Asturias, Galicia, and Celtic music in Spain

August 1-2, 2012
Northwestern Spain

August 1st had us landing in Gijon, but I got on a bus and took a tour of the capital of Asturias, Oviedo.  Oviedo has a peculiar claim to fame that they are very proud of.  They have never successfully been invaded by Muslims.  As a result their flag has remained a golden alpha and omega cross over a blue background.  I bought a t-shirt.

We started at the capitol building.

This building is actually privately owned and rented to the government to use.  It's owned by a family that owns one of the largest trucking companies in Europe.

And then it was off to church.  This particular church was built over many periods of years and architectural styles resulting in it's mismatched look.  It's affectionately called something like the tall lady and the short guy, but I can't remember.  What I do remember is that this place claims to have a relic called the Sudarium, which is said to be the face cloth of Jesus Christ when he was temporarily buried, and you can read more on that here, if that kind of thing interests you.

This is one of the kings credited for successfully defending against the Muslims.

Okay, so why this picture?  This is the only place in the city where you can stand and see all the different phases of the architecture of this church.

And here you can see the tower of that church down at the end of the street.

And here's a glimpse of what it looks like inside.

The city of Oviedo is really into preserving it's history.  Here under the glass we have the original foundation for this monastery.

This novelty drink is roughly translated, "bastard."  I bought the one in the middle because it was flavored like rice milk, but I never ended up trying it.  I kept it for the novelty, and then gave it away in the end.

If you translate this writing it basically says, "No playing ball."

 One thing you might notices about Oviedo is how clean it is.  This is because Asturias has the strictest trash and no littering policy in the world.  First of all, the littering fine is astronomical.  And secondly, you have a specific time that you set your trash out.  If you do it any sooner or later, you are fined.  And you have to use this service.  It's a pay service, but you have to do it.  And as much as that may sound like it sucks, it sure makes it a nice place for the tourists.

These shells are all over the place on the floor, but they mean something just like Boston's freedom trail has a meaning.  I was wracking my brain trying to remember when I decided to look at the next picture.

Yep, here's your explanation.  Have fun with the Spanish!  :-P

August 2nd took us to the Galicia region, were I got off the ship in La Coruña, and hopped on a bus to escort a tour to a town called Betanzos, where apparently there was a local festival/competition of artwork that you would hang from outside your windows.

No, they're not air drying their beach towels.

Personally, I prefer the combination of modern soccer playing Jesus with older Fiona from Shrek with Cherubs.

Srsly, wtf?

Before you're overwhelmed with weirdness, you're taken to another church, and everything is right back to your typical European tour experience.

Only this church had a dead knight inside!  How cool is that?

Does his order stand vigil over the Holy Grail?  He's wearing the right clothes.

The light of the world...

lights the Light of the world.

Taken just outside the church

Click to make larger.

Break time!  I think I'll drink some chocolate with my Ocarina of Time 3D.

Our next stop was at a restaurant on the way back to La Coruña.  Unfortunately for me, I was doing my escort paperwork in the back of the bus when everyone was getting off, so while I was walking to the front door, it closed and sealed shut.  The driver and the guide were already walking towards the restaurant and didn't seem to hear my screams.  It took me 15 minutes to find a power source, get the electrics running, and find the release for the door.  I think they would have frowned on me breaking a window.  When I got inside, this is what was left.

Yes, I made the picture smaller on purpose!  Remember, this is Spain, they serve you mini pieces of food, call it tapas, and expect you to spend the time in conversation or some $#@& like that.  I hate Spanish food.  I should have stayed on the bus.

You know what it is.  I'm half Mexican.  And sure, my bloodline is purely descended from Spain, but you know something, when we came from Mexico, we learned how to cook someone more than a square inch of food.  Not only will we make you a giant burrito, but we'll put rice and beans on the side of your place.  And guess what, there are already rice and beans inside your burrito!  We're just THAT generous.  @#$%ing Spanish.

But I digress...
After the "meal" we hopped back on the bus for our final stop, the Tower of Hercules back in La Coruña.

This is not it.

Some statue in front of the Tower of Hercules

 This is the Tower of Hercules, with the actual Hercules himself standing in front of it!

I went the distance.

 And as a reward for reading this far, I will give you another video!

Did you know that Northwestern Spain has a strong Celtic music tradition.  Specifically in the regions of Asturias and Galicia, where I was today, there are many people of Celtic descent.  These are not immigrants.  They have been living here many years.  They have their own language, and they even have their own pipes, the Gaita.

Here are a couple of them playing by the Tower of Hercules.