Santiago-A Coruna-Leon-Oviedo-Ferrol-A Coruna-Santiago

I'm busy these days reading up on a new line of research with some of the others here in Santiago, and enjoying it hugely. It's nice to see things afresh and coming across a few authors whose work I have never read before but I find to be superb writers is a pleasure. Anyway, as I let the new thoughts sink in I thought I'd update the last weeks events.

Last weekend I headed away with a Couchsurfing friend to Oviedo, in Asturias (just East of Galicia) via Leon, where we enjoyed some rich morcilla and fine embutidos before gorging on Asturian fabada and some of the finest cheeses in Spain. Both Leon and Oviedo have picturesque, traditional old centres, centering around a Cathedral, with windy streets leading off, easing into the newer areas of the cities. On a Sunday afternoon, when everyone else is with their families or siestaring, these are lovely places to walk aimlessly around.

Getting back to Santiago was a rather mammoth task as we took the train (Feve), six and a half hours through the lush Asturian and Galician countrysides, up along the Northern coast. The view is stunning and if you are not in a rush I would highly recommend taking this trip. The train arrives into Ferrol which, at 9.30 at night, is not well connected to Santiago so I found myself couchsurfing in A Coruna before heading back early the next day to Santiago on the train.

Anyway, now we find ourselves at Friday once more and the weekend looks to be full of reading, but from where I'm sitting this is quite an enjoyable option for now.

I'll leave you with a few photos taken from my flickr photostream. More can be found here and all can be seen in larger format.

The cathedral roof in Leon:

and that of a church in Oviedo:

plus a little fun with the zoom lens above the Cathedral in Oviedo:

and Santa María del Naranco, a pre-Romanesque shrine overlooking Oviedo:

Currently the first photo on the stream is that of yaure, a Cuban friend whom we met in Oviedo. A trumpeter who, when asked if he had seen the Bueno Vista Social club responded coyly that he was IN the Buena Vista Social Club! We will definitely be seeing them next time they are touring in Spain!

Anyway, for now have a great weekend!