La Cuevona and Tito Bustillo:
Right down the road from El Carmen is this massive cave people drive through. Really tucked away and hidden in this valley. If I wasn’t told about it, I wouldn’t ever see it. During the summer only residents are allowed to drive through because it gets so crowded with tourists driving slowly to admire the cave. You can walk still and that’s exactly what Edu and I did after a short run there.
I’d like to mention that there is a surprising amount of neat, natural, attractions. Especially caves. Asturias is not short of any caves. Right down the road is Tito Bustillo; one of the most important caves from the Palaeolithic era. There are some of man’s oldest works of art in the cave. Some of mankind’s first “artists” painted here. Weird to think about. I’m reading up on it now and it’s quite remarkable. Representations of sex in wall paintings are seen, which are quite rare apparently.
Francisco calls Asturias, “Natural Paradise”. I think he’s right too. The land is home to mountains, beautiful beaches, deep caverns, and lush forests. It really does remind me of Costa Rica. Not the same, but parts of it are reminiscent.
Horreos: I’ll take a moment to recognize Horreos. They’re these houses situated on pillars a couple feet above the ground and usually house grain. About thirty percent of the houses in the countryside have one. They are above the ground to deter rats and mice. Here the rats are huge and the mice are tiny. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Big difference between the two.
New Years:
Around Asturias, there are New Year runs. They are held on different days around January 1st so you can participate in multiple if you wish to. The one is Ribadesella just happened to be on New Year’s Eve, which made it so much more special. It was a short 6k run around the town and the beach. I must have come in maybe thirtieth to fortieth place, which is good I think. A lot of pro runners there. You could tell they were professionals because they had very very short shorts. Any shorter and they might get ticketed for public indecency. Surprisingly, I was the only person from Wisconsin.
After the race Edu and I went to his grandfather’s for a lamb dinner and to celebrate while the ball dropped. Of course, we ate our twelve grapes at the sound of each bell. A little hard to keep up, but I managed. Afterwards, we hit the town plaza to party. It’s sort of a semi-formal party; everyone dressed in suits and dresses. We had a lot of fun and walked home early the next morning.
Ever since New Years, many people have gotten sick. Especially in this household. I have not gotten sick (knock on wood), but I did just cough while writing this. The writing is on the wall.
Christmas & Tres Reyes Magos:
For Christmas, we went to a church service where I understood the message pretty well. It’s obviously easier to understand Spanish in an environment like that because you know the type of things they will be talking about. It’s difficult in everyday situations because all subjects are fair game. So it’s hard to grasp the conversation.
It was much like the traditional church I used to attend in Lake Geneva. The order of the events I mean. Reciting the Lord’s Prayer and taking communion were all a part of the ceremony. And some nice Christmas hymns, of course.
I wasn’t sure if the Tres Reyes Magos would bring me any gifts because I’m a foreigner, but I still put my shoe under the tree, like everyone else, hoping they would recognize it. They did.
I got a wonderful sweater that I have been needing because it is a lot colder here than I expected. And Switzerland is even colder. Also, a book about Ribadesella; autographed by the Aramburu family! A couple other little chocolates and little things I love as well.
“Revisions”:
Francisco has been reading my blog and he was a little taken aback when I kept mentioning everyone else’s cooking, but not his. And I feel bad because every morning I eat like a champion. Pork loin, steak, or chorizo is usually the meat. We always pair that with fried eggs and the daily bread dropped off in our mailbox. Also a glass of Spanish wine. Ahhhhhhhh. What a first meal for the day. Sorry to everyone that has made me breakfast, but this is the best consistent breakfast I’ve ever had. And Francisco is right, his cooking definitely deserves a shout-out.
Also, Edu made a good point stating that Europeans do dress very similarly, but at least it’s nice clothing and not pajamas like a lot of Americans wear. Pajamas are fine, but I think it’s important to care about your appearance, and I don’t think pajamas really shows you care.
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