Asturian Paradise:Warmed
by Its Inhabitants and
Clouded by The Weather
“Asturias, if I could, if I knew how to sing you ...
Asturias, green with mountains and black with minerals [...]
My eyes are blind, my eyes ... blind from looking so long
upon you ...
Without seeing you, Asturias of my heart, daughter of my
own mother ...”
IJÓN
G
And Its Parador
Víctor Manuel, Asturian Singer-songwriter
o speak of Asturias, one must have one’s eyes wide open, a
bright mind and a full heart. Few regions hold in their depths so
much history, resistance and contrasting lives. The fact is that Asturias
has a calling, granted it by the sea and its good people: nobody remains
indifferent after sampling the delights of this paradise that is Asturias,
warmed by its inhabitants and clouded by the weather. The same is true
of Gijón, its port and surrounding area standing proud, an open city, and
a fighter like no other.
T
Prior to the Christian era, the Asturs came to settle the magnificent
location that is Campa de Torres. There, they expended all their energy on
survival, heedless of the flow of history. To aid them in their efforts, a
hand was extended to them by the sea, their impassive friend, fierce and
pure. They also had the help of some cattle and farming, and metallurgy,
a fundamental resource for the Gijón of the future. The Asturs inhabited a
large portion of the Atlantic/Cantabrian coast, not least the area around
the present-day city of Gijón. They spread throughout the land, in search
of a home that would be more than just a camp.
Their stay would last until the arrival of the Romans, who invaded
most of the Iberian peninsula around the 1st century bc. When the
Romans came to these shores, for some time they lived together with these
peoples. But the climate of Campa de Torres had its way with the
Romans: it was near the sea and the wind buffeted the settlement. They
moved downhill, to Santa Catalina Hill –today the Cimadevilla quarter–
towards the site of today’s city, which they were to build stone by stone.
The testimony of Roman authors has come down to us, in which they
relate how they saw and lived with the Asturs, whom they called
“highlanders”. Here we have a fragment from the Geography of Strabo
(75 bc - 20 ad), in which he discusses the customs of the northern people,
including the Asturs:
“All the highlanders are sober, they drink water, sleep on the ground
and wear their hair long and loose, as is the custom of women, although
when they fight, they tie a band around their foreheads.”
Gijón still contains some vestiges of its “Romanization”. Perhaps the
most mythic traces of Roman settlement are the remains of what were the
Campo Valdés thermae, at the foot San Lorenzo Beach, a meeting point
for the town’s residents. What talk of civitas and the state of the empire
the walls of Gijón’s caldarium will have been privy to…
The Romans settled in Gijón’s city center, where they built a wall to
defend themselves from the barbarians who besieged them, or the other
way around. They were engaged in continuous warfare to establish
GIJON AND ITS PARADOR
1
territories and supremacy. They also lived in the surrounding areas, places
that are today occupied by Serín, Tremañes and Jove.
The occupation came to an end
when the empire fell. Very little is
known of the city’s history until
the late Middle Ages. It appears
that there may have been a
Muslim settlement around the
time when the magnanimous
Pelayo stopped the Arabs’
progress at Covadonga and began
the Reconquest. His brave deeds
were inspired by the Santina, the
small, elegant Virgin of
Covadonga.
From that time, Gijón was transformed into the scene of bloody battles,
almost to the point of destroying the city completely. It would only be with
the reign of the Catholic
Monarchs that the town would
flourish again. The port was built
and the city began to grow up
around the beach. With
construction of the port and pier,
the Monarchs gave carte blanche
for trade to begin across the Bay
of Biscay with lands beyond the
seas, lands which Columbus and
his crew had previously
“discovered” and “covered”. And
so Gijón began to truly take
advantage of the sea’s resources. This inexhaustible source of riches and
beauty is the jewel of the city, and for centuries has been one of the
region’s major means of support.
An Enlightened Asturian:
Melchor De Jovellanos
“Wisdom and virtue are two sisters who have come down
from heaven for the glory and perfection of man.”
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
f Gijón is to have a favorite son and father of the city, that
man is Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos. Enlightened among the
enlightened, with his diligent labor and the education he
cultivated, he brought the best of himself to Gijón, and lifted it out of
the oblivion into which it had disappeared long years before.
I
These were the times of the advances and upheavals of the 18th
century. Enlightened despotism had spread to several countries on the
old continent, primarily France, from where it of course came to Spain.
