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Weekend in Bilbao: Pintxos, Pinturas, y Paseos

weekend in bilbao

Although Bilbao is not known for its knock-out beauty, it’s def a must while in the north of Spain. The city’s appearance reflects its history as an industrial hub, but investments over the past few decades have breathed new life into the city: The Guggenheim, inaugurated in 1997, has become one of the world’s best-known museums. Below I sum up my weekend in Bilbao, featuring pintxos, pinturas (paintings), and paseos (strolls), from my visit with friends in July 2021 😍.

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Weekend in Gijon: Sip Cider, Stroll, & Swim!

Gijon is the largest city in Spain’s beautiful northern autonomous community of Asturias and was a key stop on our weeklong trip to region. The city is not exactly jam-packed with sights – I’d say there is more to do in Oviedo, but don’t tell that to someone from Gijon because the 2 cities have some beef 😜 – so I’d say a weekend in Gijon will do just fine! However, Gijon does have beaches – which you can’t say about Oviedo – so you may want to make time for that too, although we didn’t get to hit the beach when we visited.

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Weekend in Oviedo: Cider, Art, and Mafalda!

weekend in oviedo

I highly recommend a weekend in Oviedo: we spent 3 nights in Oviedo during our week-long trip to Asturias, an autonomous community in the north of Spain, in late August of 2020. We used Oviedo as a base for day trips, including a visit to Covadonga and a quesería on our way to have lunch in Lastres. We then set off to the picturesque towns of Cudillero and Luarca on our way to our next stay in Gijón. We got great weather in our trip, although Asturias and the north of Spain are generally known for the rainy weather. However,  summer temperatures are mild even on sunny days, so Asturias is a nice summer spot if you don’t want to be sweating all day! 😝

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Day Trip to Llanes, Asturias: A Cozy Coastal Town

day trip to llanes

We took our day trip to Llanes, with Gijón as our base, during our week-long trip to Asturias. Llanes is a popular summer destination among Spaniards, but I was particularly interested in visiting because my great-great-grandparents, the parents of my Cuban great-grandfather Manolo Fernández Blanco on my maternal grandmother’s side, were from there! They likely emigrated from Llanes to Cuba in the late 19th century. It was exciting to see this little slice of my Spanish-Cuban heritage! Continue reading “Day Trip to Llanes, Asturias: A Cozy Coastal Town”