Blogs from Oviedo, Principality of Asturias, Spain, Europe
August 7th 2010
Odluka o ostanak u Santanderu jos jedan dan ispostavila se kao najveca greska, iako je dan poceo vrlo dobro. Slucajno setajuci oko naseg kampa naisli smo na litice i pasnjake koji podsecaju na obalu Irske prema Atlantiku. Prvo nailazimo na svetionik odakle vidimo sa desne strane grad a levo surovi strmek i jednu pecinicu do koje kasnije idemo. Malo feeclimbinga a unutra raste neka cudna paprat koja raste tu u tom mraku a sija kao u filmu avatar. Dalje nailzaimo na Djavolji most, tacnije jedna ogromna rupa koju je voda izdubila, cija se velicna vidi tek kad se covek popne na nju. Posle jos malo setamo po gradu a kisa polako pocinje a nas sav ves napolju u kampu. Celu noc je padala kisa, cak nam je I sator malo popustio i ujutru krecemo sa punim ... read more
December 24th 2009
Ron has been reading Ghost Train to the Eastern Star aloud to me in bed, and I blame Paul Theroux for that all-night train ride from Barcelona to Oviedo, I really do. I lay lonely and claustrophobic in my bottom bunk, which was a bit like a coffin without the amenities. As the old train rattled its way north, my poor bones jiggled from side to side, and my head did that bobble-headed thing you used to see dolls do in the rear window of cars. To top it off, we almost missed our station and hopped off in such an all-fire rush I left behind my Parisian cheese knife and my precious jar of Dutch bee pollen. So I’m taking Paul with a grain of salt, when he says: “Luxury is the death of observation.” ... read more
June 20th 2009
I arrived back in Oviedo last week for the final 17 days of my year abroad, and somehow, 11 of them have already disappeared! Time has mainly been taken up with revision and exams, and Oviedo, in its inimitable style, has provided us with mostly grey days, although it is just proving me wrong at this moment by bringing out the sunshine. I have my three final exams next week, and then it is all over. There's a lot to do apart from revision, not least cleaning the flat and packing up or getting rid of all our possessions. It does feel a bit like deja-vu, as I was doing exactly that in Perpignan six months ago (Six months? already?!), but this time, there is nowhere else to go to, no new country to live in. ... read more
June 3rd 2009
I'm taking a break from packing from my birthday trip home to write this, excitable and surrounded by clothes and general disorder! Finally, we've had a week of glorious sunshine. It's been so hot, 30 degrees every day. So all in all, Fiona chose a pretty good weekend to visit Oviedo. Rosy and I met her from the bus station on Friday, still getting used to the novelty that was hot, sunny weather. After squeals of excitement and hugs all round, we went back and spent a couple of hours eating snacks and watching the Mighty Boosh before going out for dinner. We tried a new place; Tierra Astur, on Gascona - the sidra street. We chose a few plates of tapas - asturian cheeses, croquetas and salad, and took a risk and decided to try ... read more
March 23rd 2009
After the weekend in Leon, we were all absolutely shattered, and the weather meant we spent a lot of long, lazy days sunbathing in the park, broken only by the odd lecture. It really did feel like we were on holiday, only with lectures! We didn't even have a night out, which is very unusual, but which suited me down to the ground. Instead, we spent Friday and Saturday evening at Jo and Sarah's; on Friday we got chinese, and on Saturday we made fajitas. It was really lovely, just to sit, chat, watch films and pig out! It does mean I'm trying to eat healthily this week, but luckily the continuing good weather means i'm happy to munch on fruit and veg. We're all feeling a little skint at the moment, which may also have ... read more
March 8th 2009
And miraculously, touch wood, the rain has gone away! Sitting here now, the sun is streaming through my window - it is a truly joyous sight after a solid week of rain! It did mean, however, that we got to see the truly impressive sight of Oviedo's umbrellas. The sky turns grey, and suddenly everyone, and I mean everyone is carrying an umbrella. I don't mean those flimsy, fold-up ones that slot neatly into your bag - I felt like a second-class citizen with mine, and the wind soon beat it. They have proper, sturdy brollies, in as many colours and designs as you could imagine. There is even a whole etiquette that goes along with carrying an umbrella, because the streets are so full of them that you quickly have to learn the unspoken rules ... read more
March 1st 2009
Right, it's got to be a quick one, as I'm sitting here typing fast, hoping that my laptop battery doesn't run out because the power's gone in the flat this morning, I don't know why, but it's a pain as I'd just put a load of washing on. No-one else is up yet, and as it's a Sunday I don't really want to call my landlord, but if it goes on for muh longer, I think I'll have to. Anyway, yesterday was amazing, because Carnaval finally hit Oviedo. The week-long celebrations for Mardi Gras travel around the country, with parades and festivities popping up in different cities each day. The excitement has been growing all week, with children dressed up and people taking random days off. But yesterday was the big day. After spending the morning ... read more
February 22nd 2009
Here goes part 2, another country, another uni, another experience! After a lovely month at home recharging my batteries (and writing my French year abroad project), I arrived in Oviedo on Wed 18th Feb. I was sort of looking forward to it, but also sort of not, but travelling with Rosy made it much better than it would have been alone. Literally the moment we landed, as we were waiting at the luggage carousel, we bumped into Andy, a fellow sheffielder, who had been on our flight! he introduced us to another Andy, this one from Leeds, who was returning to Oviedo after a break at home, and therefore instantly became our Oviedo tour guide. He took Rosy and I to the door of our hotel, and told us that we were going out that evening. ... read more
December 28th 2008
In loving memory of my father, Alan Joyce, a linguist, historian, and fearless world traveler. The following are exerpts from emails he wrote and photos he took during his fifth and final Camino to Santiago de Compostela in Spain last spring. How to spend Good Friday in Oviedo 22 March 2008 Dear Friends and Family, I promised I'd write something about what these flinty Northerners do for Holy Week. They'd make good New Englanders, actually -- restrained and polite, but with very good hearts. I started the second half of yesterday with a siesta, then went for some good exercise climbing part way up Mt. Naranco to visit two awkward, poorly designed, endearingly ugly little buildings put up by King Ramiro I some time in the mid 9th century. Saw lots of Spanish tourists up there ... read more
June 22nd 2008
With this final drive along the northern coast to San Sebastian we bid Spain goodbye. Our two-week tour of this most amazing country has drawn to a close. We will meet up with our French tour manager this afternoon and begin a journey to the French Riviera. This is the first overcast morning we have encountered, and it feels appropriate, for I am truly sad to leave Spain. The mountains around me are drenched in mist and the rolling hills are damp with morning moisture - it feels as if Spain is grieving our departure… Groups of overfed white sheep appear in clusters on the steep hillsides, in stark contrast to the lush green of the mountains. We had a grand sendoff last night in Olvieda, a wealthy city in the territory of Asturias, which has ... read more
