Asturias, Spain | Summer 2018

Gijón is a seaside city in Northern Spain. It is the largest city in the Asturias region, an autonomous community known for its medieval architecture and maritime culture.

The drive was beautiful. We took a winding road through the mountains by bus. If it wasn’t for motion sickness, I would have taken pictures of the ride. Gijón has an oceanic climate. Even in the middle of summer, it was mostly a cold and wet visit for my mom, sister, and me. A light jacket was perfect for the chilly, ocean breeze.

Gijón was the perfect excursion. The boardwalk wrapped around the beach, was clean of debris, and dog friendly. It seemed like a popular space for locals to have their morning dog-walk. We also saw a few brave souls swimming and surfing in the icy waters of the Atlantic ocean.

The boardwalk led to a promenade of shops and restaurants. You can always count on Spain to have some of the best fried potatoes, eggs and beer. Conveniently, wine or beer always came with the meal.

We visited the Museo Barjola (Barjola Museum), a modern and contemporary art museum in the city. We just stumbled into the museum, looking for a bathroom. It’s important to note that there are not too many public restrooms available in Europe.

The architecture was beautiful. We climbed a crisp, spiral staircase to each floor. It was a small museum, but had an interesting collection of modern paintings, sculptures, and photographs.

Gijón was the perfect day trip. With my sister still in school for the semester, we needed a short day trip. We easily travelled to Gijón and back to Leon using accessible and cheap public transportation.