How to enjoy a day off

Eager to take advantage of the glorious weather we are currently enjoying and my one proper day off, we decided yesterday to venture further afield than the land above the house. With this in mind we donned walking boots and set off to the Parque Natural de Redes, which, as I must have mentioned before, we are fortunate enough to have just half an hour down the hill and up the valley from us.

Hillside town of Collado, perched above the Tanes reservoir

Since I'd had rather a hectic week we decided on a gentle walk rather than a mountain yomp and, having checked the map, settled on a path that followed the river from the village of Orlé to Pendones. The departure point of the walk from the village wasn't clear and we wandered, confused, for a while before we found a map on the edge of the village which showed the route leaving from the right-hand bank of the river.

A nosey donkey on the way up the mountain


After half an hour of steep uphill walking it became apparent that we'd probably taken the wrong route. Never one to be deterred, Matt declared he wasn't going to turn back after all the effort taken so far and we carried on. Up and up went the path, (and cough and pant went I) twisting along the mountain side and bordered by trees boasting mixed foliage of reds, oranges, greens and yellows. It wasn't what we'd come for, but I couldn't complain about the views.

After much huffing and puffing the trees began to clear and we realised we were getting near the brow of the slope. Camera at the ready, I eagerly awaited the views from the top, until we rounded the last corner and were presented by the sight of a fence and gate barring the path and with no way around. Foiled at the last! We were more than slightly miffed but had no other option but to turn around and plod back downhill.

Never one to say no to free (vegetarian) food, and always ready to make the best of a not-what-we-planned situation, I greedily stuffed my pockets full of sweet chestnuts on the way back. Chestnuts are big business in Asturias, and the trees are ubiquitous in rural areas. Come this time of year, roads and paths are covered with prickly green casings and the shiny fruits they hold. We enjoying roasting them in the ash tray of our wood burner, or I'll make a chestnut and mushroom roast. It's even tastier if we find wild field mushrooms, a perfect combination, and one to make me even happier as I get all the main ingredients for nothing!

We wandered through the village on the way on the way back to the car, trying to find out where we went wrong, and not succeeding. This is rather strange in Redes as most walks are very well signed. I happened to ask a villager, who was standing outside his house, where the route started - for future reference - and we ended up being sat down while he went in search of his own map to show us and came back bearing beers for us too. His map turned out to be no clearer than our own, but I enjoyed the beer and the chat and learning more about the village. Ángel, as he was called, even took our photo, and we are now welcome back at his house any time we happen to be in Orlé. This is one of the things I love about Spain, the openness of its people and their willingness to share whatever they have with you, be it, food, drink, time or knowledge. Unfortunately, you don't find it quite so often any more, so coming across it on occasion make it even more special.

On the way home we went took a quick detour in search of a place which some neighbours had told us was good for a swim in hot weather, on the banks of the Nalón river. A handy site to know if we ever can't be bothered to drive the 50 minutes to the beach in summer. We got a pleasant surprise, as what they hadn't told us was that this rather splendid, medieval bridge (13th/14th century) was right next to the bathing area - and only 15 minutes up the valley from us. What was even more surprising is that it's still in use, and not just for pedestrians but for cars as well. It stopped and made me think - I wonder how many 20th/21st century structures will be around and still in use in 500 years time?

After reaching home, most of yesterday evening was spent on the sofa groaning and moaning about my aching legs. Although I did feel rather smug and pleased with myself for surviving so much exercise.

Pre-holiday adventures

OK, so I sort of lied in my last post. Before I tell you all about my 'holiday' holiday, this post is all about my 'friends visiting' holiday just before, which was as much fun, though for different reasons. Matt was not at all sure what to expect when I announced that four of my girlfriends were coming for a flying visit, but I think he enjoyed himself too.

We were all convinced Dawn was cursed - last time she came it started raining as soon as she arrived and things followed a similar pattern on this occasion. However, everyone seemed to be determined to make the most of our terrace and we spent the first evening and following afternoon outside with our beer/cava jackets on.

