Summer sun in March

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The weather this week has been incredible - I don't think there has been a day where it has not reached at least 22 degrees C. A shopping trip has been necessary today to get flipflops, a summer skirt and a couple of light tops, because all my summer clothes are still at home in Britain, and the heat is just too much to be wearing shoes, jeans and jumpers. I spent a very contented day on Friday sitting in the park and reading a book in the sun, and it was clearly my day, because when I got there, i found the oppurtunity I have been waiting for: I finally got some photos of the peacocks who live in the park. I've heard them often, and seen them a couple of times, but this time, they too were basking in the sun, and were happy for me to photograph them. Later on, I met up with the others and we had a picnic on the grass. It was just a perfect, lazy summer's day - but in March!

We all had to get an early night on Friday, because we had to be up early for a weekend to Leon and the surrounding area. The coach arrived at 8:30 on Saturday morning, and along with about 40 other erasmus students of at least six different nationalities, we set off. The views from the coach were stunning; we drove through the beautiful, mountainous area of this part of Northern Spain, and I can honestly say that I think it is some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever seen. Golden hillsides gave way to snowy mountain peaks, and small villages and towns were nestled in the valleys. At one point, a huge lake emerged, at the foot of some mountains, its surface like a mirror with just the occasional breeze causing gentle ripples on its surface. It was spectacular. And this was before we'd even arrived at Las Medulas, a UNESCO site of striking orange rock rising up out of the ground, where gold miners exploded the area a couple of hundred years ago in the search for gold, leaving this stunning, alien landscape.

After this, we got back onto the coach and headed to Ponferrada, a small, quaint town, which boasts a templar castle. Unfortunately, the castle was closed when we got there, but we were satisfied with a wander round the town and a relaxed lunch at one of the cafes. We continued on to the town of Astorga, which has a cathedral to rival Leon's (in fact the two are almost identical) and seems outsized in this small town. But Astorga's real attraction is its chocolate. we started with a visit to the chocolate museum, a small, unassuming place, where a woman explained that Astorga was one of the first places in Spain to sample chocolate, which Hernan Cortes brought back from Mexico. The session ended with a chocolate tasting - and it was amazing. Our tastebuds zinged as we worked our way down from 90% cocoa to milk chocolate with almonds - and it was all of incredible quality - real, proper chocolate. I felt very well disposed to Astorga after that welcome, and we wandered back through the little winding streets, towards another grand, imposing building - Gaudi's palacio. With its fairytale towers and glittering stone, it felt very Gaudi-esque, a little bit zany, a little bit magical. I'm sure when I remember Astorga in the future, it will be a memory with blurred edges, a fairytale town of quaint little streets, a huge, splendid cathedral, a magical castle, and the taste of chocolate.

We arrived in Leon as the sun was setting, and had an hour in the hostel to freshen up from a hot, tiring day. The six of us - Rosy, Caroline, Jo, Sarah, Becky and me, were in a room together along with an american girl, who was perhaps the most annoying person any of us had met. But we didn't have to spend a lot of time with her; after we'd had quick lie-down, changed, and done our make-up, it was time to go out. We walked into town (which must have been quite a sight - a stream of almost 50 people, chattering away in a multitude of languages) and when we reached one of the main plazas of the old town, we dispersed to have dinner. We reconvened at 12:30 and went to a club which we more or less took over, and danced the night away. It was hot, it was a weekend away, and there was a lot of pairing off going on. Let's just say that what happens in Leon stays in Leon, but it was a good night. At 3 a.m., we got ready for bed and giggled about the evening. It was like a girly sleepover.

At 8:30 am, however, we weren't in such high spirits as we dragged ourselves out of bed. But by 10am, as we left the hostel to explore Leon, everyone had mostly recovered. We had a tour guide, who did show us all the main sights, but spoke very quietly and extensively at each point, meaning that more and more people would peel off to wander round, take photos and sit in the sun. I felt bad for him when only a small knot of the group remained, but I was glad to keep my distance and admire the basilica, cathedral and various plazas for myself, then sit in a sunny spot and chat with various people until he'd finished and we moved on again. We then dispersed again and had a couple of hours of free time to have lunch and wander. As most of the shops were shut, being Sunday, and especially being between 2 and 4 pm, our afternoon was a very pleasant one of having lunch, sitting in a sunny plaza, having ice-cream, taking a few photos, then sitting outside a cafe in the sun having a drink. When we regrouped, we trekked across town to the Museo de Artes Contemporeanos. By this point, we were all hot, tired, in need of a loo, and a little bit fractious. But things improved when we finally got there, went to the loo, and wandered round cool, darkened exhibition rooms. The first one was the kind of modern installation art I don't understand and have no time for, but the second one was an exhibition of collages by a dutch arist, which I loved. Then a quick wander round the shop, and it was time to go. We got on the coach, returned to collect our bags from the hostel, and then slept all the way back to Oviedo. What a weekend it was.

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