While Jürgen's family was visiting from Germany, we spent a day driving around the Comarca de la Sidra and ended up in a tiny town called Grases, which home to Los Caserinos: a family-owned farm that's been making cheese and milk for nearly a century.
A road winds from the religious playland of Covadonga through a mountainous landscape, and ends at Enol and Ercina, twin glacial lakes separated at birth by a hilly clump of land.
One of the most visited towns in all of Asturias is also one of its oldest. Serving as the entrance to the parks of Covadonga, the village of Cangas de Onís is inundated every weekend and throughout the summer with religious tourists who've come to pay tribute to the spiritual heart of Asturias.
Jutting out into the Cantabrian sea, Cabo Peñas (the Cape of Rocks) is the most northern point in Asturias and an area of incredible natural beauty. We spent the day driving around the coast, from Luanco to the Lighthouse of San Juan de Nieva.
The road between Colunga and Arriondas winds through the Sueve mountain range. Midway through the drive, is a viewpoint called the Mirador del Fito, which offers an incredible view of the ocean, valleys and the Picos de Europa in the distance.
About 30 kilometers due west of Oviedo is the small town of Grado, home to about 7000 people.
After admiring the relics in the Cámara Santa, visitors can continue their journey through the ancient wing of Oviedo's Cathedral by ascending to the second floor into the Museum of Sacred Art. This museum opened in 1990, and is one of Asturias' more important collections of religious iconography.
We were first introduced to this small seaside village during the madness of the Descenso del Sella, when over 300,000 revelers use an annual boat race as an excuse to party. With so much going on, we had no chance to see the town, and so went back.
As is the case in almost every Spanish city, Oviedo's most impressive and important building is its cathedral. With a history stretching back to the 8th century, and an official name which takes nearly eight centuries to pronounce, the Santa Iglesia Basílica Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador de Oviedo is the must-see highlight during a visit to the city.
The neighborhood of El Cristo occupies a hill just south-west of the city center, and hosts the majority of the University of Oviedo's facilities.
The incredible Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias is smack dab in the middle of Oviedo, just meters away from the Cathedral. Filled with modern and classic works spanning centuries, a visit is indispensable, especially considering the happy fact that it's free.
I've lost count of all the pictures I've taken since we arrived in Oviedo, but it's a ton! We're planning to organize a photo exhibit about Asturias, in Savannah, Georgia - our next destination. It would be a way of introducing both ourselves and Asturias to a brand new audience.
