That Time I Went to Oviedo
The year was 2012. I had planned to fly to Oviedo, in northwestern Spain, from Madrid. Two of the major economy airlines in Europe, Ryanair and EasyJet, often promoted low prices to that part of Spain — prices as low as 9.99€. Needless to say, flying would also be faster than taking the train or bus. We’re talking about potentially getting there in 45 minutes, as opposed to five hours by land. Ah, the beauty of European transportation…
Before I go on with my travel adventure, let me tell you about the silly reason behind my trip. What really got me interested in visiting Oviedo was the movie Vicky Christina Barcelona.
Not to spoil it for anyone, but there’s a scene in the movie where a Spanish guitar can be heard in the background while the main characters have a nice candle-lit dinner in a green outdoor space. Never mind I’ve been to a dozen places like that in Spain, but who wouldn’t want to repeat that experience in the movie scene! It looked like this incredibly beautiful and romantic place that makes you want to book a flight ASAP — so that’s what I did.
In the movie, they reference an airport somewhere in Asturias, the mountainous region where Oviedo is located, and that’s when I knew I could fly there. So a trip was born. (Isn’t it crazy how easily television can influence, inform or misinform the viewer?)
The weekend I planned to go to Oviedo finally arrived. Filled with excitement, my partner and I got on our way…by bus. I forget the exact reason we ended up on a bus, but let’s just say I wouldn’t do it again. Once in Asturias, though, I knew the long trip was totally worth it.
Oviedo is a super cute cosmopolitan city — the capital of the Autonomous Community of Asturias, Spain. And just like the movie suggested, it is very green and clean. Gorgeous!
Sightseeing is a must. Of course, cathedrals, museums, and art installations are everywhere. They’re “out there,” so you can’t miss them. Everything looked so well-preserved, like most monuments in Spain. I don’t know how they do it. Considering that it’s the north, and it gets frigid, the weather was not bad in early June. I believe it was about 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day that weekend. Quite pleasant.
Oviedo is a young city and its nightlife is proof of that. Downtown Oviedo is so lively; people everywhere going out for drinks and pinchos. After a quick research, I found out that Calle Gascona is where the happening happens! “The Boulevard of Ciders” came up as one of the hot spots to visit. Naturally, I had to go there.
They say Calle Gascona is one of the most traditional streets of the city of Oviedo. A group of settlers from France arrived there and chose these streets to live and trade products — and it makes sense.
Today, it still is a market street. There are lots of great sidra-drinking (crowded) restaurants on Calle Gascona. Eating Fabada (traditional stew) and drinking sidra (cider) was one of my favorite experiences there, actually. I knew they were into cider; I just didn’t know how much. There can be up to 10 bottles on a single table. People order it back to back (they do cost only 2€ after all) and nobody seems to get drunk, maybe because of its relatively low alcohol content.
While it is fun drinking it, the whole sidra obsession must be mostly a traditional thing, since there’s really not a lot of flavor to it. I had expected it to taste a little more like a sparkling wine. But not quite. Maybe I’d just have to drink some more? I’ll be back one day and will try again.
If you’re not into drinking, at least it’s a lot of fun watching the servers pour the sidra from above — from really high up above — which they do without even looking at the glass and with such precision it’s incredible. It’s worth getting a bunch of bottles just to watch them do it.
I was in Oviedo for just one day and one night, as I continued my journey through the North, but I had a great time. I was going to visit Asturias, eventually, but I’m glad the movie took me there sooner! All of the Spanish regions have their own charms — and Oviedo is not an exception.
