Covadonga, Conga de Onis and a paella party in Picos de Europa

The Basilica of Covadonga appeared magically in the mountains. “It reminds me of Harry Potter”, Julián said. In a mountain landscape of stone huts the two soaring spires of the rose hued church was a Hogwarts-like surprise. As enchanting as the Basilica was, the church within a cave was even more beguiling.

Covadonga was the site of an important battle against the Moors in 722. The Moors swept through Spain in 711 but they never really got a stronghold in the north. The battle at Covadonga a mere 11 years later marked the start of the Catholic reconquest (which you may recall ended in 1492 at the Alhambra in Granada). The battle at Covadonga was led by Pelayo, a local Asturian noble. A large bronze statue of Pelayo in his battle garb presides over the square in front of the Basilica.

Legend is that Pelayo and his troops hid in the cave on this site. The Holy Cave of Covadonga marks this spot with a chapel essentially embedded in the mountain. A dimly lite tunnel, lined with glowing prayer candles, leads you to the chapel through the cave. To add to the enchantment, the chapel sits above a waterfall. A delicate stream of water flows into the pool below.

We visited on All Saints Day (November 1) so the whole site was super crowded. It was quite a contrast to my tranquil week of hiking with cows, sheep and goats.

The nearby town of Cangas de Onis, considered to be the first capital of Spain, was also bustling on this beautiful sunny day. The town’s photogenic humpbacked Roman bridge is a focal point (cover photo). Its tall centre arch took me high above the river Sella. The cross hanging under the bridge is a replica of the cross Pelayo supposedly carried in his victorious battle at Covadonga. This “victory cross” is on Asturias’ flag, and the original is in the Cathedral in Oviedo.

This history was all very interesting but my most memorable experience in Cangas de Onis was our lunch at a traditional cider house, Sidraría El Polesu. It started with sidra standing in the bar area. I was already happy. Then with a stroke of luck on this busy holiday they sat us at a table in the dining room amongst ancient cider making equipment. It felt like a museum to this unique Asturian tradition. We sat between a huge wooden cider press (twice as big as the one at Julian’s farm) and massive oak barrels.

“The croquetas here are very good,” Julián said as we opened the menu. I have become sceptical of croquetas, an iconic Spanish tapa I often find disappointing. Julián is selective where he orders them explaining they are often premade and frozen. Before I took a bite I could tell these slightly misshapen croquetas were homemade. The crunch was loud as I sliced through the crispy exterior to reveal a smooth and gooey béchamel flavoured with cecina and cheese. Outstanding.

I was also happy to have someone with whom to share a plate of anchovies (I like them, but a full plate is too much for one person!) These lovelies from the Cantabrian sea were also prepared in house, which is rare. It’s a fairly labour intensive process to clean, fillet, cure in salt, and clean again, this tiny red fleshed fish. It’s best to pair these salty bites with bread so we had to wait for the bread to arrive before digging in. “El pan está en el horno,” the server said. The bread was still in the oven. Yep, it was that kinda place. Everything made in house. And we sat beside old cider barrels. Amazing.

My last day in the Picos was a free day.

I took a lovely hike on the Senda del Deva, a loop walk that essentially followed the river Deva. I hiked across corn fields and through thick forests, crossed a hanging bridge over the crystal clear waters and walked back along the other side. Along the way I passed many cows that always seem to turn their heads to watch me with curious eyes, more caves with ancient paintings (la Cueva de la Loga) and a couple little villages. In one village I stopped to chat with an elderly man. He asked me where I was headed. “La Senda del Deva,” I replied. He gave me a friendly tap on the shoulder and with an encouraging “Arriba” nodded to the path that went “up” through his tiny village.

Julián and Ana were generous hosts. I am amazed at the varied and absolutely wonderful experiences they arranged for me. It was an incredible introduction to the Picos de Europa. Even on my free day I was invited to join them at a gathering in their village Abándames. The tents were set up behind the cider farm. I got to sample the first press of the apple juice that Julián and his cousin had extracted that day. It was thick, sweet, pure apple juice. The juice will ferment in barrels for about 4 months (until March) and then bottled in the green bottles and corked with a machine by hand.

It was a big party. I am guessing there were around 80-90 people. The paella pan was certainly super sized. I met many siblings and cousins of my hosts….and unexpectedly the son of María Rosa, my host in Santander. Crazy coincidence!

On the morning of my departure there was a low hanging cloud outside my terrace door. I watched it float away as the sun rose to another blue sky day. It was time to say goodbye to the majestic mountains and my neighbours, the three sheep and the gallinas. Goodbye to the deep clang of the cowbells (campaños) and tingle-a-ling of the smaller goat and sheep bells (campañillos).

And thus brings my adventures in Asturias and Cantabria to a close. But I was not leaving Spain quite yet. My flight departed from Bilbao so I had the opportunity to visit one more Comunidad Autónoma: the Basque Country (País Vasco).