The “Frenchified” became the standard for the men involved in making
the country’s decisions. Jovellanos was one of the most obvious
exponents of this way of seeing and understanding life. After roaming
Spain serving in important cultural and political posts, he returned to
the land he had yearned for. This was the land where he had been born,
this was the land he wanted to fight for.
Jovellanos had traveled all over his native Asturias looking into the
state of the region, the problems and difficulties troubling it, and
possibilities for overcoming them. As any good enlightened man, he
believed that prosperity would be impossible unless the simplest of its
people had sufficient knowledge to understand and bring about the
necessary improvements. As he himself maintained, it was necessary ”to
promote knowledge useful for perfecting the profitable arts, to present new
goals for honest work, to give new foci to trade and shipping, to increase
the population and wealth, and to establish the security of the state and
of its members upon a single base.”
And so the Institute of Asturian Mining Engineers was created,
following the thinker’s ideas. Later, seeing Gijón’s need to train its young
people in matters related to the sea, another institute was founded, the
Nautical and Mineralogy Institute.
In a short time, Jovellanos had already achieved more than anybody
2
GIJON AND ITS PARADOR
else had, but his contributions to the Asturian homeland, and Gijón in
particular, did not stop there. Perhaps one of the most important advances
which the Asturian brought to Gijón from abroad was the proposed plan
for improving the city. This would transform the port town into a modern
city, expanding the urban area, opening up streets – all the improvements
necessary for the Gijón of the past to become the city it is today.
The presence and dedication of Jovellanos is obvious even today. Gijón
has become the enlightened man’s best work, and his countrymen thank
him for it. Proof of this are the reminders which lie around every corner:
an institute, a street, a theater, a library, a school or a hotel with his name.
These are only simple examples of the affection felt for a man of wisdom
and virtue, one of those figures which history would like to have seen more
of, the mentor of his city, a visionary.
Following the wise Asturian’s efforts, the modern age begged
permission to become part of the life of Gijón. In the 19th century, as the
Industrial Revolution which had begun years before in England began to
spread, it came to a province in which coal and the sea would be the raw
materials of progress. In Gijón, the Port of Musel, built in 1893, would
give an even more powerful boost to an existence tied to the sea, which
had always pulled the city forward. The constant ship traffic turned the
fishing town into one of the most important cities along the
Atlantic/Cantabrian coast.
Mining is one of the inescapable symbols of this northern region, hungry
for coal and anthracite. The coal trade brought Gijón
another source of wealth and well-being. In 1842, the Coal Road was
built, designed to transport the mineral from coal fields to port. Fourteen
years later came the railroad between Sama de Langreo and Gijón, built
for the same purpose. The transition from the 19th to the 20th century
was both prosperous and unsteady.
The two Republics were very well received in the province of Asturias,
traditionally progressive and working-class. Each brought times of change
and renewal, such as a shorter working day. However, in 1934 the tense
situation became untenable: there were strikes and protests as companies
Her inhabitants successfully drew out the
fighting until the province eventually fell into
the hands of the so-called Nationals.
began to lose capital, reduce staff and change
working conditions. The famous Revolution of
October ’34 began with pamphlets in the style
of the following extract:
Then came the most bitter consequences of
any conflict, primarily a lack of freedom. Many
Asturians and Gijonese lost their lives, and of
those who managed to survive, the majority
were jailed. Others had more luck – among
them renowned Asturians such as Alfonso
Camín, Álvaro de Albornoz and Wenceslao
Roces – and were able to flee in boats crammed
full, departing from the Musel port for other
countries, France above all.
Comrades,
The time has come to tell things as they are.
Given the magnitude of our movement, already
triumphant throughout Spain, we have but to
recommend that you make one final effort. All
that are left are small groups of enemies who
strive to continue their futile resistance to the
overwhelming strength of the Revolution.
And it was to France that one of the most
Asturian symbols of all fled: the image of the
Virgin of Covadonga had been brought there by
the Republicans during the revolt to protect her
from harm. She would be returned to her stone
sanctuary in 1939 by the Nationals, who
claimed to have “saved” the “prisoner of the
reds”. In Gijón, as in the rest of the country, life
changed completely. But even today, the
Gijonese have preserved the nonconformist and
rebellious spirit which led them to resist longer
than all others.
