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23.-30. august 2002

Asturia and Cantabria

Henning Nielsen
2005-11-09 11:38:42

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Friday August 23'rd

Leaving Santiago with Alsa-bus at 8 am towards Asturia. The bus arrives at Gijon at 2.30 pm - and it's time to find Hotel Gijon

This is certainly a step up from the monestary. Nice room - with a TV - and a feature that is way to rare - music at the bathroom.

It has been a little hard to find a place to sleep in Gijon. There is a reason for that. It's called la Fiesta de la sidra natural. Asturia is apple-country, and they make special apples for their sidra (cider). And the pouring of the cider is almost an art. You hold the cider-bottle high into the air - and the glass in a streched arm along your body. Then you pour the cider - and hope to hit the glass.

At the city-square there is a competion among the bartenders in this unique sport. Every competitor has got 5 glasses and one bottle of cider. Then you have to get exactly 130 cl in each glass - and you also get marks for good style!

Another strange thing is a new Guinness-record. There are 2.725 people gathered at Playa de Poniente for the event. They all get a bottle of cider, and on a signal they all pour the cider in the right way. A new record has been reached - and I bet there will be another one next year.

Saturday August 24'th

I start this day by a walk in the "new" Gijon - which is a nice mix with old and new. I pass the "Centro De Cultura Antigua Instituto". There is music inside, so I take a look. The "student-philharmonics" (?) of Gijon is practising for a concert the same evening. There is also a fine little photo-exhibition with pictures by Constantino Suárez - some from the civil war in Spain.
Lunch at my local restaurant - a little siesta at the room and Pelota on the TV

Another walk into the city. This time the old part also known as Cimadeville. ...