Well hello there last weekend in Oviedo, I didn’t see you coming.
Despite my disbelief, it is true. This weekend was my final weekend in Oviedo. And I couldn’t have asked for a better finale. I was able to do everything I wanted and more.
Friday night my usual crowd and then some gathered to walk the merry streets of Oviedo. A week or so ago Christmas lights were strung up about the city in preparation for the jolly holiday rapidly approaching. On Friday night we decided to get roasted chestnuts and nosh on them while strolling about town. Unfortunately, all the chestnut stands were closed. We got bags of candy instead. Delicious substitution. (The next day I was able to try those roasted chestnuts. They aren’t as scrumptious and Christmas-y as they sound. They look like little brains and have an oddly squishy texture. Still fun to eat though). Friday was a pleasant and very seasonal evening.
On Saturday a group of us explored The Tent of Wonders. Ok, it’s not really called The Tent of Wonders. It’s street vendors enclosed in a large tent. I was able to get a good chunk of my Christmas/souvenir shopping done in that gigantic tent.
Ever since I got to Spain I’ve always tried to party like a Spaniard, which means staying out socializing until at least 5 in the morning. I always fail miserably at this attempt. Saturday night was my last chance to fulfill this Spanish goal. In honor of that, we all went out to Gascona , the lively hot-spot street. Gascona is lined with Sidrerias. We plopped ourselves down, all 10 of us, and ordered some Sidra. Sidra is the drink of Oviedo. It’s a fermented cider (or something like along those lines), which is poured from above the head down into a precisely slanted cup. On this particular night I decided to try Sidra for the first time. The way you drink Sidra is ridiculous. Immediately after it’s poured you have to chug the partially full glass. Once my glass was poured I swung into action, cheersed my friend, and gulped down the Sidra. Yuck. It was potent with an after taste of green olives. Despite my dislike for the taste, it was a fun experience to share with my fellow Oviedo crowd.
After our start to the night on Gascona we headed out to find our first bar of the night. We wandered into a surprisingly welcoming bar and we brought the party. I say “we brought the party” because we were literally the only ones in there. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I sipped on a Coca-Cola, danced to some 80’s music, and chatted with some of my favorite ladies. From there we moved next door to the one and only B12 and then inevitably ended up in the chupito place. I don’t like either of these places, but somehow we always find our nights ending in one of them. We aren’t the only ones who experience this phenomenon; we ended up running into everyone else from AHA in each of those bars. Like always, we spent very little time dilly-dallying in the bars before deciding to wander home. Before calling it a night, a few of us were able to go over to one friend’s house and sip on hot chocolate. Once 3:30 rolled around I called it a night and went home. I got in at 3:45am. I got pretty dang close to my Spanish goal, finally.
I woke up at noon the next day and thought pretty highly of myself for staying out until the wee hours of the night…until my host mom woke up at 1:00pm and told me she stayed out until 5am. Crazy Spanish woman.
On Sunday I went to the market surrounding the cathedral one last time. That night a handful of us decided to check out the weekly ritual of nuns singing in part of the cathedral. We thought we’d hear some lovely singing and just get to watch it from a distance. Like usual, things didn’t go as planned. As we entered a woman ushered us to the area where the nuns do their thing so that we were right up in there with the holy people. It was awkward. We didn’t know what to do, where to look, or what to sing. The nuns and the rest of the attendees sang beautifully though. Once again, it was a good experience.
To top off my wonderful weekend, someone finally won the prize money on my favorite Spanish game show Pasapalabra. 322,000 Euros. My host mom and I both clapped for the lucky winner.
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