Covadonga and So Much More!!!

Omg so much has happened! It is so weird how for days and days nothing will happen, and then BOOM! Like a crappy horror movie, everything happens in the last half hour. This will be somewhat of a catch-up post, so if you are not a fan of long blogs (or simply don't wish to hear me rant for page after page), then this just isn't the blog for you. Now that I have effectively frightened the majority of you away, let's get on with it, mom!

So yesterday we had our midterm, which absolutely blows my mind that I am half done with school here. It is going by so fast! It is also a double-holiday in Gijon (the neighboring city on the sea). All week Gijon has been celebrating themselves as a city. I love this idea. It is comparable to the Portland Rose Festival, but much grander than the Eugene Celebration. There has been live music every night and last night was a spectacular fireworks show over the ocean from behind the Cathedral. It started at midnight, and literally EVERYONE crowded onto the beach to watch. This was unusual because just hours prior there had been a huuuuge rain and thunderstorm (the likes of which this region rarely sees) that scared many home. It caught us on our way to the train station, but luckily we ducked into my new favorite bar called The Asturianu. It recently opened, and feels very homey with wood paneling, barrels, and old beer bottles. It is run by a former program-student from OSU named Jonathon, who decided to just never go home after studying in Oviedo. We speculate there is a girl involved somewhere, but are too embarrassed to ask.

Ok, I'm getting side-tracked. So the Gijon celebration was amplified because today (Friday) is a Spanish holiday celebrating the Virgen de Begonia. Spain celebrates by shutting down all its stores, and settling into two camps: Those who do not work in the Tourist industry and can become tourists, and those who do work in the tourist industry and must work. We fell in the former category! Because of the holiday, we did not have class and went on our excursion instead. The first stop was a town called Cangas de Onis, and was really not that cool. It had a Roman bridge and we went for a nice little walk in the country, but it was pretty uneventful. The hot ticket of the day was Los Lagos de Covadonga. This is a destination that had been attempted twice last month and failed both times due to inclement weather. All day we kept asking "Podemos ir a los lagos?" to which the professors shook their heads, indicating we wouldn't know until we got there and the weather permitted our passage.

Well guess what. It did! And I am so glad it did too, because it was gorgeous! The Lagos are some lakes that sit way up in the Picos de Europa, which is a mountain range on the ocean and the first national park in Spain. When I say it was "way up," I mean wayyyyyy up. We're talking one of the longest most nauseating twisty-twindy rides up the mountains of my life, and with my father, that's saying something. These bus drivers were hauling ass too, and flying past each other on a single-lane road. It didn't help that my friend Casey (next to me) kept citing statistics on bus accidents in 3rd world countries and saying "It only takes a slip of the hand and we're scrambled eggs at the bottom.." But when we got there, it was so worth it! The lakes were nestled in the mountains and cows were roaming EVERYWHERE. Hiking all around, I seriously felt like Heidi and I haven't even visited the Alps yet! The only downside was the exorbitant amount of tourists, but because we were not restricted to trails, I was able to go off on my own and get away from the crowds.

I did not think that anything would be worth our time after the Lagos, but Covadonga proved a worthy contender. At the base of the mountains, this cave with a church built right into it was the site of first Asturian King's victory against the Arab troops, and the beginning of the Reconquest. Lots of mystery surrounds the site, as it is fabled that an image at the Virgin appeared to the Christian soldiers before their battle. At the base of the cave, there is a fountain with special powers. If one is able to drink from all seven faucets without taking a breath, they will find love in their lives, or be married within the year if they have love. It was fun to watch people try and do it, but I steered clear of that thing... no thank you! There was also a beautiful cathedral closeby, which was fun to walk in and smell the old air. It contrasted nicely to the fresh mountain air.

After that, we were exhausted and slept the whole bus-ride home. Tomorrow we are going kayaking at a town we passed today. Later in the evening, the Germans invited us to a BBQ, so that should be fun. I can't wait to have some REAL meat that is not-ham! Hope all is well, and thanks for bearing with this long post...those of you who made it anyway. :)