First Excursion

Hello all! Long time no write. Sorry about that; things have been so busy... Let's recount the events of our first excursion last Saturday to the sights of Western Asturias!

We all piled into two large buses at the bright hour of 10:30am and headed to the pre-roman ruins of Castro de Coana. Castro literally means "ruins" and although they are uncertain of what group exactly constructed the stone village, they do know it that was between the 1st and 2nd century CE. Pretty darn old. At first all you see is a pile of stones, but upon closer inspection (and enlightenment from a guide) you see the strategic layout of the village with circular stone huts centered around plaza and corral and baths, even habitations for the sick, off yonder. Of course you must imagine that back in the day they were much taller, and had thatched roofs, and people and all, but its pretty cool to see something that is older than anything you can even imagine. (Q: Why do so many Spanish people have red hair? A: From their Celtic roots!)

Our second stop was the seaside village of Luarca. Luarca had beautiful stretch of beach with water so blue, it was unlike anything you can find on the Oregon coast even though we have roughly the same climate. We climbed up a hill to a stone cemetery and chapel that was all completely white (like Gondor, but for the dead), which made a lovely contrast with the blue of the ocean. I wanted so badly to be able to capture it all in one picture, but this was impossible because of its grandiosity. So here are two. Also say hello to Emily and Casey, mis amigos.
Our final stop on the trip was a smaller fishing village called Cudillero. This village featured the popular architectural style of layered multi-colored buildings tucked into the side of a mountain that ran right into the ocean. It was something you would associate more with the French or Italian Riviera, but is actually in Spain too. The kids on the bottom right were sliding down the boat ramp into the sea on algae. It was cute. We didn't stay in Cudillero for long because to be honest there wasn't much to do, and we had to prepare for the Aspicha!

So the Aspicha is a traditional Asturian fiesta that means "welcome party," and as we were all coming to Oviedo to study Spanish from the four corners of the world, it only made sense that we would have one. The traditional Aspicha celebrates the first opening of the cidra kegs in the fall (Ah! A test to see who remembers my blog about cidra! it's the apple "cider"). It kinda reminded me of the Festival of Bacchus the wine god because there is unlimited food and drink and everyone gorges themselves and talks loudly and listens to bagpipes... all in general merriment. I did not know I was a fan of bagpipes, in fact I rather thought I hated them, but listening to these two musicians blend and harmonize the traditional Asturian songs was so beautiful... it was the only thing that could make me stop eating! The food was also delicious, and although it had its fair share of ham and fried squid, there was some tasty empenada and about twenty different variations of potatoes and cheese. Every time I thought they were done, the camareros would bring out ANOTHER full plate of food, which of course I had to try. To drink, there was the aspicha (poured on high and spilled ALL OVER) and sangria and vino tinto. This, they also brought out in great abundance which brings me to my next point of discussion: The Ugly American.

Now within the program, there are a fair share of Oregon students who did not come to Spain to learn Spanish or experience culture. They came to drink. Granted, it is understood that everyone goes a little nuts at Aspicha, but some of our group members made me turn my head in complete embarrassment. You know the stereotype of the drunk American who only comes to Europe to party? Not only do they fulfill that, they adopt it willingly. One girl stumbled around with a bottle of wine in her hand and was drinking so much her mouth turned purple. Later, she could be found doing the worm across the cidra-filled floor. Another girl was wearing a skirt so short that when she bent over... (fill in the blank). Another girl got on her knees and had her friend pour sangria into her mouth from the pitcher until a waiter had to tell them to stop. And the Italians, the Germans, the Australians (and more than a few Americans) were disgusted. I wanted to say: "Look, were not all like this" but it seemed better to just disassociate at that point. It wasn't even like they drank a little too much and acted stupid; the stuff they were doing was so deliberate and conscious and really gives Americans a bad rep.

This week there is a biiiiig fiesta week here in the Asturias. There is a holiday on Friday and a huge firework show and even a bullfight in Gijon to celebrate a local saint. I am excited. And with that, I leave you with some Aspicha fun!