Who needs a coat when you have cava?

Modelling the latest headgear.

The first of many (as I'm sure you guessed).

How to keep warm and drink in style at the same time.

I may have to beg forgiveness for posting those photos at a later date, so moving quickly on...

The third day of the visit dawned bright and sunny, Asturias was at its best and I was ready to show off the region to my friends. However, once we made our way up to the Peña Mayor the clouds reappeared so we quickly scoffed a picnic lunch and hid in a bar in Pola De Laviana, a town up the valley, while we waited for the weather to make up its mind.

This is where we ended up after:

Ladines is a traditional Asturian village in Redes Park. It's probably my favourite village there.


Admiring the view

Cheeky kitten on an horreo

After a wander round the village we stopped at another bar (can anyone see a pattern developing?) to enjoy the full sun and were joined by two enthusiastic young cats who proceed to show off. The lighter-coloured one sat on my lap once they'd worn each other out and purred contentedly. Depsite much encouragement from Dawn I managed to resist taking her home - Matt and our three would not have thanked me for it.

Also on the bar's terrace was this glorious sunflower.

In true Spanish style, we left Ladines and headed to a cafe for more goodies - cakes this time. I give English lessons to the cafe's owner, who sometimes gives me a package of edible treats after our Friday lesson, much to Matt's delight.



As if that wasn't enough we then headed home for more beer/cava before we went out for a very piggy meal at a local restaurant. It was a rather decadent few days but I see my friends so little I feel I have a good enough excuse for all that indulging.

Next up, my beach-camping holiday. Unless the cats beat me to it - they're been tagged by Lorenzo and inspired by Plumpy. I can't say what will come first.

A mini-adventure

I was reminded last weekend about a category of driver that I completely forgot to include on my list of Spankers . What refreshed my memory was this:

It was painted on a parked truck that I saw yesterday whilst in La Bañeza, a small town in Castilla-León, the province over the mountains from here. According to Duncan, who is currently working as a long-distance lorry driver, this is very common on trucks from Andalucía, although I can´t say I´ve ever noticed it before. What I have noticed it a similar picture stuck on cars here in Asturias. It´s a specific sticker with a picture of the Virgin of Covadonga on it - she being the patron saint of Asturias, although most places round here seem to have their own version: we have one whose statue resides in the chapel next to our house - the Virgin of Llaneces. So, back to the point. There are many cars that drive around Asturias with this sticker on them, and underneath the picture is written ´Yo conduzco, ella me guía´which translates as ´I drive, she guides me´. The first time I saw this I wasn´t sure if I´d read correctly, but no, it´s true: there are people here who think they can drive in the middle of the road, straddling both lanes and pull over abruptly when it suits them, without indicating of course, because the virgin will look after them. There must be many drivers who, when stopped by the police for some misdemeanour or other, use the virgin as a scapegoat for their atrocious driving: "I'm ever so sorry officer, I was only behind the wheel, it's the Virgin´s fault, she made me do it." And you can imagine a similar story on insurance claim papers - cause of accident: The Virgin.

Anyway, back on track. What was I doing in La Bañeza? Well, Duncan called on a rainy Saturday to tell Matt he was holed up there for the weekend before taking his truckload of tuna cans to be filled with tuna fish in Galicia. He delighted Matt about tales of the bike race that was taking place, with live music in the evenings, stalls and food and a generally festive atmosphere, even free beer. Needless to say, Matt was very eager to hop on his Aprilia and get down there. However, there was just one little problem to this plan, namely the wet, atrocious, Asturian weather. To cut a long story short, I was persuaded to accompany my beloved on his trip in the car on Sunday (next time there´s a concert I want to go to I will use this trip as leverage to make Matt come with me) and Susana, Duncan´s wife, came along too.

