Gijon with mi hermanita!

Today, I am happy to inform you, we were much more energized and ready to go out and explore some different parts of Spain!  Lex was on her own for the first part of the morning (I had stupid classes and a test...which apparently I couldn't skip, weird I know!), so I sent her off with a map and some impeccable directions to go see a little church and a park near my apartment.  Then we met up at a bus stop near my house and set off for the bus station and then off to Gijon!

I had previously only been to Gijon at nighttime, so finding our way around was a little interesting...but completely by accident we discovered a part I didn't even know existed and was absolutely stunning.  The weather...well, lets just say it was not exactly what I had been hoping for.  It varied from freezingly cold with a brisk wind, to frankly quite hot when the sun was out and the wind died down.  We walked A LOT, but it was well worth the effort.

First we explored a little area below the wharf which was covered in rocks and little crevices (especially since the tide was so low).  We wandered around, skipping from rock to rock and just generally enjoying the absolutely stunning views from every angle.

Then, when we actually managed to find stairs back up to the wharf, we walked all the way back to the opposite side of the bay to stop and see this little church.  We really wanted to go in, but it was unfortunately closed for a funeral; a valid excuse I would say.

We had gotten a recommendation to hike up to this great park that overlooks the whole city, but after traversing the entire length of the bay practically twice, we were not feeling QUITE as much like trekking up as one might have hoped.  But, fearless adventurers that we are, we decided to refuel in a little cafe with some cafe con leche and a seat to refresh ourselves before plodding on.  We looked around for a while until we found a cute little cafe overlooking the pier (a different part of Gijon), and settled down with our cafe con leche.  While Lex went to the bathroom, I chatted up the owner about the weather etc, which resulted in us getting free donuts to dip in our coffee.  It pays to be polite and cheerful!

Finally, we felt energized enough to walk up to the park, and boy was it worth it!  You could see the entire bay from all directions, overlook the entire city, and have a viewing of an interesting sculpture perched at the top.  We knew that we wanted pictures together, but there were not a lot of people out and about (siesta-time combined with the frigid weather), so we quickly discovered how to put the timer functions on our camera to good use!  We only got one picture taken by an actual human being, and it wasn't even our best one!

We also stumbled upon a pirate ship, which NATURALLY we had to take some fun photos on.

Then we wandered down to the port part of Gijon, and took some pictures as the sun set.  It was really interesting how many different parts of Gijon touch the water in various ways.  We saw the bay area, which was then divided into cliffs, beach, and rocky areas as well as the port, which had a long walk way and then of course docks for boats etc.

Eventually we got a little too chilly and headed off to find a tiny cafe to grab some bocadillos before getting back on the bus.  All in all, a very successful day trip!  We grabbed some great pictures, and got to experience the beach and it's many facets.  Tomorrow: Llanes!! (p.s. sorry this blog entry was so long!!!!)