Aventura de Espana: Dia Cinco

Tuesday we started the day by visiting the San Julian de los Prados, a church built in the 9th century. One notable piece of this church is the pictorial decorations on the walls. No photos could be taken inside the church, so I can't provide a close-up of these, but, this will at least give you an idea. For those interested in the architectural details of the church, you can read a little more here.



After seeing the church, we walked to the school where Emily teaches and I sat as she taught her 8th grade English class. She gave them an assignment to bring an item that represents Asturias in some way and explain it. I was very impressed with their English. I sat there thinking back to my senior year of high school and my Spanish was no where near the level of their English! I enjoyed hearing about all the different items the kids brought in. I tried to ask them each 1 question after they presented and they all did a great job of answering them. Some of the items the kids brought in included a soccer jersey from Gijon, a soccer scarf from Oviedo, limestone, honey, milk, bagpipes (which the girl played), and wooden shoes (of which I forget the Spanish name for them)

After her class, we went back to the house for lunch, where Raul prepared Tortilla for us - with onion and chorizo. It was so good! Although I don't have the exact recipe, I'm hoping I can successfully replicate this dish some day. (probably sooner than later while it's still fairly fresh in my mind)

After lunch, Emily had a tutoring session, so I ventured off on my own for a couple of hours. I stayed around the Campo San Francisco area - walked around the park and did a little shopping. I walked away with a pair of gray skinny jeans for 20 Euros, and 3 tank tops, totaling 21 Euros - not too bad for the first day of shopping!


Campo San Francisco


"Oviedo is like a fairy tale" - Woody Allen on one of his favorite cities in the world. This bronze statue stands in the main shopping district, near the park.

That night was the big Madrid vs. Barcelona game, so Raul and Emily had some friends over to watch the game. It was fun to see how into the game the boys were, especially since a couple of them were Madrid fans, while the rest were Barcelona fans - lots of yelling, high fives, expletives, applause, some inappropriate gestures, and more yelling. I can't say I remember too much of the game - I was too distracted by everyone and just enjoyed the opportunity to be immersed into a huge part of the Spanish culture.