We were invited to spend Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) with our friend Diana and her family. We were excited to be able to experience a real Spanish Christmas with a real Spanish family. In Spain, Christmas Eve is a bigger celebration that Christmas Day (I wrote about the Spanish holiday season here). Diana’s mother, Margarita, hostedContinue reading “Cena de Nochebuena”
Tag Archives: Expat in Spain
Christmas in Spain
I have been looking forward to experiencing the holiday season in Spain since we arrived. At one point Phil asked if I wanted to travel somewhere for Christmas. I did not. There is something very interesting to me about experiencing Christmas traditions in another country, particularly in one as Catholic as Spain. In a countryContinue reading “Christmas in Spain”
Milk and Potatoes
It has certainly been raining a lot here in Asturias, so we booked a cave tour, thinking that would be a fun way to get out while still staying in. Back in August, I wrote about a group tour to we took to Covadonga. It was an enjoyable little adventure so we’ve kept an eyeContinue reading “Milk and Potatoes”
Hanging with Some Possums on a Rainy Saturday Night
Phil and I have been surprisingly busy the past few weeks with hikes, Meetups, Thanksgiving celebrations, and day trips. Our most recent outing was to Avilés, which is a half-hour bus ride west of Gijón, to see live music! We saw a couple of outdoor concerts this summer during Gijón’s summer activities and while theseContinue reading “Hanging with Some Possums on a Rainy Saturday Night”
Galicia the Beautiful, Part 1: Lugo
For my birthday this year, we decided to take a road trip through Galicia, Asturias’s neighboring autonomous community to the west. I did not know a lot about Galicia before we left other than 1) it rains a lot there (even more than in Asturias), 2) the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route ends there, andContinue reading “Galicia the Beautiful, Part 1: Lugo”
A Royal Weekend in León: Part 1
León has been on our list of places to visit since we arrived in Spain. Phil and I have heard great things plus it’s only an hour and a half drive (3 hours by train) from Gijón. León is not in Asturias but located in the autonomous community of Castilla y León (a bit likeContinue reading “A Royal Weekend in León: Part 1”
Sunrise in Gijón
Shortly after we moved to Gijón and had witnessed some lovely sunsets, I told Phil that we need to get up early and watch the sunrise (Amanecer in Spanish). We are not necessarily waking up before sunrise kind of people, so aiming to see the sunrise at least once, was a fairly reasonable goal. MyContinue reading “Sunrise in Gijón”
Having drinks and climbing mountains; A Typical Asturian Weekend
I intended to post this on 9/22/21 but did not finish it in time before Phil and I left for a week’s trip to Italy, so the timeline mentioned is a week off. Posts coming soon about the Italy trip! Recently, Phil and I attended a meetup group in the nearby town and capital ofContinue reading “Having drinks and climbing mountains; A Typical Asturian Weekend”
Group tours: They can actually be pretty fun.
Phil and I have been on very few group tours, only three to be exact, including the one I’ll be telling you about here. The first was a free tour of St. Peter’s Basilica in 2004, that we happened upon, while in progress. The guide was so informative that we booked his evening walking tourContinue reading “Group tours: They can actually be pretty fun.”
Happy [belated] Assumption of Mary Day!
If you’re a good catholic, you probably know that August 15th is the Assumption of Mary (and a holy day of obligation). I was raised Catholic but am no longer practicing therefore, by definition I suppose, quite a bad Catholic. Either way, I was unaware that August 15th was Assumption Day and in fact, aContinue reading “Happy [belated] Assumption of Mary Day!”
Jess Barrington Travels 