Saturday, February 8, 2025
It was a bright sunny morning, perfect for . . .
. . . a Dad to have his daughter practice her
rugby tackling in front of the apartment
It was also a great day for a morning sail . . .
. . . and for more usual Parent-Child activities
As for me, I interpreted the wonderful weather as an opportunity for a brisk stroll.
I got artsy in taking . . .
. . . these two photos of the harbor area
I got touristy at the harbor side Gijón sign
Two sharp dressed men
I loved that hat and the wooden shoes
Both are Asturian traditional garb.
Always of interest
The Plaza Mayor was abuzz with
a farmer's market that included
some fine crafts as well
I really need more fruits and
vegetables in my diet
Various soaps to cure all sorts of ills
Sidra aerating gizmos to avoid the
traditional, entertaining tall pour
I wonder if Laurie or Mary need
a pair of these brightly colored
Asturian wooden shoes?
A leatherworker plying his craft
Sidra Dulce
Apparently, sidra can be used in several ways besides the simple tall pour and drink.
Lots of people joined my stroll along
the Playa de San Lorenzo promenade
The water was ideal
This fine trio entertained many
of us on our walk
Two surfers that were done for the day
The view from La Escalerona
or "The Big Steps"
Atop La Escalerona
Riding the wild surf
Here's a structure that I had
not noticed on previous walks
It dates from the late 19th century and is known as La Casa de la Palmera or The House of the Palm Tree, for obvious reasons.
A charming plaza on a beautiful day
An Asturian perfume shop, it was closed
An angel dive bombing a Mother and child?
Laurie and I after retiring in
Asturias some day
Cachopo for lunch
Cachopo is a hardy, breaded steak filled with creamy, melted cheese that is a staple of Asturian cuisine.
It was way too much for me to consume at one sitting so I took half of it home with me.
I have no idea what pica-pica might be
Near the apartment
It appears that two of my neighbors are the Cinema School of Asturias and the Dubbing School of Asturias.
As every English language TV show and movie in the cinemas is dubbed in Spanish, this School of Dubbing offers a good source of steady income for its graduates, I suspect.
At 6:30 p.m., I had a date at Stadio El Molinón-Enrique Castro Quini, the oldest soccer stadium in all of Spain.
I have always found that attending a local soccer game is a great way to get insights into the community's sports and cultural souls. The game tonight was a good example as I found the Sporting fans to live and die based on the team's efforts.
Sporting's game was a La Liga Division II contest.
This is a 22 team circuit that is just past the halfway point in the 42 game schedule.
In looking at the Team Points, remember that a win is worth three points and a tie is good for one point for both squads. A team gets no points for a loss.
The current leader of this DII league is Santander's Real Racing Club with a record of 14 wins - 6 Ties - 5 Losses = 48 Team Points.
By comparison, in last, 22nd place at the moment is FC Cartegena with a record of 4 wins - 3 Ties - 18 Losses = 15 Team Points.
Sociedad Deportivo Eibar
Tied for 13th Place
9 Wins - 5 Ties - 11 Losses
32 Team Points
at
Real Sporting de Gijón
9th Place
9 Wins - 8 Ties - 8 Losses
35 Team Points
SD Eibar is a team based in the Basque Country. The city of Eibar is about 30 miles east of Bilbao.
The crowds were taking full advantage
all of El Molinón's exterior dining spots
There were also some free wheeling
entrepreneurs hard at work too
That spot that says "GOAL!!!" will be the
site of our Mariners Super Bowl
viewing party early Monday morning
The Sporting Team Bus, I'm guessing
I entered the stadium to find no
lines at the concession stands
That would quickly change as the crowds abandoned the outside eating and drinking establishments.
Sporting Pride was ever present
The view from my seat in Section H,
Row 12, Seat 18 before the throngs arrived
Singing the Sporting Team Song
was a MUST before we started playing
Lots of nostalgic pride was in the air
Twirling of the Team Scarves
just before . . .
. . . the start of play
Nil-Nil at the Half
Lots of great passing, spirited play but no goals.
Who would have guessed it.
The Concession Stands were predictably
packed at the intermission
Tonight's attendance 21,558
The stadio has a seating capacity for 30,000 rabid fans.
Final Score
Sporting (9-9-8 = 36 T.P.) - 0
SD Eibar (9-6-11 = 33 T.P.) - 0
My fellow Sporting fans were none too happy with this tie, especially in light of Eibar playing the last 35 minutes of the game shorthanded due to a red card player expulsion for a heinous and totally egregious foul.
We were all shocked that the fouled Sporting player, writhing in pain on the turf, did not have his leg amputated on the spot.
Somehow, he continued to play on.
Amazing.
I mentioned in a previous post that four high schools were donating helmets and helmet parts to the Gijón Mariners cause.
Son Michael picked up the donated gear from one such high school on Friday and sent me this photo after dropping the haul in our garage in Camarillo.
I think that grandson Jacob is thinking,
"HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!"
I know that I was.
Usually, when a school tells me that they have helmets to donate, they are talking about two or three old but serviceable ones.
This one school gave us TWENTY-TWO helmets that were primed for immediate action!
They also donated many more helmet padding pieces than the few seen in this photo.
WOW!
What a start to our latest ongoing efforts to help the game grow overseas!
Today was just the latest wonderful day in my Grandparent's home province of Asturias.
No comments:
Post a Comment