© Richard Randall

SAN VICENTE de la BARQUERA

San Vicente de la Barquera is a pretty little coastal town just along from Santander. There is an impressive Renaissance ducal palace and a Romanesque Gothic church, Santa Maria de los Angeles. The church has a reclining statue of the Inquisitor Corro. San Vincente de la Barquera is a thriving fishing port, with the days catch being quickly sold, cooked and eaten in the many restaurants around town. Unlike where we live in France, where the locals start lunch at midday, here in Spain lunch was much later and a far more leisurely, relaxed affair. There was not that much of interest for us but it was a very pleasant place for an overnight stay, which we did. We stayed at the Hotel Luzon, Avenida Miramar, Tel: 942 710 050. Situated right on the main road with ample street parking, the rooms were clean and pleasant. At the time we visited we had not been living in France for long, so our French was not that great (nothing much has changed there)! Our Spanish at the time was practically non existent, so securing a room for the night took slightly longer than usual, as the owners did not speak any English, and why should they this is Spain! Once we had made ourselves understood we had a stroll around the town before settling in at the large cafe-snack bar directly across the road, there was lots of seating both inside and out. I cannot remember the name of it but it was very busy and popular, the service was excellent too. Next to our hotel was a small square with a selection of food shops and a chemist, behind out hotel there were lots of other every day shops.

GIJON

Gijon is the largest city in Asturias on the Bay of Biscay. Along with Aviles Gijon is an industrial city with factory chimneys smoking the skies. Gijon has a summer film festival in late June early July. The centre of the city is a small area and the bus station is worth a look as it is an amazing piece of Art Deco. The tourismo Tel: 985 346 046 is off of the Plaza del Marques. In the old part of the town is an eighteenth century Palacio de Revillagigedo (Open summer Tues-Sat 11am-1:30pm, and 4pm-9pm, Sun noon-2:30pm, Winter Tues-Sat 10am-1pm and 4pm-8pm, Sun noon-2:30pm, free admission). Constructed in a combination of neo-Baroque and neo-Renaissance styles it is now home to a gallery exhibiting twentieth century art. There is a bagpipe museum, the Museo de la Gaita, Paseo Dr Fleming (Open Summer Tues-Sat 11am-1:30pm, and 5pm-9pm, Sun 11am-2pm, Winter Tues-Sat 10am-1pm and 5pm-8pm, Sun 11am-2pm, free admission) which has instruments from all over the Celtic world and beyond.

OVIEDO

Oviedo is the Asturian capital, with a wealthy history evident in the grand buildings, it is very different from other cities in the region. In the old quarter are narrow streets and squares, the newer part is home to a huge public park. There are lots of great bars and restaurants which keep the student population happy. The main sites in this city are the three small churches, which are said to be among the most extraordinary in Spain. They were built in a style that is unique to Asturias, which emerged following the Visigoths and before the Romanesque style that spread from France. All of these churches date from the first half of the ninth century during which time the Asturian kingdom was in total isolation. The Asturian kingdom covered an area of only 65km by 50km at that time and was the only part of Spain under Christian rule. In 810 Oviedo became the centre of this settlement with the residence of King Alfonso II, the son of the victorious Pelayo. At the centre of Oviedo is the Campo de San Francisco; the Cathedral is to the east with the Plaza de la Constitucion to its south. The tourismo is in Plaza Alfonso II, (Open Mon-Fri 9:30am-1:30pm and 4:30pm-7:30pm, Sat 9am-2pm, Tel: 985 213 385). Oviedo's Cathedral (Open Mon-Sat; March to mid May and Oct 10am-1pm and 4pm-7pm; mid May to June 10am-1pm and 4pm-8pm; July-Sept 10am-8pm; Nov-Feb 10am-1pm and 4pm-6pm; € 2:40) is a Gothic building in the heart of the city. In the ninth century King Alfonso II built a chapel the Camara Santa to house holy relics that were rescued from the moors when Toledo fell. It was remodeled in the twelfth century and now forms the inner sanctuary of the Cathedral. San Julian de los Prados (Open Tues-Sun May, June and Oct 11am-1pm and 4:30pm-6pm; July-Sept 9:30am-1pm and 4:30pm-6pm; Nov-Apr noon-1pm and 4pm-5pm, free admission), is along the c/de Gijon and was built around 830. It has a 'secret chamber' built into the outer wall. Inside you can see original frescoes whose style resembles those of Roman villas. To gain entry you will need to obtain the keys from the priest's house to the left, as the church is kept locked. The greatest of the Asturian churches is the Santa Maria del Naranco (Open May to mid Oct 9:30am-1pm and 3pm-7pm; mid Oct to April 10am-1pm and 3pm-5pm; closed on Sun and Mon mornings; € 1:20). Santa Maria is situated 3km above the city on a wooded slope. The tourist office has marked out a walk to this church, which takes about an hour from the centre of town. Originally designed as a palace or hunting lodge for Alfonso's successor Ramiro I; 842-52. The present building was once the main hall of a complex that would have housed baths. Beyond Santa Maria is the palace chapel of King Ramiro; San Miguel de Lillo (Open: same hours as Santa Maria del Naranco). Most of its interior sculpture has been rehoused in the archeological museum, but you can see window grills that were carved from single slabs of limestone. The Byzantine style carved doorframes depict the investiture of a Roman consul. Up further from these churches is a figure of Christ that is illuminated at night looking over the city, it is not that attractive up close as it was constructed from concrete blocks by Republican prisoners of war. The best places for something to eat or drink are found in the area around the cathedral. This is where you will find the spit and sawdust joints (sidrerias), and you can have a go at pouring your drink into your mouth from a great height. A bottle costs about €1:70, so it doesn't matter how much you spill whilst you practice your aim!