ALLIANCE REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE
AND WORKERS AND AGRICULTURAL
WORKERS OF ASTURIAS
The government’s response, with cries of
“Rebels of Asturias, surrender!” triumphed
over the revolutionary efforts, and succeeded
in putting down the uprising and packing the
region’s prisons. The tense climate abated and
it appeared that peace had returned.
But in 1936, despite the Popular Front’s
majority, a military revolt brought war to
families and countrymen. Gijón was a bastion
of resistance and struggle, forever republican.
The Old Mill: From
Usefullness to Enjoyment
“Under the mill
was born the pilgrim, leré,
was born the pilgrim, lere, leré leré…
was born the pilgrim,
…I’ve come from the mill, brown girl,
I’ve come from the mill, brown girl,
from the mills up there,
I slept with the miller woman, and olé, olé,
she didn’t charge me,
I say I’ve come from the mill, brown girl.
Who would be courted
by the miller, leré
By the miller, leré, leré, leré…
Asturian Folk Song
he Old Mill of Gijón is the descendent of all those contrivances
used as instruments for work, homes and an excuse to meet and
chat. Mills have been preserved in Asturias which date from the
period of the Campa de Torres settlements: two stones between which the
grain was milled. From the 11th and 12th centuries, milling began to take
place in buildings identified for this purpose: the “crank” type powered by
humans, and water mills.
Unlike most other places, in this region no wheat was grown and so
none was milled. However, other grains such as spelt and millet were very
T
common, as was the corn which caravels brought from the other side of
the ocean.
The public imagination created a racy life which took place in the
shelter of the mills; popular songs are riddled with mills and miller
women. The thing is that the mills have always been set off a little from
population centers, increasing curiosity about them even more:
“Mills are not houses
because they sit alongside irrigation channels,
they are remote little rooms
for the single men”
Popular saying
The Old Mill, today the Parador, was also isolated from the heart of the
city. However, Gijón’s expansion has placed it in what is today an excellent
area: in the middle of Isabel La Católica Park, and a few short meters
from San Lorenzo Beach. The sea air, the surrounding pond and the
peaceful, leafy trees envelop the old mill in an idyllic atmosphere which
seems almost to transport those who rest within its walls to a Cantabrian
oasis of peace and good food. It seems incredible that the agricultural
building has withstood time, war and the vicissitudes of real estate
transactions, remaining as it once was: the house of the molineru. The mill
has stood for close to a century, offering life and sustenance, working
ceaselessly.
GIJON AND ITS PARADOR
3
Delicious Coastal
Regions
“The eyes’ delight, San Lorenzo Beach,
extending its cloak of cinnamon from east to west,
the gaze lost within the canvas
or caressing the echoing bosom of the sail”
Gerardo Diego
he poet’s description is how the landscape of Gijón’s beaches
must be experienced. San Lorenzo has the best views, a marine
parapet which collects the roughest waves of the Bay of Biscay,
it offers an unparalleled view of the Gijón coastline. It ends at Mayanes
Beach, the Rinconín, and next to it lies Cervigón Beach.
T
Until not long ago, San Lorenzo
– with its neighboring sands – was
the only beach located within the
city limits. Another two beaches
were later fitted out to cover the
demand of both natives and
summer visitors: Poniente and
Arbeyal. The first is located near
the Fomento Marina, and the other
in the Calzada neighborhood.
But the landscape does not stop
there. Throughout the region there
are any number of coastal jewels,
close to the city: along the
Providencia road lies Estaño
Beach, with its famous Priest’s
Pool (Pozo del Cura); Ñora Beach
and the beach in Serín both lie in
the same direction. The nudist beach, Peñarrubia, has steep cliffs.
In addition to enjoying the Bay, it is just as pleasurable to contemplate
it from afar. From on high, the marvelous monument In Praise of the
Horizon, the work of the Basque Chillida, allows visitors to see and hear
the roughness of the sea within the sculptor’s cement. Another fantastic
place is the viewpoint in Cabo San Lorenzo Park, in a remarkable setting
that allows you to enjoy the most incredible views in the region.
The greenery extends its magic throughout this entire landscape, in
extensive prairies and the highest mountains. It would be unforgivable to
focus on the sea and overlook the land, which offers us the freshest
products and the most beautiful scenes. Gijón is flanked by an area rich in
native flora and fauna. Of special note is the Monte Deva Nature Reserve,
which can be reached by a hiking route which takes you through the best
the region has to offer.
