A tourist day today discovering the delights of Oviedo. A city in the Picos Europa mountain chain in the green belt of Spain. A thriving city with a large shopping precinct, well preserved 'old town', fascinating sculptures and beautifully maintained gardens.
Planning over breakfast.
Ready and rearing to go.
Captivating architecture.
An old friend, Woody Allen, for recognition of putting Oviedo on the tourist map after making his movie, Cristina Barcelona, partly in the city.
Parque de San Francisco. Six hectares of beautiful parkland in the middle of the city. The arch is a remnant of the Convent of San Francisco, which was previously housed on this land.
Creatures galore..
Some more unusual than others.
The city was founded in the ninth century by the Asturian King Alfonso 2 as a defence against the powerful Muslim emirate of Córdoba. This cathedral was begun in the fourteenth century on the site of the original church. Pilgrims also made Oviedo part of their pilgrimage to Santiago avoiding the coastal route and the warring Moors. This tower is 82m and a stunning feature.
The cathedral is also famous for this depiction of the Transfiguration.
One of the cloisters bordering the cathedral. This one near the old church of San Vincente,
now the modern archeological museum.
The museum has Stone Age, early Human, Roman and Medieval relics. This is the femur of an elephant from the Stone Age sector.
Painted wooden figures from the Medieval section found in Asturia.
We thought being a Sunday and a long weekend with a national holiday that it might be very quiet. We sat down for a lunch at a cafe and the parade began...first the crowds out to enjoy the beautiful weather.....
then hundreds of market stalls appeared....
Local Celtic bands appeared from nowhere...
Beautifully dressed in their provincial costumes...
Pipes and drums.
Then up the winding streets appeared a dancing group, accompanied by pipes, tamborines and drum.
Everyone dressed up to celebrate their local heritage.
At the cathedral this morning a Benedictine nun from the Monasterio San Pelayo asked us to come to vespers at 7. A simple sung service.
Tonight we are staying at Albergue de Peregrinos de El Salvador. 6 euros per person.
It's in an old monastery and looks quite derelict from the outside.
Inside it is clean with good kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities. We have our own room.
M&M
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