April 30 to May 2: Gijón

Post by Wynette: We rented an airbnb apartment in Gijón. It is on the top floor of an eight story building that has two apartments per floor. We have a sun room with large windows on two sides, which is what sold us on the apartment. It’s pretty much in the center of things, close to the beach, the old town, the marina, the main pedestrian shopping street, etc.

Our short block is closed to traffic. It seems kind of empty but still has 4 bars, a Mexican food restaurant, and an Italian restaurant. One bar has breathtakingly fast wifi. Another is really colorful and pretty. There is another bar just around the corner with coffee worth going back over and over for. I don’t know how all these places can stay in business. There must be hundreds of bars and restaurants just in this area of town. We haven’t checked out the night scene since we tend to be tired and ready for bed when the Spanish begin their evenings. But we hear there is lots happening out there. Tapas, etc.

Here on the north coast of Spain, San Sebastián and Bilbao seem to get all the attention, but we like Gijón as much. Charlie and I were thinking it’s too bad Gijón doesn’t have Gaudí like Barcelona or a Gehry Guggenheim like Bilbao, or it would be famous, too. It’s beach is bigger than San Sebastián’s. And much nicer than Barcelona’s. The city has nice architecture. The buildings, especially in the old town, are colorful. It feels like a large city but is sort of laid back, too.

Yesterday, May 1, was International Workers Day, a big holiday here and in many countries. All businesses were closed, except bars and restaurants, and everyone, including us, was out strolling in the parks and along the beach. We’ve been walking a lot here. Yesterday we walked about 8 miles. (Charlie tracked it.) Felt almost like a regular Camino day except there was no up and down. And we didn’t have a clear destination. Just exploring.