Among the Asturian species there
are abundant chestnuts and oaks. In
Bable, the local tongue, the latter are
called carbayu, and so groups of these
trees are called carbayeras. In other
times, the country was richly
populated by a long line of carbayeras
flanking the coast. The trees were
felled as natural spaces were forced to
adapt to human construction, that is,
to speculators. Now the carbayeras are
few, although it is still possible to
enjoy their shade in some places, such
as Tragamón or Granda, and a few
others.
Around the region lovely mountains
rise, crowning the coast: Pico del Sol, Pico San Martín, Peña Cuatro
Jueces, and La Olla, excellent reasons to walk among the Asturian
vegetation and discover, step by step, the beauty of the heights and the
topography of the region.
A Stroll in The Shelter
of Art and Culture
“This seaside town
of my land, Asturias,
where the waves of the sea
awaken me in the morning […]
That Gijón I love and adore so,
that Gijón of my dreams, a treasure,
I will take it with me deep inside,
I won’t ever forget you, never, never, never, Gijón of my
heart”.
Javier Díaz. Singer and Composer
4
GIJON AND ITS PARADOR
s you walk through the streets of Gijón, you discover the
diversity of a town which has preserved its history while making
a great effort to become modern. Traces of the past appear mostly in the
Cimadevilla neighborhood. This network of paved stone streets gives off
all the magic of the early city, which has survived as a jewel and evidence
of other times.
A
The neighborhood is crowned by the Clock Tower (Torre del Reloj),
which houses an exhibition on the city’s history. Close to the tower stands
Revillagigedo Palace, a lovely Renaissance/baroque structure. Among
the twists and turns of Cimadevilla, do not overlook the
Museum/Birthplace of Jovellanos, a 15th-century building in which
our enlightened one lived long ago. Its collection contains pieces from the
life of the Asturian as well as European art from the 17th and 18th
centuries.
The Campo Valdés thermae recall the Roman inhabitation, the
flowering of ancient Gigia. It is worth stopping to visit them, if only for
their location, opposite San Lorenzo Beach, next to the lovely Church
of San Pedro and close to City Hall Square. However, this is also a
fantastic opportunity to view the remains of one of history’s richest
civilizations. A must-see is the Campa de Torres Archeological Park,
evidence of the transition period between primitive settlements and
imperial civilization.
Art has made a name for itself in Gijón, lively site of culture and the
artistic. There are several museums to visit. For painting in Gijón, the best
place to start is the Evaristo Valle Museum in Somió.
The peaceful setting is well worth a visit: a landscaped area frames the
two buildings in which visitors enjoy the painter’s works. Also interesting
is the Juan Barjola Museum. The site was once the Palace of Jove
and the Chapel of the Trinity (Capilla de la Trinidad). Its collection
displays the career of the artist, who donated these works to the
Principate. The Nicanor Piñole Museum, in the former Pola Home on
Europa Square, holds a sample of the works of one of the region’s most
prolific and flamboyant painters.
There are other spaces dedicated to art, such as galleries. It is also
possible to enjoy cultural sites of other types, offering, for example, a view
of the region’s history. The Museum of the People of Asturias is
located in a perfect setting in which to discover the characteristics and
nature which have defined and which still make up Asturian culture and
sentiment. There is also the Museum of the Gaita, a type of bagpipe; or
the Railroad Museum and the Dairy Museum.
A frenetic calendar of cultural life and festivities keeps the Gijonese
active all year round. Perhaps one of the best-known events, both within
and without Asturias, is the International Film Festival, a week filled
with new films, music and other events. During this week, Gijón shines
even brighter, if that is possible. Carnival, with its Antroxu Tuesday, is
celebrated as in the south, but in a northern fashion, with brass bands and
street musicians and the people out on the streets.
Gijón’s next dates fall during the summer months, a period filled with
atmosphere and things to do. Gijón’s summer begins with “Noir Week”
(la Semana Negra), a festival dedicated to “noir” literature, music and
film. Of course, the things that make up any festival are also present: there
is no lack of food and snack stalls and excellent eating.
