Spain Travel: Arrival in
Oviedo – the Capital of Asturias
Spain has long been one of my favourite travel
destinations. I love the Spanish language and am
fascinated with Spanish history and culture. Since
2002 I have been to Spain several times and had
a chance to see places such as Barcelona, Valencia,
the southern province of Andalusia, the Atlantic
island of Tenerife and the islands of Ibiza and
Mallorca in the Mediterranean.
Driving through the mountains of Asturias
But there is one region in Spain that I had never
been to, and it really captured my imagination:
España Verde, the verdant green regions of
Northern Spain that encompass the autonomous communities
of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country.
Asturias in particular is an area I have long wanted
to visit because of its location on the Atlantic
Ocean and the rugged Picos de Europa mountain chain.
I really love the combination of mountains and oceans,
and Asturias became my dream destination for my
2010 trip to Europe.
The Asturian mountains
For the past few months I had spent quite some
time working with the official tourism authority
of Asturias whose travel experts were extremely
helpful in putting together an extensive itinerary
that would expose me to all the diverse facets of
this unique principality. My travel schedule would
take me to important historic cities, the beautiful
coastline and the imposing mountain areas of Asturias.
My week in Asturias would be the prelude to almost
a month in Europe that would also include a few
days in Madrid, almost a week in Austria and four
more days in Rome at the end of my European adventure.
Santa Maria del Naranco, a UNESCO World Heritage
Site near Oviedo
A tight travel budget motivated me to search for
the best available flight options and I managed
to find a flight with Air Transat, a Montreal-based
airline that flies to 60 destinations in 25 countries.
My flight to Madrid with a return back to Toronto
would cost less than CAD $500 (excluding airport
taxes), an unbeatable price for a trans-Atlantic
flight with different arrival and departure destinations.
Asturias is located about five hours from Madrid
and a rented vehicle would give me all the necessary
flexibility to explore the nooks and crannies of
Asturias.
Ribadesella & the Sella River: one of my favourite
spots in Asturias
My flight was reasonably uneventful, with the exception
of a passenger who tried to smoke on the plane which
triggered the smoke detector. During our stopover
in Montreal the authorities came to talk to him
and I was not sure if he was actually arrested in
the end. On the positive side I ended up chatting
with a father-son team from London, Ontario, who
were going on a two-week trip to Spain together.
Their daughter / sister was going to join them and
they were looking forward to a wonderful family
bonding experience while exploring the beautiful
country of Spain.
Playa del Sablón in Llanes on the Asturian
coast
Shortly before noon I arrived at Madrid Barajas
Airport and picked up my rental car at the Hertz
counter. Then I started my drive on the well-signed
highways of Madrid and admired the mountain chains
north of the Spanish capital. Further north, in
the province of Castile and León, the landscape
became a lot flatter, full of wheat fields and wind
farms. Spain, incidentally, is a leader in renewable
energy: in Castile and León more than 70%
of total electricity demand comes from renewable
energy, and world-wide, Spain is the third biggest
producer of wind power. I was duly impressed.
Colourful buildings in Oviedo
North of León, the landscape started to
change again: mountains started appearing on the
horizon and I was rapidly nearing my destination.
The Principality of Asturias (Principado de Asturias)
is one of Spain’s autonomous communities.
Its central feature are the Cantabrian Mountains
in the south which form the natural border with
the province of León. In the north the Asturian
coastline stretches several hundred kilometers along
the Cantabrian Sea, which is part of the Atlantic
Ocean.
Coastline in Llanes
The climate in this northern part of Spain is more
varied and features humid and warm summers, with
cold winters. During my stay in late May I was hoping
to have quite a bit of sunshine, but I was prepared
for the fact that I might also encounter some rain
which is the reason behind the lush green vegetation
in Asturias. Together with the mountainous terrain,
the verdant green landscapes and the plentiful cheese
and milk-producing cows, Asturias has earned the
nickname “Spanish Switzerland”. Indeed,
with my Austrian roots, I immediately felt at home
in Asturias as the landscapes reminded me so much
of the Alps where I had grown up.
Asturias felt so much like home...
Shortly before the Asturian border I stopped at
a big dam called the Embalse de los Barrios de Luna
that was embedded in the mountains. I took in the
breath-taking mountain scenery and the sleek bridge
that spans the reservoir. This was a foreshadowing
of things to come in the mountainous province of
Asturias. Finally just after 6 pm I arrived in my
destination for the next few days: Oviedo, the capital
of Asturias.
The bridge at the Embalse de los Barrios de Luna
I would spend my next three nights at the Barcelo
Oviedo Cervantes Hotel, a gorgeous newly built 5-star
property in the heart of Oviedo. With its sleek
modern design, its spacious rooms and luxurious
amenities the Barcelo Oviedo Cervantes Hotel has
become a favourite destination for business travelers
and vacationers alike. Its location right in the
city’s centre, at just 200 metres from the
famous Campoamor Theatre and the Campo de San Francisco
Park, would make a perfect base for exploring Oviedo.
The newly constructed Barcelo Oviedo Cervantes Hotel
Trying to still take advantage of the remaining
couple of hours of sunlight, I immediately embarked
on a walk through the city. I was pleasantly surprised
at the amount of activity in the streets; the sidewalks
of Calle de Uria were full of people shopping and
strolling. Then I arrived at the Campo de San Francisco,
a scenic urban park right in the centre of Oviedo.
Next to it I admired the late 19th century architecture
on the five and six story buildings that framed
the streets.
Street scene in Oviedo
Across from the Campo de San Francisco is the Teatro
Campoamor, Oviedo’s famous opera and performing
arts venue which was inaugurated in 1892. It is
also the location of the ceremony for the Prince
of Asturias Awards, a series of prestigious prizes
in the fields of arts, communications and humanities,
international cooperation, literature, social sciences,
sports, technical and scientific research and concord.
The last award is given to people and organizations
that make outstanding contributions to mutual understanding
and peaceful human coexistence.
The Teatro Campoamor
These prestigious awards are named after Prince
Felipe of Asturias, the son of King Juan Carlos,
and have been held in the Campoamor Theatre since
1990. Previous prize winners include Nelson Mandela,
Bill Gates, Woody Allen, Pedro Almodóvar,
Bob Dylan, Al Gore, Michael Schumacher, Rafael Nadal
and J.K. Rowling.
Oviedo has many fascinating sculptures
The entire downtown area of Oviedo is decorated
with interesting sculptures and a sculpture of a
woman nursing a baby particularly caught my attention.
Across the street is the provincial parliament building
of Asturias, the Junta del Principado de Asturias.
From here I walked to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento,
the location of Ovideo’s city hall and a gorgeous
square with ornate brown sandstone buildings.
The city hall of Oviedo
Through narrow streets with lots of retail stores,
bars and restaurants I then strolled to the Cathedral
of San Salvador de Oviedo, the city’s most
important church. Equipped with only one church
spire, construction of this cathedral was started
in 1388 and exhibits different architectural styles,
from Pre-Romanesque to Baroque, Gothic and Renaissance
elements. The most prevalent style is Flamboyant
Gothic as most of the building was constructed between
the 14th and 16th centuries.
The Cathedral of Oviedo
It was starting to drizzle now and the weather
had cooled down markedly. Tired from my long flight
and my drive from Madrid, I decided it was now time
to head back to my comfortable room at the Barcelo
Oviedo Cervantes Hotel to get a good night’s
sleep for my
first full day in Asturias.
