Had a lovely swim in the indoor swimming pool as the outdoor one was a bit chilly. Dried ourselves in the glorious sunshine on the grass by the outdoor pool and feeling very refreshed decided to walk back to the cathedral, up that steep incline to find somewhere for dinner. Wandered about for a while and eventually decided to go back to Casino Restaurante where we had lunch. I had a lovely picante pizza and although Jo attempted to order a bottle of wine we only got one glass each. We our waiter came back to check on us Jo asked for the rest of the bottle but that totally confused the poor man who thought we were ordering a new bottle now. Problem sorted when we simply asked for dos cupo de vino blanco. I'm not ready to take on a job as an interpreter yet but if you want to ask for a menu and then work out what is on the menu and how much it costs, then I can assist. Can also order coffee (black or with milk) and can even tell people that I am hungry or thirsty, which is most of the time!
So after dinner we ambled back to our room and it was time for bed. This is my absolute favourite hotel so far and saw my second good night sleep in a row.
Waking up to the alarm we had to have bags out by 7.30 and commenced our drive to Oviedo passing very scenic countryside. The morning started out very foggy and 20 degrees. Already we are seeing very different countryside from the south which was very drive. Here the rolling hills are all green and we can often see the coast. This green coast of Asturias is surely one of Spain's most beautiful. It is named after the colour of the sea. There are often pine and eucalyptus trees along the shore line. There certainly aren't swimming beaches at it is rugged coastline. We stopped at a delightful little spot along the way for coffee and the almond tart which is a specialty of the region. As were we doing so well for time we take a slight detour to a lighthouse on a cliff which gave us spectacular views. We got into Oviedo about 1.30 and we are staying at an old hotel called Hotel De La Reconquista. Apparently Oviedo is a principality so they have a Princess who is next in line to the throne (same sort of set up as exists to create the title Prince of Wales). Can't remember how far back it goes but when it became a principality, royalty stayed at this hotel so they have gone overboard
with crowns and HR on every inanimate object. Consequently I feel right at home...
We head out to lunch in the cafeteria of their equivalent of Harrods - El Inglais. I had a lovely Sicilian pasta and a glass of Sangria, which was very nice indeed. Then we had a bit of a look around the store but even with all the summer sales, it was expensive. Back to the hotel to meet our local guide Rene (male version) who fancies himself as a comedian tour guide. We visited a 9th century church which was built when Oveida was the capital of Christian Spain. It was absolutely amazing in the workmanship and artistry of the time. Couldn't take any pictures inside but will attempt to upload an external shot later. The church of St Julian has many 1000 year old wall paintings which are simply incredible. The whole church took 400 years to complete. We then visited the cathedral in the Plaza Alfonso II square. Amazing main nave that had various scenes depicting Jesus's life. They were all carved in wood and then painted, much of it in gold leaf. We had a wander through the old town which has something like 40 small bars in one street and most of them don't open until at least 10 at night and then stay open until about 3.30 am, which is way past this little black duck's bed time. We were then given a tasting of northern Spain's drink of choice which is Cider but it isn't like any cider
I've ever drunk. It is meant to be poured from a 1 1/2 metres drop into the side of the glass.
Thankfully we were in an outdoor courtyard because much of it goes on the ground. I was selected to try the pouring and told the guide that I was 'busy' but he persisted so I eventually got my two fingers
worth of cider into the cup and then shook off my wet sneakers and apologised to those nearby that I
had splashed during the pouring. A very light sprinkle of rain mist occurred in the last five minutes of our walk and it wasn't even enough to make my hair go curly. Back to the hotel and we have a bit of
time before dinner at the hotel. We get into our room and it is like a sauna! What the ???? The temperature is showing 26.3. We kept pushing the button to try and get the temperature down but no success so in despair turned the AC off. I went downstairs to reception and explained our predicament. The lass told me that she would send a technician to sort the problem. By the time I got upstairs and given Jo a bottle opener for our happy hour using the HR crown engraved champagne glasses, our non English speaking technician arrives. We try to explain the problem but all he understands is that these two stupid women haven't turned on the AC! No amount of our sign language and his speaking more Spanish at us is working (remember, I can order from a menu and
ask how much things cost, so air conditioners, too f***ing hot and turn the temperature down are way outside my bailiwick. Maybe that will be covered in my next online lesson...) so, we get the receptionist to come to our room and interpret for us. After much pushing of buttons we are told that it is an old building and is a bit humid but eventually will cool down. The lass isn't any more convinced by our air conditioning expert than we are so tells us that if it doesn't cool down we can change rooms. Jo has already opened a bottle de vino blanco, so I'm not going anywhere. Gracias to our AC technician, Gracias to our receptionist, shut the door and happy hour begins...in a sauna...
A lovely day so far.
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