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After extreme weather driving to Oviedo, we begin in a restaurant in the centre of Oviedo, eating Fabada, a lettuce, onion and tomato salad, and ‘patatas a la importancia’ - important potatoes! I tell the story of a widow who is forced to live above her husband’s killer in the Basque country – see this Guardian article for the full story.
Next morning we visit the cathedral, where we hear a beautiful misa cantada – sung mass (the clip I play is a catholic version of what I know as the Lord’s Prayer…), and continue up into the hills outside Oviedo to see the churches of Santa Maria del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo.
The reconquest of Spain began in Asturias, at Covadonga, and the Asturians put up fierce resistance to Franco in the Civil War.
Also: we mention one of the finest mounain walks in Spain, the Ruta del Cares, the Cares Gorge. And if you are interested in teching English in Spain, check out my blog post here.
Photos: click to enlarge.
Fabada |
Plaza Alfonso II |
Oviedo Cathedral |
Cathedral Porch |
Technorati Tags: spain, podcast, Oviedo, Asturias
JanesDaddy (Chris)
30 Jan 06 at 7:25 pm
This was the second time I had to laugh out loud at Marina’s use of English vernacular (this time, the tea I was drinking was almost sprayed all over my cubicle at work). After the accidental F* word a couple of weeks ago, describing how she was too “knackered” to drive was just too funny.
As always, another very informative and entertaining podcast. Thanks.
Ben
30 Jan 06 at 7:37 pm
Excellent, reading your comment just made her day!
Ben
César
2 Feb 06 at 5:18 pm
Se me hace la boca agua y me renace la morriña gastronómica al ver la foto del plato de fabada…
Me ha sorprendido un poco que hablando de Oviedo no os hayáis acordado de Leopoldo Alas “Clarín” el cual se inspiró en Oviedo para describir la ciudad de Vetusta en la novela más importante del siglo XIX español, La Regenta.
Ben
2 Feb 06 at 5:38 pm
Es que somos un poco paletos, o quizas es q nos gusta mas las experiencias puras como la de comer una buena fabada que darnos cuenta de la historia q nos rodea… Fijate, ni siquiera conocia aquel libro….
César
2 Feb 06 at 5:44 pm
No tires piedras contra tu propio tejado; no sois paletos. A lo mejor es que tenéis otras inquietudes, lo cual también está bien. No tenemos todos que ser iguales.
Ben
2 Feb 06 at 9:25 pm
Totally true.
Simon
3 Feb 06 at 6:18 am
I was hoping that noone would ever comment about Marina’s use of ‘knackered’. It is always used so innocencently that I’d always assumed that its real meaning was one of Ben’s secrets…..
Ben
3 Feb 06 at 9:45 am
?!
No, just UK vernacular for tired!