Luarca

Day 6 of my Globus tour. Today, we left the Galicia area of Spain to travel to the Asturias area. Both Asturian and Spanish are spoken in Asturias. Our first stop was for a morning break in the small, quiet town of Luarca.

Luarca

More of Luarca. It is known for its large number of white houses.

I have put my photos of Luarca on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/luarca/ (Slide Shows, Western Europe, Spain–1, “Luarca”).

Espana Verde

Next, we drove through a region of Spain referred to as Espana Verde (Green Spain). Actually, the region includes the area of Spain from the Portugal border to the border with France and nearly all of Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria plus some parts of the Basque Country and Navarre. The section is very green because of its wet and temperate climate. It is lush and lovely. (My photos taken from the bus are off–color due to its light–filtering windows.)

Espana Verde

More of Espana Verde.

Espana Verde

More of Espana Verde.

Espana Verde

More of Espana Verde.

Oviedo–Monastery of San Pelayo

Our next stop was in Oviedo, the capital of Asturias, at the Monastery of San Pelayo (Monastery of St. Pelaguis) is a Benedictine monastery for women of the Benedictine order. It was built in the Middle Ages and contains the relics of St. Pelaguis, a martyr.

Father Fray Benito Feijoo

A statue is in front of the monastery of Father Fray Benito Feijoo, a monk and a scholar who led the Age of Enlightment in Spain. He was one of the first men to support women’s rights. In his “Defense of Women” (1726), he wrote that women have the same intelligence level as do men and should be given equal rights and opportunities.

Cathedral of San Salvador

The Cathedral of San Salvador was founded in the year 781, but most of the original cathedral was destroyed when the present cathedral was built in 1388. The Northern Way of St. James starts at this cathedral, a route that was taken by pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela in the Middle Ages and well traveled until the 18th century. The cathedral is important as it contains many relics of saints and other religious people that were brought from Jerusalem. St. Francis of Assisi is said to have taken this route.

Main Altar of the Cathedral

The main altar of the Cathedral of San Salvador depicts the life of Christ. It was constructed for the people who at that time didn’t know how to read. The pictorial was to teach them about the Kingdom of God.

Cloister

We visited the cloister of the Cathedral of San Salvador.

La Regenta

A statue of La Regenta was on the plaza facing the cathedral. It is a tribute to Leopoldo Alas’ 19th–century novel of the same name. There are many other interesting statues in Oviedo including one of Woody Allen. We didn’t have time to see the other statues.

I have put my photos of the Cathedral of San Salvador complex on a slide show. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/oviedo/ (Slide Shows, Western Europe, Spain–1, “Oviedo”).

Cider Tasting

After visiting the Cathedral of San Salvador, we had cider tasting at a sidreria, a cider house. Much body English was put into pouring the cider.

Cider Tasting

One of the ciders that we tasted.

Cheese and Crackers

Tasty cheese and crackers went along with the cider. We spent the night in Oviedo.