July 15, 2016

Just a quick breakfast and bye-bye beautiful Santander.

 

The kids wanted to ride the waves one last time, so on our way to Oviedo we made a stop at the adorable little beach La Franca – too windy. Ten minutes of a Burning Man worthy sandstorm and we were out! Just twenty minutes more down the A-8 we tried again in Ribadesella – a little better, but still windy. Instead of the beach, we had lunch in town and then hit the beach for about an hour. This was the one lunch where we had NO IDEA what the server was saying. LOL!  None-the-less, we managed to order something to fill our bellies. Love that little beach town. Great stop on the way to Oviedo.

 

We arrived in Oviedo at 6pm, said goodbye to our trusty minivan for good and met our friends Celso, Dora and their kids (also Celso and Dora) at our hotel. We spent the early evening meandering through the beautiful San Francisco park, which led us to the old town. The kids played on the zip line and we pursued the statues throughout this lovely park! Sean lived with Celso in Oviedo for 3 months when he was 22, so he knows this park well.

 

We enjoyed a short walk through the cobblestone streets of the old town, passing the cathedral where we attended Celso and Dora’s wedding 15 years ago! We watched some Spaniards Tango-ing outside in the Plaza and had a few drinks while the kids played tag in the square. The crescendo was a 10pm dinner at a fun restaurant where Black Paella (squid ink?) with gambas (shrimp) was the highlight!

 

The Spanish know how to make the most out of daylight hours. We went to bed at 2:00 am this night and every night that followed!

 

Oviedo Day 2  /  July 16, 2016

Woke at 11am (don’t judge, we did hit the sack at 2am!) and headed around the corner for cafe con leche and croissants. Lovely cafe, we sat outside. After breakfast, we headed to the San Francisco park for an hour of play on the zip line and other apparatuses. Finally, we met our friends to head to Salinas for a beach day. Again…too windy. We lasted a few hours and had to bail.

Fascinating stop on the way home. We visited Celsos’ friends’ racing pigeons. His friends’ father cares for the garden and the birds–he takes very good care of things on the property. We were treated to some homemade cidre (the drink of the region) and a practice duel between his fighting roosters! Celsos’ friends’ father wrapped the roosters talons so they wouldn’t hurt each other and set them on the grass face-to-face. Then they were off! It was thrilling to watch.

 

Celso ceremoniously poured the cidré from way above his head so we could enjoy it properly. Even the kiddos had a try!

We ended the evening at a restaurant behind Celso and Dora’s apartment and enjoyed some delicious appetizers and drinks. Little Celso treated us to a private magic show at the table. Whew! Busy day!