A non- driving day with no rain means we get to just hang out and enjoy Oviedo. Breakfast was light – yogurt and fruit and GF muffins – a nice change from our previous hotel breakfasts. Then we went out into some temperamental sunshine (in our freshly laundered garb!) to experience Oviedo on a Saturday morning.
The old town was wall to wall with market stalls and people drinking coffee (and the local cider!). We visited several merchants and made a few purchases before deciding that mas cafe was in order. I stood smugly in the queue watching the American family in front of me struggle with the barista’s limited English. (We’ve found that to be common outside the big cities so don’t give up on the Babel/Duolingo lessons!) I then managed the coffee order and basic chitchat in my limited Spanish and felt quite proud. My vocabulary is limited but my pronunciation was WAY better than the folks who preceded me.
We also made the pilgrimage to visit the statue of Mafalda – an Argentinian cartoon figure that has been adopted by Oviedo and is now a kind of symbol for the city. She is everywhere! (Kinda reminds me of Nancy from Nancy and Sluggo for those of a certain age and are of upbringing.)
Eventually it was time for the main event: Oviedo Cathedral. A baroque edifice with so much ornate trim and gilt you can understand why there was a reformation! We passed in the audio guide and just enjoyed the experience , including the museum which was well curated with examples of Catholic icons from Spain over the centuries. Very well done!
Then lunch! We wandered around the old town looking for any cafe where people were eating salads. (Yes, the fried food overload is real and painful!) We passed a few that might have suited before stumbling on one that had no one eating salads but lots of folks drinking wine instead of beer. Turns out, it was also a 100% GF establishment. Found my peeps! Lunch was exquisite: the Caprese salad I had was AMAZING – fresh burata with tomatoos and orange slices (?!) swimming in outstanding olive oil and pesto. Delicious GF rolls worked well with Frank’s plate of Asturian cured meats. Add a bottle of lightly oaked albariño blend and it was perfect.
We also had fantastic entertainment during the meal. It is the height wedding season and we saw no fewer than 4 couples getting married at the various churches. The one closest to our cafe even had Spanish bagpipes (gaita) playing the couple out of the church. No Flower of Scotland of course but beautiful nonetheless. (Side note: Frank’s entertainment was watching the driver of the wedding car struggle to get it started before the ceremony was over. He drove up and down the street in front of us trying to keep the engine from cutting out. 😂)
And being an excellent GF establishment, they had an excellent GF bakery. So deserts were procured for later consumption and the wandering continued until it was time to head back to the apartment for a break. We enjoyed the street art we found along the way and decided that dinner at home would be just the ticket.
And that means: grocery shopping! We picked up the makings of pasta with red sausage and a bottle of Rioja Reserva and headed home. The rest of the evening was very quiet- a necessary break from all the touristing. The pasta and wine were delicious as were the sacretorte and carrot cake from the bakery. An excellent day of living like locals.
Highlights of the day:
- Watching the wedding guests wander across cobblestones on their finery. When did strapping gold sandals become de riguer for weddings?
- Just enough sunshine to be enjoyable but not enough to make us sweat to death.
- Noticing the prevalence of graffiti in a place that is regularly referred to as the cleanest city in Spain. weird.
The Cannon Family's travel blog 