SANTIAGO de COMPOSTELA

This was one place that both Richard and I had wanted to visit for a long time. Santiago de Compostela is an absolutely beautiful medieval city, which has been declared as both a national monument and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Most of the city has been pedestrianised, which makes exploring it a real pleasure. The city is the third holiest site in Christendom after Jerusalem and Rome. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries the city was inundated by over half a million pilgrims each year, wanting to visit the supposed shrine of St James the Apostle (Santiago to the Spanish and Saint Jaques to the French). Today the city attracts tourists as much for its art as for religion. Each year the Festival of Saint James; July 25, a ceremony is held dedicating the country and government to the saint at his shrine. If the saint's day falls on a Sunday designated 'Holy Years' then everything is even more intense, the next Holy Year is 2015. Santiago de Compostela has a large student population so it has a lively young feel to it. Apparently known for it's rain as it is situated in the wettest fold of the gallego hills, receiving constant showers. We can testify to this as it rained for the whole time we were there, we got soaked! We were staying at the Hostal dos Reis Catolicos, Praza do Obradoiro 1, Tel: 981 582 200, www.santiago@parador.es. We drove across the cobbles to the hotel entrance where we handed our car over to the valet before rushing inside out of the wet. This Hotel is allegedly the oldest hotel in the world, but I have read that about quite a few other hotels so who knows? The Hostal dos Reis Catolicos dominates the northern side of the Praza do Obradoiro in front of the cathedral. The hotel is a Parador so unless you are a guest it is not that easy to gain entry, though you can always stop for a drink in the bar. Once you have imbibed you can then wander around and see the four superb patios, the chapel and it's amazing Gothic stone carving, and also the vaulted crypt bar which once housed dead bodies. Although it was raining we still managed to get out and walk around the patios admiring the stone work and we even took the odd photo, which would obviously have been better if the sun was out. Our room was very large with a lovely comfortable bed, just what we needed after being in the car. We couldn't wait to get out and explore the area so we took one of the numerous umbrellas from reception and braved the cold and wet outside. Considering the weather was less than pleasant the streets were quite busy with people, I guess the locals are used to the rain. There are some pleasant squares around the cathedral so we began exploring the largest one which is the Praza da Quintana. A flight of steps joins the back of the cathedral to the convents high walls. Praza das Praterias, the silversmith's square has an ornate fountain of four horses with webbed feet. The Praza da Immaculada is dominated by the Baroqu facade of the San Martino Pinario. the Benedictine monastery of San Martino Pinario (Open Tues-Sun 10:30am-1:30pm, and 4:30pm-6:30pm; € 1:20). San Francisco (Open Tues-sun 11am-1:30pm, and 4pm-7pm; free admission), was supposedly founded by the saint himself during his pilgrimage to Santiago. There is an interesting museum of pilgrimage at the Museo das Peregrinacions (Open Tues-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10:30am-1:30pm and 5pm-8pm, Sun 10:30am-1:30pm; free admission), is a sixteenth century mansion. The main attraction here is the original copy of the twelfth century 'Codex Calixtinus', a travel guide for pilgrims which recommended routes and lodgings as well as highlighting the dangers of the camino. There were plenty of good bars and restaurants to satisfy every need, Bar Paris at the top of Rua do Franco is where the legendary Paris-Dakar race participants start with one drink at each of the other 48 bars along the way to Bar Dakar on Rua da Raina, before finishing at midnight. Seafood restaurants are popular, most of them allow you to pick from live stock, so your meal is very fresh! As well as restaurants were are some lovely delicatessens, we especially liked the traditional breast shaped cheese, queso de tetilla.

Caribbean

Sundries

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