August 10, 2026

August 10, 2026

Overnight we sailed 170 miles west along the northern coast of Spain to the city of Gijon, capital of the Asturias province. Gijon is not set up for cruise ships, so we dock inside their commercial port. Gijon is the largest dry bulk port of Spain so we are surrounded by piles of coal and other commodities. Since it is a working port we have to be shuttled outside this immense facility.

We have friends who have walked the month-long Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Aimee often suggests we should do it too. On our long walk to the Old Town of Gijon we see metal seashells embedded in the sidewalk. That is the symbol that we are walking the Camino. Aimee got her wish.

The old town of Gijon sits on a small easily-defensible hilly peninsula. It was established by Rome. There are some Roman ruins that have been excavated. In the prominent main square is a statue of King Pelayo. He was the Visigoth king of Asturias who rebelled and won a major battle against the Muslims in 722 AD. This made him the hero of Spain for having begun the long Reconquista effort to throw out these invaders from North Africa. The Reconquista wouldn’t end until 1492.

Nearby we see a tree constructed of bottles. Gijon is famous for the production of natural Apple Cider. Every year they have a festival to celebrate the harvest. The empty bottles are collected in this artificial tree.

We walk through the old town but it seems to be pretty dead. So we wander through the newer neighborhood to the south. Based on the many art nouveau facades and the art-deco design of one cafe interior, Gijon's heyday must have been a century ago during the Industrial Revolution. Like Bilbao most of the apartment buildings have glass enclosed balconies.

I want to try some of Gijon's famous cider, so we check out several cafes. None are serving cider. One helpful lady points us in the right direction. There we find a bar with two large oak casks. I order a cider expecting to get a pint glass. Not in Gijon. I get a full stoppered wine bottle. The waiter pours my first drink from 3-feet high to aerate it as it falls into the cup. Sadly I have had better cider elsewhere.

Back on the ship early, we have lunch and then take a nap. This time we ate early enough to appreciate dinner. For entertainment we watched the ship’s magic show. He was more of a comedian. His claim to fame is second-place on a Britain's Got Talent show many years ago.