Arrival in Oviedo

Today I was able to sleep in because my bus to Oviedo doesn't arrive until 9 a.m. and I chose my accommodation near the bus station. After a small breakfast I set off around 8:15. It was cold again as usual in the morning. The bus came earlier so you could get on. I had the seat directly behind the driver and there was a lot of legroom. There was also a display at each seat with multimedia equipment with films and series to choose from. That was a good thing, because the journey took five hours. We went north to Ferrol and then more or less along the coast the whole time. The sun also came out, so the ride was very pleasant. I also had both seats to myself. I spent most of the time listening to music, looking at my pictures and thinking a lot.

When I arrived at 2 p.m. everything seemed familiar again because I had already been here in July, but back then I landed in Asturias around 7 p.m. and was in Oviedo around 8 p.m. I only had the evening, i.e. I went through the city, at the cathedral and then ate at Popeye's and the next day I set off on my Camino primitivo. The city seems very touristy, there are shopping streets and centers and the shops are open until 10 p.m. every day.

I went straight to the accommodation I was at last time. This is centrally located and yet very close to the bus station because I have to take the bus to the airport at 5 a.m. on Monday. I also knew that the accommodation had a nice living room with a comfortable couch and also a kitchen, although I would also like to try out the city's delicacies. What's also special is that you don't need a key, everything is controlled via an app that opens the doors via Bluetooth. After I put my backpack down, I went out and walked through the city.

What I noticed, not only here but in Spain in general, is that the Spaniards are crazy about two things: the lottery and Christmas. It feels like every ten meters there are employees standing on the streets with their lottery tickets or even small stalls. In Spain the lottery draw is called 'El gordo', which literally means 'The Fat One'. People are queuing up in many places. You can also see how everyone is preparing for Christmas in every city. Christmas trees and other decorations are being set up everywhere, all the shop windows are brimming with Christmas items and fairy lights are already twinkling through every street. This was the first time I saw a Christmas market being set up. Let's see if it opens this weekend.

I continued through the city, the cathedral is closed. I will visit these tomorrow. The range of food on offer is gigantic and yet I still go to a supermarket to buy drinks and maybe for accommodation. to get a salt, but then I discover a soft cornbread there. The smell alone is amazing and so my plans change and I get a few things so that I can have a small feast in the accommodation afterwards. But this soft bread combined with hummus is simply one of the best things you can eat. Luckily, I'll be here for a few more days and can still take advantage of the local gastronomic offerings. Afterwards I made a phone call and then went out through the city. Although the city is not directly on the sea, you can still feel the cold. In Germany, Siberian cold of -14 degrees is forecast for December. That could be something. Anyway, I took a warm shower afterwards and went to bed. Nice first day in Oviedo. And then I fell asleep relatively early...