sea for a day on our way to France. Farewell Spain!