Asturias

This weekend we went on our also long weekend trip as a group to an area in northern Spain known as Asturias. This trip was great because there is nothing really to see in Asturias it is mostly a beach area but is cool because mountains also surround it so you are able to get both beach and mountains. We arrived on Friday to the small town of Ribadesella were we had free time to walk around and get a late lunch. Then we go on the bus and headed to the town of Olvedo, which is where are hotel was located. That night myself and a couple of the girls decided to go in the hot tub and sauna to relax for a bit. That night we went to a Italian restaurant for dinner that was right by the hotel. I am turning into a real Spaniard because I did not even consider going out to dinner until 10pm, which is a typical dinnertime in Spanish culture.

Chapel in Cavadonga

The next morning I woke up and had a buffet breakfast before taking the bus to an area known as Cavadonga, who cave of the Virgin Mary. We took mini buses up the mountain to see these two beautiful lakes and breath taking views. Also, on the way up we passed tons of cows that had bells on them, which I found to be hysterical. After going up the mountains we went down to the town and visit and cathedral and a chapel in a cave. The chapel is suppose to be the site where the Virgin Mary talked to one of the men in the town stating that this town would be a holy place and today the town is part of a pilgrimage that people can take throughout Spain. Then we took the bus to a hotel that was right on the beach for our group lunch. For lunch we had this bean and sausage stew that was typical of the area and was actually really good. It was my friend Callie’s birthday so we sang happy birthday to her at lunch. After lunch we just hung out on the beach and some of the guys even went swimming and threw some of the girls in the water…thank god no one threw me in the water. Next we just headed back to the hotel ordered room service for dinner and went out for Callie’s birthday that night.

Chapel in the Cave where the Virgin Mary Appeared

This morning I made sure to eat a large breakfast because we were going kayaking that day, which was an adventure to say the least. We showed up at the place and all go wet suits and life vests to wear. We were in a two-person kayak and given some sandwiches to eat for lunch. The guy showed us how to paddle and told we bridges to use as land marks for where they were going to pick us up and then we were off. In order to get into the water our kayak was put on this chute and pushed into the water, almost like a long flume. Kayaking was really nice and it was so peaceful and beautiful. There were some rapids, which were fun because it meant we did not have to paddle. Unfortunately it started raining part way through the trip so when we stopped for lunch we told a van that was from the place we used for kayaking so they sent more vans to pick us up. Following this we all just headed back to warm up and shower. Some of the boys decided to continue the rest of the journey on the river in the rain so we had to wait a while for them to get back. When they finally got back I got on the bus and headed back to Alcala. Tonight we are going to have a cake for Callie’s birthday and I am going to need to pack because tomorrow I am heading to Mallorca, which is an island on the coast of Spain.

Beach in Asturias