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Walking without a donkey - travels in Spain

Walking without a donkey 7: Bilbao

14.10.16

I took a Bla Bla Car from Oviedo to Bilbao. It’s a fantastic Spanish system where people advertise their upcoming car journeys on a special website, stating how many places they have free, and how much it costs. Then people who want a ride, book in.

To be honest the first half of the journey was a bit miserable. I sat in the back, a second, male passenger chatted to the driver in rapid Spanish, and neither of them addressed a single word to me. But then others joined us, including a woman who had just attended the birth of her first grandchild. She told me all about it and showed me the photos. She was off to work in a hotel in Bilbao and asked me where I was sleeping. She looked up the place I said I had in mind because she was concerned about me. They were full, so she looked up another, phoned them to confirm my bed, looked up the route, and then came halfway across the city with me on the metro before sending me off in the right direction.

After receiving such kindness from this unknown person, I found my way to the first hostel I had stayed in in Spain, and it was characterless, clean, and warm, with a ‘great’ view (see above)!

The next morning I met a girl with smart new boots. She explained that she bought them to treat herself, after becoming injured on the Camino, and then being unable to continue. Maybe I thought then that I might put off starting. I’m not sure.

I teamed up with 2 backpackers: Athene from East Sussex, and Jonathan, a Chinese man living in Vancouver, and we walked into the city.

DSC_0753 (640x360)

It was extremely hot and sunny, and my rucksack was seriously heavy, but the time passed with interesting conversation – the most English I had spoken for a few weeks. The city along the river Nervión is stunning.

I was here to visit the Guggenheim Museum and it didn’t disappoint.

Plus I love the sculptures of Louise Bourgeois, and so it was fantastic to see one of her mother spiders in such a glorious setting.

I also appreciated Anish Kapoor’s Tall Tree and the Eye.

The free wifi was useful, I said goodbye to my companion, and walked to the nearby Museo de Bellas Artes, (Museums of Fine Arts), where I had a welcome cold beer amongst the well-dressed arty sorts.

I didn’t stay long, but couldn’t resist snapping this: it reads Escozia la Brava, (Scotland the Brave!)

Walking without a donkey - travels in Spain

Walking without a donkey 6: Oviedo

10-13.10.16

Carmen, a Shiatsu practitioner who lives in Oviedo, met me in Avilés and kindly offered me a bed and hospitality in return for Shiatsu. She also attended the workshop on the HT-Uterus meridian which I gave in Avilés.

Once I had settled in, I set off uphill from her flat for my first walk. At the first junction I saw a donkey and knew I must be in the right place. I had come to see the chapels of San Miguel de Lilo built by King Ramiro I in 842 AD,

and the pre-Romanesque, Santa Maria del Naranco.

I spent a happy hour sketching in the sun. Drawing is a great way to understand the architecture of a building and allows time to appreciate its ambience.

The Cathedral of the Holy Saviour is also a world heritage sight, but Gothic in style. This I saw on my first tour of the city in the rain, together with the unexpected pipers. The sound was familiar (like Scottish bagpipes), and the costumes entertaining.

I love the colourful buildings I am starting to see all over the country. Scotland (where I live), with so much less sun, could definitely brighten itself up this way.

Spain is renowned for its tiles, here seen decorating a regular stair (Scottish word for the communal part of a block of apartments).

That night we took a drive to Monte Naranco, the highest point above the city and this impressive statue of Christ (that’s me at its foot!).

There is a great deal of urban sculpture to see for free, including Woody Allen who is something of a poular figure in the city after winning an award at the film festival; a little, homeless dog, Rufo which attended political rallies; and of course at least one donkey.

The Monumento de la Concordia by Esperanza d’Ors 1997 in Corbayon Square shows 7 androgynous, naked figures which caught my eye.

The Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias is well worth a visit, with work by El Greco, Goya, Sorolla, Dali, and Picasso. Also look out for the clocks above the entrance desk on one side of the building with feathers as hands.

Descenso de Cristo al Limbo by Fernando Gallego 1493.

