Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Before we start the accounts of this interesting day, I need to wish many of you . . .
A Happy Father's Day!
I know that Father's Day in America is always celebrated on the third Sunday in June, but not so here in Spain or in Europe for that matter.
Father's Day here is always celebrated on March 19th.
Why you ask?
Simple really, March 19th is the
Feast Day of St. Joseph
What better role model is there for all of the Dads of the world?
Our plan for this Father's Day was to take the 95 minute bus ride through the scenic, green Asturian countryside from Gijón to Ribadesella to take a gander at the famous cave paintings to be found in La Cueva de Tito Bustillo that had been inhabited by several species of humans for over 30,000 years.
We had never been to any of the well preserved, pre-historic, Upper Palaeolithic Age cave painting sites located throughout France and Spain, so this was to be a new adventure for the two of us.
We walked to the bus station in plenty of time to buy our round trip tickets, have something to eat and, as always, do some sightseeing.
We went into the Mercado del Sur to get a good look at the day's freshest food choices.
Lots of mushrooms to be sure
Tomatoes of all shapes, sizes and colors
Strong Asturian cheeses on display
A fishmonger starting her day
This baker was industrious as well
I'm not sure if I'll ever go back
into the ocean after seeing these
Sea Urchins
Percebes in Spanish,
Goose Neck Barnacles in English
They are considered a rare delicacy in the gastronomic world and are quite expensive due to the difficulty and danger in harvesting them from the rocks of the usually rough Cantabrian Sea.
The ones on the right are selling for 118€/kilo or about $59/pound.
We passed.
Again, no ocean bathing for me ever again!
Breakfast of Champion Road Warriors
at the Chocolateria Mayca
Amazing looking sweets!
Thank goodness that they were closed.
Our bus awaits
We made it to Ribadesella none
the worse for wear
We arrived in Ribadesella at Noon and our tickets for entry to the cave was not until 2:00 p.m.
Due to the delicate nature of the cave paintings that are believed to be at least 12,000 years old, only 15 visitors at a time are allowed in the cave.
We had two hours to explore this charming town.
Ribadesella's Supplies Market
was closed today
It was a fine morning for
kayaking on the Rio Sella
The drive to the Finish Line
My favorite building in this
quaint seaside village
The narrow streets were colorful
OH NO!
They were having a street fair.
Sailing to Cuba seems to have
been an in-thing at some point
My view while Laurie feverishly
worked at improving the local economy
Previous purchases in hand, she
delved into the wonderful world
of the purse industry for her next buy
They also sold food at this
street fair which made me happy
The Breakwater Restaurant
has a striking sign
DAMN IT!
They would not be opening until much later in the evening, oh the fun that we could have had.
I liked this street as it looked
like no shops were open
We dashed into this bar for a couple
of cañas before the final walk to the cave
Nice rack!
A prow-like viewpoint on the Rio Sella
We were on the sea village side of the Rio Sella, the cave was on the other side to be found after walking across a long bridge.
Two swans sleeping in the warm sunlight
Wreckage of Viking war vessels
in the Rio Sella mudflats
I might be wrong in my aging of these boats.
We were getting closer to the cave
Mudflats of interest
Another boat decaying in the mud
Ribadesella in the distance
I imagine that the ancient people
who decorated the cave walls found
these colorful rocks a source of their
powder to make into paint
"EUREKA!"
Entry to the cave is free on Wednesdays and, as it turns out, there were only nine of us plus our highly informative guide going on the 2:00 p.m. tour.
Our entryway to the cave . . .
. . . was not the original one
This system of caves has offered shelter to humans for over 30,000 years we were told.
In about 10,000 B.C., a group of Cro-Magnon people were the inhabitants of this vast cave system. They are known today as the Magdalenian Culture from the Upper Palaeolithic Age and are believed to be the ones who left these wonderful paintings that we admired this afternoon.
Thousands of years ago a rock slide at the original cave entrance located on the other side of this hill effectively sealed off and preserved these delicate works of art.
In 1968, an archaeologic exploration team rediscovered these long hidden treasures for us to enjoy today.
Due to the fragile nature of the cave paintings, no photographs were allowed. The following ones were taken from the Google Image library.
This horse is a relative of today's
Mongolian Steppes Ponies
The climate in what is today Asturias was much colder 12,000 years ago,
The Magdalenians used only two
colors, red and black, in their artwork
We viewed a full bodied horse this time.
A reindeer on the lower right
This was a tremendous experience to say the least.
Viewing important art work this old put things in perspective, maybe the results of the 2025 Spanish Serie A American Football season are not that important in the grand scope of things.
Laurie liked the looks of this building
near the Ribadesella Bus station
We were back at the apartment at the apartment at a decent hour to freshen up before boarding Gijón's most reliable bus line, the #1, for the ride to our designated dinner spot.
Cuban food it was!
Ropa Vieja for Laurie and a
Churrasco steak for me topped
by Cuban beer
What more could I ask for on Father's Day?
NOTHING!
Thoughts from the net . . .
And I'm married to one!
With this in mind, my life grows
to near epic proportions
I would be "Partner 1" in our
relationship that has now covered
parts of seven different decades
since the fateful Summer of 1965
The up-to-date Serie A Standings
A. Again, the team records are listed in this order: Wins-Ties-Losses.
B. We MUST beat Zaragoza again in our second meeting this coming Sunday to avoid relegation.
Today was a GREAT
Father's Day in Spain!
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