Folk Music Band and Asturian Dancers

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It always pay to wake up early on Sunday. I went for a walk in the town and stumbled on a group of local performers getting ready to play traditional Asturian music. Asturia is the Principality, 'state' where Oviedo is the capital. Bag pipes and drums are highly popular with folk music.

Using my limited Spanish, I managed to find out that this was a weekly performance by the locals. I thought it was a celebration of some kind. The music was pleasant and light.

It drew quite some crowd to the plaza. You can also see young kids, around 4yrs old trying to dance with their music. More than 10 cameras can be easily account for from one glance.

The same time, there was as well another group of performers. They are traditional Asturian dancers with colourful clothings. It was a morning full of energy, drawing more crowds by the minute.

They played the music and danced for nearly half an hour and then the band went circling around the city streets, playing their instruments along. That was when I parted with the dancers and band.

Frozen Movements

Since there is an abundance of statues in Europe generally, I guess it would be interesting to dedicate one post for them.

For a start, these are statues around the Universidad Oviedo. The autumn backdrop gives a nice contrast to their dull grey and shinny black.

I particularly like this one, with golden leaves covering the whole backdrop.

A change in backdrop drastically changes the mood of the picture. Here's another for comparison, which one do you like better?

This is near one of the entrance to San Francisco park in Oviedo. Nice, tender, loving, caring, love - all things good.

The following are taken in Gijon, about 40km from Oviedo.
Augustus Caesar in front of Igelsias San Lorenzo (St. Lorenzo Church), the first Roman emperor. The bright red garment contrast greatly with the dull winter grey.

Head bust of Alvagonzalex Claudio Sanchez, Naval Commander of "the Villa of Madrid"

King Pelagius, founder of the kingdom of Asturias, hero in the war against the Moors. When you visit Gijon, you'll find out that the King did not really stand in front of this particular Spanish flag ;) This is the next best thing to get a nice pose, without actually turning the statue 180degress.

San Francisco Park, Oviedo

This park is right in the middle of the city, with plenty of fountains, statues and various birds. I took a quick stroll pass the park, the rain was starting to get heavier by the minute. Though it is already winter, there are still many trees which gives the impression of autumn.

It was really nice, when the wind blows, it seemed to be raining golden leaves. Though it was drizzling, I found out that people here don't really bother about it, most would not even carry an umbrella. As for me, the chill of rain falling on my neck is not something I can bear. Umbrella is still a necessity for me.

There are some swans, ducks, pigeons and surprisingly, peacocks! But the swan was the only one not shy to allow me to get closer. The other birds took shelter due to the wet weather.

I went to the park again the next day. This time the weather and the crowd were much better. Caught a glimpse of the peacock and also various other people enjoying their Sunday afternoon. Some brought their dogs, others were playing with their kids in the playground.

The group of people in the park are mostly seniors and parents, with really young kids. I guess teenagers have other more important places to be at this time, rejuvenating from previous escapades I guess.
I was fortunate to get a glimpse of how autumn would look like in Oviedo, with golden leaves covering every inch of the greens. I will have to wait for the full strength of the winter cold to see what kind of effect it will have on this landscape.

Reminds me of a game...

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When I first lay my eyes on the buildings in Oviedo, two words came to my mind - Sim City! The buildings in the game are exactly like the ones on the street just ten minutes away from the hotel. The calming soft yellow walls contrasting with the darker shade of brown of the roof paints a very nice picture.

Sometimes when I take photos, I think that I am merely sharing with others what I am seeing. A nice photo is testament to the people who visualized and created it, not the person who shot it. We are merely messengers.

These buildings are mostly apartments with shops at the ground floor. The special feature is that each buildings have their own lifts, own height, own design. I find this setting very unique and pleasing in its own way. It might be because I was too used to the uniformity from where I came from.

Arrival in Oviedo

I am in Spain... Takes a while to let it sink into my mind that I really did take a 20 hours journey and arrived safely in the small town of Oviedo, Asturias, in España! This is the first weekend where I can spend some time exploring the town. I was told that this is the hometown of Fernando Alonso. Confirmed on the Internet as well. Took the following photos while climbing out the window of the hotel room that I am staying in.


I took a walk to the town, looking for laundromat shop, as the hotel is charging cutthroat price for the laundry. There are lots of statues, fountains and churches around the town. The weather is cold, around 8 degC with constant drizzling. Daytime is shorter during winter, so I'll have to take the opportunity to put my camera to work :)

I went out with the 55-200mm lens, there are pros and cons about it. I have to move really far from buildings to get a full shot, however, I can get candid shots without making others uncomfortable about it. Now this is kinda cute, a pigeon sleeping on its perch on the second floow balcony. Never seen pigeons do this before, must be because of the winter cold.



I'd only have time to explore some places as it starts to drizzle more later in the afternoon. Managed to visit one Church thought. This is one of the many statues around the Church of San Juan En Real. For the next stop, I will try to make a trip to San Salvador Cathedral, where "the Other Shroud" is kept. Look online for "sudarium" and you'll find out that this is the piece of cloth which was believed to be used to cover Jesus Christ's face after his death from crucifixion. Like the Buddha's tooth relic, it is only shown on certain days of the year. This cathedral is now on my must-see-list.

The two angels and cross at the pinnacle of the Church of San Juan En Real. I had to stand in the middle of the pedestrian walkway to get this symmetrical shot, and then go dashing back to the side to avoid the human traffic.