Santa Úrsula con las once mil vírgenes by Pieter I Claeissens c1500.

My host kindly took me to nearby Gijon where the sun shone. We walked barefoot on the beach and around the beautiful old town.

Thanks to Carmen for delicious food, great hospitality, and friendship.

Walking without a donkey - travels in Spain

Walking without a donkey 5: Aviles

9.10.16

A middle sized city, Avilés is between Salinas on the northern coast of Spain, and Oviedo the capital of the Asturias region. It’s a national seaport with a significant industrial area.

I began by wandering around the city, choosing my way as places attracted me, and discovering green spaces between busy shopping streets.

Ferrera Park

Then I happened across the Avilés estuary, beside residential properties and independent retailers.

And, on the opposite bank, the rather futuristic arts centre.

Centro Niemeyer

Along the Ruta del Acero are a series of sculptures made out of industrial materials found during the modernisation of the area.

There were many men and women walking along this Ruta, many in sports gear. I first noticed just how many Spanish people engage in outdoor sports when I was in Salinas, but then saw this everywhere I went, up and down the country (especially walking and cycling).

As the sun started to set, the water and crossing structures were shown to an attractive advantage.

Well worth the time, the walks on both sides are very interesting and there are even public toilets if needed!

I wound my way back to the câfé, past a red-brick building with shop and graffiti.

I was able to make a phone call and write my journal there because like most Spanish bars, you can sit for quite a while, using their wifi and only drinking one beer. Here I was once again given free tapas.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avilés

Walking without a donkey - travels in Spain

Walking without a donkey 4 Salinas

8-9.10.26

The very early car journey from Santander to Aviles was spectacular. The sun rose orange behind us as we passed through beautiful ancient villages, huge imposing mountains, and industrial factories spewing much gunk.

My first hour-long walk with all the stuff on my back was from Aviles to Salinas on the same northern coast of Spain, but further West of Santander. It was a Google maps walk which means it was efficient (I didn’t get lost), but all on tarmac.

Google map link to Salinas

I was carrying what I hoped would be enough, but not too much, for 3 months – information gleaned from the web and the Camino book my friend, colleague and experienced walker, Liz leant me. I am likely to walk through 3 seasons, and this initial amble when my hips, feet, and knees all ached, immediately impressed upon me that I can’t carry that much for up to 8 hours on the Camino de Santiago otherwise, known as the Camino de Peregrinos (pilgrims).

Thus began the process of letting go of what I believed I needed, probably a metaphor for the mental process too. I left things at hostels and friend’s houses and I sent some back home, some forwards to be there later in the year.

I walked past a mix of the industrial type of area you get on the outskirts of a town, past prettily coloured and elegantly balconied residencies, and beautifully kept front gardens with both larger versions of the sorts of plants I am familiar, with as well as ones which don’t thrive in the UK. I stopped to buy a croissant for breakfast and the woman in the shop, like all the oh-so-friendly people I have come across, wanted to know where I was from and where I was going.

Montse, a newly qualified Shiatsu practitioner, met me in the hot sun and took me to her flat where we started the process of getting to know each other, she often in English, me in Spanish. We spoke about being a mother, and about the age children get to when they are part independent and part dependent. I gave my third Shiatsu session and enjoyed it. All of them felt spacious and it was great to be swapping for such amazing hospitality.

The beach at Salinas is another surfer’s paradise and it was warm enough for me to sun bathe on the wonderful swathe of golden sand and watch. I don’t know anything about surfing, but usually people seem to head straight into the beach, whereas one impressive guy skimmed on top of a single wave parallel to the shore for what seemed like miles.

It may be something to do with the Shiatsu folk I stayed with, but I was served fresh and local produce wherever I went. One of the first new words I learned from Manolo, who I stayed with in Santander, was huerte meaning vegetable garden, and their fresh tomato salad was muy rica (‘delicious’. Thanks Iris for teaching me this in my Spanish classes!). Montse, her mum, and I picked apples and lemons, and gathered nettles and mint for infusions from an orchard in the hills outside the town. We has fresh figs, black carrots, and walnuts; merluza (fish, hake); home-made marmalade, and drank cidra (cider), which this area is especially well-known for (not all in the same meal).

