Gijon

Pyxis
Karen & Richard
Wed 5 Sep 2007 22:20

Wednesday 5th September – Gijon

43:32.810N 5:40.117W

 

This morning was sunny and very, very windy (max gust over breakfast was around 35 knots) so it was perfect for drying my laundry (extra clothes pegs required though) but not so good for going anywhere comfortably under sail.  I did the rest of the washing and Richard reviewed the swell and the waves crashing on the harbour wall.

 

After a late lunch, we went for a walk up the hill to the nearby fort where there are still a couple of cannons lying around (surprised they haven’t blown away!).  The view from up there was spectacular and the seascape made us glad we were safely tucked up in the marina.

 

We then went to look at a local church – it was lovely.  As we looked around, we heard a bell strike once but did not know what this signified.  After about 5 minutes, I was approached by a very friendly man who tried to explain something to me in Spanish – he could see that I didn’t understand and beckoned me to go with him.  He led me through a side door into what seemed like a more private area of the church and then opened a door to the outside.  Phew – I realised he wanted us to leave; so I went to round Richard up, who was still in the church and led him out through the exit I had been shown.  When we returned to the front of the church, we realised that the bell meant ‘closing time’ as there were now iron gates across the entrance.  Thank goodness the man spotted us – we could have been locked in there all night.

 

On the way back to the boat we stopped at the local sideria over looking the marina for a bottle of the local cider.  There are very specific traditions associated with the pouring and drinking of cider here that need to be observed.  There is the pouring of the cider from about two feet above the glass which we discovered yesterday.  Now, at the bar today, we discovered that when you order a bottle of cider between two people, you get only one glass (if you ask for another, you are told, No) and then you have to pour a small amount into the glass and finish it, so there is always an empty glass between the two of you and you simply pour as you want to drink (this discovered by observing other couples).

 

There is no improvement in the forecast (still windy) so we will be here for a while longer.