Hi there! It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything and that’s because Phil and I have had a very busy month. A good kind of busy. My aunt, uncle, and cousin visited us in Asturias, then we traveled with them to San Sebastian and on their way back to the Madrid airport, they dropped us in Burgos!
I am writing this post from Andalusia. Phil and I said farewell to our beloved Gijón yesterday, our home for the past year. We’ll be traveling around Andalusia for the next month and I will be sure to tell you all about our adventures. For now, enjoy the photos and a few quick stories from our recent travels below. Phil wrote in detail about San Sebastián here and here and Burgos here. Enjoy!
On our way to Lugo to see the Roman wall (I wrote about Lugo previously), we stopped at Castro de Cabo Blanco and took in the beauty of the Cantabrian Sea.
While in Lugo, we went to the same restaurant for pulpo gallega (Galician octopus) that Phil and I had visited on our trip there. When speaking to the waiter, I thought he said he would bring enough pulpo for three people. There were four of us but as we weren’t sure if everyone would like it so enough for three people sounded sufficient. We could always order more, if needed. Welllllllll, Sara and Mark did not care for it (we ordered some steak and fries, so they did not go hungry) and Madison and I attempted to tackle the mountain of pulpo on our own. Pulpo is very high in protein and very filling.
We did our best, to the point of being uncomfortably full, but ended up leaving a bit of pulpo. Asking for a doggy bag isn’t really a thing here in Spain and leaving too much food is considered rude. When the waiter collected our dishes, I let him know the pulpo was quite good, “Que rico” and he motioned to the remaining pieces with disapproval. We discovered when he brought the check that instead of pulpo for 3 people, we’d been given 3 orders of pulpo! One order had been more than enough for Phil and I.
The next day we headed to Covadonga and Cagnis de Onis. Phil and I had visited once before but they were definitely worth a re-visit.
A few from our last day together in Gijón:
Next stop: San Sebastián!
Pinchos (or pintxos in Euskara, the Basque language) are small portions of food, typically in the style of an open-faced sandwich, served with wooden cocktail sticks. At least, this is what they are in Basque country and some other areas of northern Spain. In Asturias, pinchos refer to small sandwiches eaten as a snack or for breakfast and they also refer to small plates of gratis food served with drinks i.e. olives, potato chips, nuts, or sometimes stuffed buns or tiny sandwiches.
I love Basque-style pinchos. They may be my favorite thing to eat in Spain. It is so fun to look at the selection offered (usually under glass at the bar) and pick and choose what looks tastiest. San Sebastian is known for their food. It is some of the best in Spain. The food was indeed good. I was very surprised, however, at how good the food in Burgos was. They also offered pinchos. So. Many. Pinchos! I felt their quality and variety most definitely rivaled what we’d had in San Sebastian.
Stay tuned for more travel adventures coming your way!
Jess Barrington: American in Spain 