Montse did her Shiatsu training with Gill, my principle Spanish contact, in Aviles, and we moved back and forth several times between there and Salinas when she worked and I engaged in sightseeing or where I taught my first Shiatsu workshop. Aviles is the subject of the next blog!

Walking without a donkey - travels in Spain

Walking without a donkey 3 Santander

5-7.10.16

When I first decided to take a sabbatical in Spain I posted my plans on Facebook. Nicola, one of my Shiatsu collegaues offered to connect me with Gill, a British practitioner and teacher who has lived and worked in Spain for many years. We spoke on the phone, and she kindly translated and disseminated an email I sent to her about myself. In no time I had received messages from her students, graduates and colleagues all over the country, offering to host me in return for a Shiatsu session, tutorials, or classes. I loosely planned my journey according to the location of these people, together with my personal aims such as to walk some of the Camino de Santiago.

Spain autumn 2016 phone 636 (640x360) — Arriving in Santander

In my last blog I wrote about my boat trip to Santander in the north of Spain, but it was only towards the end of that journey that I was paired up with the delightful Rosa, a Pilates teacher who liked my idea of taking a break from work and home and travelling somewhere new for inspiration. At the last minute I found out where I was going to be staying that night! Manolo, her husband, met me at the ferry terminal in the centre of Santander, and he drove me along the waterfront, showing me the impressive facilities built for training and supporting the Olympic watersports team. In the evening sun we toured the eastern point of the city, briefly viewing the Palacio Real de la Magdalena, the several impressive beaches and the lighthouse, before heading back to the house.

These hosts were congenial – welcoming, accommodating, generous and so patient with my pidgeon Spanish! They prepared food for me every day, took me around the city and along the coast in the sunshine. I rode on the back of a motor bike for the first time since I was 20, zipping in and out of the city traffic, able to get a parking place easily, and take detours through no-car zones. We picked up fish and vegetables from the thronging Miranda market for the evening’s paella, and I saw the hugest tuna on the slab ready for a party.

We coursed through at least 3 writer’s streets, wide avenues with apartments that have large windows and good views, ideal for stimulating the creative process; skimmed past the cathedral and environs, managing the hills of the city with ease on 2 wheels. Manolo pointed out places which were special to the family; and I was given the history and stories behind the sights. Being a tourist in a city new to you is a totally different and more satisfying experience when you are shown around by a local.

My first walk was along a stretch of nearby coast as the evening sun set on my left. La Maruca, where the Ria de San Pedro del Mar meets the sea, has a wild feeling with cliffs and rocky beach, especially considering it is just north of the city centre.

Spain 2016 046 (480x640) — Santillana del Mar

We drove in an open top car (me comfortable in the tiny back seat because I have very short legs!) to Santillana del Mar (famously neither on a plane (llana), nor by the sea (del mar)). It´s ever so pretty, with flowers cascading from window boxes down sun-bleached stone walls, and narrow shops selling leather goods and local delicacies. Unfortunately the church was closed as it was lunchtime but I was told that the cloisters are well worth seeing.

Feb2017 2015-11-22 017 (640x480) — Colegiata de Santillana del Mar

We returned via Suances which has a glorious beach, resplendent with real surf. Black-clad imps trying to stay up as they rode the waves, reminded me of the determination of the salmon leaping up the River Braan at The Hermitage near Dunkeld. We lunched on crab and calamari washed down with cold beer in the hot sun-bliss!

Spain 2016 051 (640x480) — Surfing beach at Suances

My lovely time in Santander came to an end when I tagged along with Rosa who was going to a course in Aviles, Asturias, west of Cantabria, driving along with the stunning Picos de Europa in the distance to where I started the second leg of my Spanish adventure.

Rosas beautiful studios – bright, efficient, well-equipped http://www.rosanunez.com/

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