As we got closer to La Bañeza we saw numerous bikes driving away from the town. Matt optimistically decided that they were people who had long distances to travel and so had left early, but on arrival it became apparent that we had indeed missed the races and accompanying festivities. This was rather more disappointing for Matt than myself as I was enjoying luxuriating in the sun that has recently forsaken Asturias and left it at the mercy of threatening, grey rain clouds. So, determined to make the best if it we went for a stroll around the town, and them settled down for a few beers before a tasty dinner in posh mesón.

The river in La Bañeza.




In the Plaza Mayor - Matt with the first of many empty glasses.

Matt and I slept in Duncan´s truck, which has a bunk bed in the cab -an entirely new experience for us that we were eager to try (and save €60 in the process by not needing a hotel room) and it turned out to be very comfortable. However, the sound of various truckers starting their engines at intervals in the early morning wasn't conducive to a good sleep, neither was having to get up in the middle of the night to relieve myself behind the truck (as Stephen King once wrote, ´beer is full of vitamin P´). Then, Duncan banged on the truck door at 7.30 the following morning and ordered us out of his cab so he could get his essential cargo of tin cans to their destination by midday. This was the earliest I'd woken up in a long time, but I coped with the shock surprisingly well - for me at least - and managed to greet Duncan with a bright "morning!" instead of my more usual grunts of annoyance at having been woken up way too early.


The best part of the trip was the drive back. We'd hastily driven down there on the motorway, but on the return journey we took our time with a leisurely drive over the mountains.



Heading back home, towards the mountains.

I´d been in that part of Spain before, but what struck me after having been here in Asturias for so long, was the openess of the countryside (and the clear blue of the sky after suffering a week of rain here). You could literally see for miles, to the hazy, blue-grey peaks in the distance. As we approached the mountains, the landscape gradually changed, but it was constantly beautiful. We passed so many picturesque villages and hamlets tucked away in the hills under cloud-free skies, that I frequently exclaimed "ooh, wouldn´t I like to live here!" and if the rain carries on here in Asturias as it has this summer I may just go and do that.


At about 1,600m, just before crossing into Asturias.

Going over the Tarna pass into Asturias we were expecting more clouds and rain, but it seemed the good weather had followed us back and we drove down the mountains on the other side in sunshine.

Taken from near the Tarna Pass - we love stopping up here and taking in the view across the Parque Natural de Redes. Not only does it look good, but the air is clean and fresh and filled with the smell of heather and other vegetation.There was no-one else up there with us. I could've stayed the whole day if I'd had a picnic and no work to go to.

It was only when we got near El Entrego that the clouds appeared again, and by the time I had showered and scoffed a quick lunch the rain was falling once more. Matt happily announced that he was going for a siesta and left me to drive sleepily down the hill to work.

A photo of a picture of a photo

I've been saving this for a special post all of it's own. This was my excellent birthday present from my very good friend Sue. I'm very pleased that I can now say I have a Dobson original hanging in my hall.



The painting is Ms D's adaptation of a photo I took on the Ruta de Brañagallones in the Parque Natural de Redes that we did together on one of Sue's previous visits.

Visitors

Before I start, I'd like to make it clear that I'm normally very good at remembering to make sure I have a functioning camera on me. However, this last week when Sue and Simon were visiting, my brain became all fluffy in the camera department which meant that on one occasion I forgot to take spare batteries with me, just when it needed them. And then when we went camping I forgot to take it with me altogether. Explanation given, here's my account of the last week:

I always look forward to visits and was not disappointed by this one. Sue arrived at the airport (only forty minutes late) and we made it back to El Entrego just before Simon's train arrived at the station. Good timing. It didn't seem obvious that he'd been out the night before until about five am and in fact Sue was the one slacking by the time we'd had our dinner, although it wasn't late by the time were all tucked up in bed.

On the Sunday we went for a long walk on the land above the house - we normally do one of two routes when we're up there, but this time Matt decided to combine them into one long one. This was a slight shock to our system and an even bigger one to Simon's - I kept promising that this was going to be the last 'up bit' we did and then Matt changed the route again and there was more 'up'. Sorry Simon!




