December Highlights: There's No Place Like Spain for the Holidays
Updated: Dec 13, 2023
When I decided months ago that I wouldn't be returning home for the holidays (something every Christmas carol ever written has been guilt-tripping me about), I didn't know exactly how I'd be spending my first holiday season away from home. It turned out to be a good decision, since much of the US was enjoying record-breaking temperatures and pipe-breaking snow storms. While spending Christmas abroad definitely felt strange at first, I was able to enjoy my time off with good friends, mild weather, and of course, some gorgeous places.
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
In early December, I visited San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (Gaz-tell-oo-got-chay), a small islet off the Basque coast just 45 minutes from Bilbao. Tasteless nerds (AKA Game of Thrones fans, sorry!) might recognize it and some of the nearby beaches as Season 7's Dragonstone (apparently). In place of a CGI castle, there is a small, nautically-decorated chapel at the island's peak. It is devoted to Saint John the Baptist (San Juan), who is rumored to have visited the islet and reached it with only 3 steps. Now, Gaztelugatxe's stunning views over the Bay of Biscay and its TV notoriety have made it one of the most-visited spots in northern Spain. While the parking lot is just steps away, the bus drops you off in the seaside village of Bakio, requiring a brief uphill hike to reach Gaztelugatxe itself. But in my opinion, the trek is worth it. The path winds through quiet, peaceful farmlands and overlooks a vast panorama of ocean views.
Asturias
For the first time in 8 years, my birthday wasn't overshadowed by final exams. So I turned 23 in the beautiful mountain region of Asturias, a northern Spain community west of Bilbao. It's lack of tourism compared to other parts of Spain makes it somewhat of a hidden treasure. In fact, it's a hidden treasure trove of artisan cheeses, delicious food, traditional hard ciders, and gorgeous scenery. We stayed in the capital, Oviedo, which is a slow-paced yet lively city even on a rainy weekend like ours. We explored slippery stone streets and charming architecture, the Cathedral of Oviedo (which gives major Sound of Music vibes), the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias (which includes works by Picasso, Dalí, and Goya) and a small Christmas market.
It would be the understatement of the year to say that we ate well in Asturias, which is known for its hard cider and dairy products, specifically cheese. The running joke is that Asturians love their cider so much that very little actually gets exported, but they still manage to supply the beverage to over 50 countries. There is a specific way to pour and drink it correctly, and it is taken seriously enough that we were corrected in several different bars and restaurants. It has to be poured from up high so that the cider oxidizes and the liquid that lands in the glass is full of bubbles. Bartenders only pour glasses about an inch high so that you can swig the whole thing down in one gulp, like a shot. Sipping slowly or pouring close to the glass causes the cider to go flat and lose its "sparkle".
But it's not just apples they are growing here! A vegan's nightmare, many classic Asturian dishes include meats and cheeses served in various ways. A personal favorite: fabada (soup in red dish below). It's a traditional stew made with a rich beef broth and faba beans, usually including just a few large pieces of meat in eat batch, including morcilla (blood sausage: I bravely tasted it just once, and that's enough.) After a beautiful hike through Desfiladero de las Xanas (the Fairy Gorge), we stumbled upon the remote village of Pedroveya with a single restaurant, like something truly out of a film. Everything tastes better after a hike, but this 3 course meal in the mountains was some of the best food I've ever had. We were served a lunch special with 3 different soups, 3 types of meat (including ribs and meatballs), and a dessert course, where I tried the best arroz con leche (rice pudding) of my life.
On this trip, I was most excited to go hiking. While we weren't technically within the Picos de Europa, Spain's most famous mountain range, I can't really imagine that the views were any better that what we were able to experience. (But I'm excited to find out!) We hiked through Ruta de las Xanas just outside Oviedo, a beautiful route that winds cautiously around white rocky cliffs and lush green forests. The gentle sound of the stream and the wildlife singing around us brought me to a place that felt totally surreal.
As an American, I will never get over just how old Europe's architecture can be. UNESCO World Heritage Sites Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo, 2 pre-Romanesque churches situated on Mount Naranco, are prime examples of that. Their unique, artful construction began in the year 842 A.D., and they've been carefully preserved for centuries since.
Christmas
Christmas is the season of joy and gratitude, and I am very grateful I was able to spend it playing tour guide to my oldest friend Grace, who came to visit me for the holidays and spend some time running around Spain together. It's so special to have a friendship that lasts long enough to be considered "old", and even more so when you can continue to grow up together. Thanks for being the friend I always need and the photographer I never want. Below: our first real pictures together since middle school + Grace making friends with mangy (but cute) beach dogs.
Madrid
While I consider Barcelona to be very international in nature, Madrid, Spain's capital, is much more quintessentially Spanish. While its buildings have maintained a traditional appearance, it is a very modern city, mostly because so much of it has been destroyed and rebuilt over time, giving it a historical feel with a modern edge. It's a nice city to walk through and casually explore, but we couldn't resist hitting up classic spots like Plaza Mayor, el Retiro Park, the cathedral, Barrio la Latina, and the Royal Palace.
Even though Madrid is just a few hours by bus from my home in Bilbao, it might as well be a different country for all the differences its style and culture. This is particularly showcased in its chosen cuisine. Compared to Basque Country, Madrid (perhaps playing to tourists) offers much more traditionally Spanish food such as paella, fried calamari sandwiches (with black squid-ink bread!), patatas bravas ("spicy" potatoes), and croquettes. It was especially exciting to get a taste of paella from homestyle restaurant El Pato Mudo, pictured below.
Full disclosure on this next stop: between the 2 of us we know exactly zero things about art. However, I really wanted to see Picasso's Guernica, a profound oil painting depicting the Nazi bombing of a Basque community at the instruction of Spain's former dictator, Francisco Franco. The mural is housed in Reina Sofia, a 20th century-focused art museum home to several famous works by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró and other inspired (and often problematic) artists.
Having earned a Spanish degree, I've studied a lot of oppressive governments. I spent the last four years reading through Spanish colonization of the Americas to Latin American dictatorships to the Spanish Civil War. And while I learned a lot in school, nothing prepares you for the real thing, seeing the lasting impact of a dictatorship on a country's DNA or coming face to face with something seen a hundred times in a textbook. The painting meant more to me that a tourist attraction. In some ways, it felt like the validation of what I've seen and felt in all my travels as I admire the strong, beating heart of human beings and the resilient societies they have built around them. That resilience, as mesmerizingly captured in Guernica, often finds its source in pain. This painting, along with much of Reina Sofia's art carries timeless historical and social messages. Even the most artistically challenged (me) can read between the black and white photographs and cartoonish cubist lines to reveal much more powerful sentiments.
Perhaps the only thing more "Spanish" than paella is flamenco, a traditional folk style of music, dance, and singing native to southern Spain. It is an incredibly elegant and emotional art form that strives to stir up your most raw emotions. The main emotion I felt was pure awe that the dancers could move their feet so quickly! Wish I could claim credit for these videos, but Grace has the superior iPhone.
Wishing a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all who read!
Agur,
Julia
P.S. Subscribe with your email below if you want to hear about our New Years trip to Mallorca and my harrowing first experience with an rental car (sorry mom)!
Comments