Life in Asturias is less about sophisticated urban living and more about connecting with nature and the ‘Costa Verde’.
To see why, all you need to do is pack a picnic and set off along Gijón’s verdant coastal path.
When I told my friends that I was moving from Barcelona to the Gijón (in Asturias, northern Spain), I was often reminded that “it rains a lot there” and that “the weather’s the same as it is back home in the UK.”
They were somewhat right to say these things but, ultimately, mistaken…
Northern Spain isn’t known as “Green Spain” for nothing, of course. Proportionally, this verdant nook of the country receives significantly more of the country’s rainfall.
But compared to the UK, and Wales specifically, where I’m from, living in Asturias is like living in the tropics.
Especially in Gijón, where there seems to be some kind of micro climate.
Since moving here at the end of last year, I’ve checked the temperatures obsessively on an almost daily basis, while incessantly questioning our move from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. The numbers have been move or less the same.
Yesterday, Rosana and I took our old puppy, Café, along with our amiga Pamela and her dog Nena, for a walk along the coastal path from Playa de San Lorenzo, Gijón’s main beach, towards La Ñora, hugging the crystal clear Bay of Biscay.
We stopped for a picnic along the way, paused to admire the views, to watch turquoise waves cascade over vacant coves, onto naked bodies basking in the winter sun.
We finished our sunny saunter with a beer at Hotel la Colina, soaking in the views of a seemingly endless green coast, of cliffs carpeted in eucalyptus forests and bell-bongling vacas.
Rosana and Pamela headed home to take the tired perritos home. The sun set while I chased seagulls on San Lorenzo beach, my feet sinking into puddles of warm Atlantic waters.
Rays of my childhood finding their way back to the surface. The tyranny of adulthood momentarily suspended.
Just me and the sea.
The unbearable lightness of being.
Thank you Gijón, and your sunny winter days, for putting my mind at ease, for making me feel so welcome.
I will doubt you and my decision to make you home no more.
Make it Happen
Have you been to Asturias or anywhere else in northern Spain? If not, would you like to?
Leave a comment below if you have any questions, and be sure to connect with me on… Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / YouTube.
More Journals from Asturias, Northern Spain
MOVING TO GIJÓN, ASTURIAS (NORTHERN SPAIN) & WHY I LEFT BARCELONA
CELEBRATING LOVE AND LIFE IN NORTHERN SPAIN ~ A PHOTO JOURNAL
WHAT TO EAT & DRINK IN ASTURIAS, NORTHERN SPAIN ~ A FOODIE’S GUIDE
ESSENTIAL THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN ASTURIAS, NORTHERN SPAIN ~ AN INSIDE GUIDE
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