Posts Tagged ‘gijon’

Wave at the camera Originally uploaded by itsjustanalias.

Liz got a text message just before the weekend. ‘Do you want to go to Gijon for dinner on Saturday?’ It was from Maria Jesus, one of the walking group members who’s about our age. Of course we said yes, so at 8:30 we were standing outside the Calatrava (the Ovetense name for the spaceship style building that doubles as a shopping centre and the Palacio del Congresso). Covadonga (Maria Jesus’ friend who we’ve met a few times) met us there and we walked along to where MJ picked us up.

Maria Jesus is not the world’s most confident driver but we managed to reach Gijon unscathed and then drove around a bit looking for a big enough parking space so that my parking skills wouldn’t be needed. That done it was time to stroll along the seafront (there’s something like 5kM of seafront) chatting away until we reached the restaurant. Both Liz and I like the relaxed approach to evening eating we’ve seen, we decided to pick a small plate each and share, rather than choose a main dish. So we troughed down on mini squid, ham, octopus, grilled fish and sea urchins (which Maria Jesus hadn’t had before).

After coffee we wandered. According to Covadonga it was a difficult hour, because it was a bit late for cafes and too early for the late night bars (it was 1am). We had a drink in a quiet wine bar and then the girls suggested we go to another place (where a friend of there’s had texted from). After asking directions a few times we got there and in we went. It was not really our cup of tea, I haven’t been in an English nightclub in quite a few years and even then Europop wouldn’t have been high on my list of destinations. Still, it was interesting watching the people (and there was no entrance fee). There was no dance floor, it seemed you just found a space and, well, danced… at the bar there were a couple of youngish blokes waiting for their whisky and red bulls and they were grinning and excitedly bouncing along to the music (part of me wanted to ask them if they really enjoyed it or if they had taken some recreational pharmaceuticals). It may be that in the UK it’s the same these days but I’m not sure, I felt like there was no air of self conciousness, no studied cool on display, people were just out, just having a good time. It felt foreign.

So, with the weather being nice, we wandered to Gijón this morning for a swim. Here to be exact. View Larger Map

It was lovely, the water was 21C and the beach was packed but civilised.