In Photos: Gijón, Asturias

Gijón, port side

I didn’t know where Gijón was on the map until a month before our planned getaway to Asturias, a region known for it’s green pastures, cheese,  sidra and wild coastline. Gijón is a small city, second “largest” to Oviedo and borders the Cantabrica sea. Guidebooks didn’t give it much attention and a fellow blogger told me she didn’t  care much for Gijón but I didn’t want to know why. I wanted to see it for myself first, without bias.

View of the port

Fountain near the port

The city is charming with a mix of antiquity, art deco, 70’s style apartment buildings (read: ugly) that are ubiquitous in every pueblo and city in Spain I’ve visited. It’s a city with a port on one side and the not so pretty sights of being an industry city with a long paseo where joggers and walkers enjoy the salty air and wind in their hair as ocean waves crash on shore.  The width of the beach changes depending on the tides where surfers bobble on their boards to catch waves, no matter how miserable the weather, while in summer I can only envision is full of sunbathers enjoying the green rugged pastures to the East and the cityscape on the West.

A walk on the paseo

Dog checking out the coastal scenery

San Lorenzo Cathedral, Gijón

From the Plaza Mayor to the port, Gijón

Plaza Mayor at night, Gijón

I also was surprised to find a few modern and themed cafés, something I find is a rarity in the smaller cities in Spain yet something I love about Oakland and San Francisco- café culture where you can chat with friends, read a book or work or write on your laptop.

I spotted the café, Toma 3, Take 3, while  running to a bus stop with our heavy packs.

Toma 3 cafe!

Modern design. hipster. white walls. Sleek bar. Recycled chairs and cool lamps. A place that reminded me of home and loved how they have weekend artisan markets, have a book and film library.

Cozy, modern, hip

We also enjoyed tea and cake at an Asian fusion themed café. Why don’t we have these types of  cafés in Vitoria?

I really liked Gijón. Not very touristy. Charming. And beach side. Sort of reminded me of San Sebastian’s lost sister. Maybe I’m just easily swayed by cities by the beach…

 Have you been to Gijón? Did you like it? 

What’s your favorite photo?

I’m curious to hear what you have to say. Please leave a comment below 

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