Sue and Simon on our Sunday 'stroll', with the Peña Mayor in the distance.











For a change the next day we decided to go and see the bears and do the nearby cycle route. Sue was most excited by this prospect and wanted to know if they were 'as big as Gentle Ben'. However, due to significant alcohol consumption and lots of mountain air the previous day we stumbled out of bed too late to make the bears and opted instead for another walk.

This time we went up into the Parque Natural de Redes, a national park just up the valley from us which encompases over 370 square kilometres of woodland, meadows, mountains, lakes and streams, along with traditional Asturian villages. We chose a route which started from a village high up in the park, Tarna, and which led to a waterfall. On the leaflet we'd been given in the tourist office, the route was described as easy and taking three and a half hours. Ha! It was a climb from the start, past verdant, and tree-filled meadows. We found a flat-ish flower-covered meadow with stunning views to stop in for lunch and then valiantly resumed the hike. The two lightest members of our party, Matt and Sue, also with the longest legs strode ahead while Simon and I trundled along behind.

The next part of the walk passed through an old beech forest - where, to be fair, it did flatten out and we were able to catch our breath, fortunately, as we had rather full bellies from lunch - which so reminded me of Klimt's paintings that I thought he could've done them there - dappled light falling down through green leaves onto the earth below. It was incredibly peaceful. I could've stopped then and there and spent the afternoon relaxing beneath the tree tops.


Seeing as I forgot the batteries you'll have to make do with Klimt.


Instead, we carried on and made our way out of the forest, down a slope to unspoiled meadows and, at last the waterfall in the distance. As we slowly got nearer, we had to ford the stream from the waterfall several times - I was pleased I had my trusty hiking stick with me - and then made our way up the slope to observe the cascade from higher up. Easy? No way, but by now my legs had finally warmed up and got into the swing of things so I climbed on ahead up the slope with Matt. Reaching the top was wonderful and made the hike up there worthwhile. There were views of the surrounding mountains, and the waterfall itself, which fell from a height of 1,800 metres (we must've been at about 1,600). The spray cooled us down as we stood at it's side comtemplating the rush of glacial water falling past us. (It's here where I curse myself yet again for forgetting fresh batteries for the camera. If Sue sends me her pictures I shall post them for you.)

After two days of long walks - never mind three and a half hours, the last one took at least five - we had a day of rest on the Tuesday- with mango and cava cocktails in the evening - and then headed to Vega beach on Wednesday to do a spot of camping. So busy was I rushing around to get everything ready so we could camp in comfort that, yes, I forgot the camera.


Enjoying cava and mango cocktails.


Vega campsite is our favourite on the Costa Verde - it's small, friendly, well-run and all the pitches are separated by hedges making it private too. The owner himself is from El Entrego so they're particulalry friendly with us, even though we only go for the odd night in the summer when we have free time. They know me there as la inglesa de El Entrego (the Englishwoman from El Entrego). So, as a reward for two tiring walks we took two lazy days on the beach, reading, jumping waves, playing Scrabble (in English and Spanish), and eating and drinking to our heart's content. The sea at Vega can be very surfy and I have a memorable image of Sue, Simon and me, in a line, jumping waves, all desperately holding onto our bikini bottoms/swimming trunks as each rather large wave approached and we whooped with delight. The sunsets are also particularly spectacular at Vega - the sun sets over the sea - and we spent one evening contemplating the sun as it disappeared below the water, and then, in the dying light, Sue happily contemplated the surfers in their tight wetsuits.


By the time we got back on Friday afternoon we were all to tired to do much more than unpack and have a nice cup of tea with some biscuits. Matt dashed off to his guitar lesson and the rest of us settled down on the sofa for a few episodes of Sex and the City which Sue had kindly brought me as a present. A perfect ending to a enjoyable, but tiring, week (I think it was the Bacardis on the Thursday night camping followed by hot chocolate with brandy that really did for me). I'm spending today recovering.