“Big Week” (la Semana Grande) coincides with the feast day of the
Virgin of Begoña, another occasion to enjoy the city. The end is marked
by their famous fireworks. Gijón has other important dates, such as the
Cider Festival, the International Comic Salon, the Latin American
Book Salon and the Euro Ye-Ye Weekend, among others, not to
mention the traditional pilgrimages in the surrounding country and
villages.
The Good Food of The
Cantabrian Coast
“Cider, song of Asturias. Nostalgia and harmony;
the mature heart with indomitable suspense,
and loves who give themselves without regret.
The fountain gives itself to the river, and the soul to the wind.”
Alfonso Camín
I
t is well known that Asturian cooking would never be the same
without the flavor added by fresh cider. A few well-poured
culines are the perfect thing to prepare the palate to enjoy a dish of stew
or regional tapas.
But cider is typical, above all, in the hours before lunch or dinner when
every good Asturian gets together with friends to talk and pass the time
warmed by the drink of the apple, the spark of the orchard’s nectar. The
barrels of cider are kept at the perfect temperature. It comes out ready to
drink, enjoyed from the traditional espichas in the company of typical
dishes.
Asturian cooking has retained the style of its ancestors, with many of
those recipes said to be “Grandma’s”. The Cantabrian climate has done
much to form the culinary map of this fine cuisine. As a result, soups
and stews are an important food group, exceeded only by the tastiest fish
and seafood from local waters. If cider is the star and queen of drinks,
Fabada Bean Stew plays the same role for food. The secret lies in each
one of the ingredients, all native and natural, and also in the pure
Asturian water, among the best.
THE SECRET RECIPES
Leave the fabes beans to soak the day before: they come to life, getting
bigger and bigger and more and more tender. After they have soaked,
place them in a large pot with the compangu: the chorizo sausage, the
morcilla blood sausage, the cooked ham and the fatback. Then simply
cover it with water and simmer over a low heat, “frightening” them with
cold water from time to time.
GIJON AND ITS PARADOR
5
Cook until the fabes have the soft consistency of butter and have
absorbed the flavor of the meats. Before
serving, add a touch of saffron which has
been toasted on the lid of the pot. The fabada
is now ready, but let your digestion beware!
Another of the hearty dishes to be tried at
the Parador el Molino Viejo (the Old Mill),
where everything is prepared with great care,
is Caldereta, or fish stew, made using fish
caught in these waters. In this stew, as with
the fabada, the ingredients used are crucial to
making it turn out well. We recommend
using the freshest fish and seafood possible.
There can be much skill involved in
preparing a caldereta, but the basic recipe is
as follows:
Cook the onions until golden-brown, with
garlic if desired, in a large clay casserole
dish. Then add different types of cleaned
and chopped fish, and seafood, for example
andariques: necora crabs, crawfish and
bugre, lobster, above all else. Cover with
water and cook for half an hour. The
ingredients may be varied, and the dish can be made with just water, or
cava sparkling wine, or with cider.
The Parador offers visitors a range of some of the most traditional
local fish and seafood recipes: Hake
Cheeks, or Bream in Cider, prepared with
that magical beverage used in so very many
Asturian dishes. You can also enjoy
Asturian Pote, a soup, more of the best
evidence of the excellence of Asturian food. It
is prepared with potatoes and accompanied,
cooked, with chorizo sausage, morcilla blood
sausage, bacon and cooked ham. Like the
fabada, it is difficult to digest, but an
unimaginable joy for the tastebuds.
To finish the meal off and leave a sweet
taste in your mouth, the desserts. Asturian
cooking is rich in sweets. Among other
delicacies, of special note are the world
famous Rice Pudding; Casadielles, a sort
of fritter filled with a walnut and sugar paste;
and Frixuelos, thin crêpes covered with
sugar, jam or chocolate.
Parador de Gijón
Molino Viejo
Parque Isabel La Católica, s/n. 33203 Gijón (Asturias)
Tel.: 98 537 05 11 - Fax: 98 537 02 33
e-mail: [email protected]
Reservation Center
Requena, 3. 28013 Madrid (España)
Tel.: 902 54 79 79 - Fax: 902 52 54 32
www.parador.es / e-mail: [email protected]
wap.parador.es/wap/
Text: Miguel García Sánchez Design: Fernando Aznar
6
GIJON AND ITS PARADOR
Perfect foods to end a visit to this land, a
natural paradise par excellence: “Asturias,
patria querida” (Asturias, my beloved
homeland).