The Lakes are Real!

My last full day in Asturias - for this trip.  :)

We had a couple of options for today, but we finally decided to go to the Picos de Europa to see if we could see the lakes.  The weather was a bit of a question, but it was clear and sunny in Mieres, so we thought we would try it.  As we approached, there were a few clouds on the mountaintops, but we did finally get to see the lakes!  On my first trip to Asturias in 2007, we only got to see fog.  But there really are beautiful lakes up there.  We stopped at the top of the mountain and walked around, taking pictures.  There were cows all over - they live up here for part of the year - and I love the sound of their bells.  There were also a couple of dogs running around.  It was fun to watch them run as fast and as far as they wanted, then come running back.  One of them was a kind used to herd sheep and cows up here.  I wonder what the puppies from my 2012 visit are doing now?  They would be four years old, so maybe they are herding cows of their own.

There is still a lot of snow on the higher, more distant peaks, but we didn't try to see if we could see them better because we could see that the clouds were closing in there.  The steep, narrow mountain roads were enough for me without adding fog.  On the way down, we saw Covadonga, where we had been nine years ago, on a gloomy, misty day.  I wanted to see it in the sunshine, so we went back.  We went inside the church, where Jorge's parents were married, to look around for a few minutes.  Covadonga is a very special place in the hearts of the Asturian people.  Of all the areas in Spain, only Asturias was never conquered by another people, and Covadonga was where they stood their ground.  We had hoped to go all the way into the cave this time, but once again, there was mass going on.  Instead, we sat outside, just beneath the chapel, which is visible in the open side of the cave.

The gift shop was closed, apparently for remodeling, which disappointed Jorge because he always buys something there - a little personal tradition.  We then decided to get a bocadillo (sandwich) somewhere nearby.  Just as we started to eat, one of the men working there got a phone call telling him that his mother is dying.  The man was crying and trying to talk on the phone - very sad and distressing to hear, particularly after our scare yesterday. (Jorge's mother was completely unaware of the fuss.  She had not slept well, and had taken a sleeping pill after breakfast - she's fine.)

Once back in Mieres, I did a little bit of shopping, and then we went to say goodbye to Gema and Paula.  We also visited "Suzie" the Suzuki, the motorcycle that Jorge is now planning, a little reluctantly, to sell. Now I am getting organized for my check-out tomorrow.  I have the day in Valladolid, then on to Madrid.  I fly home on Friday morning. I am not sure yet whether I will be having dinner with one of the Spaniards tomorrow night, but I most likely will be having dinner in Atlanta on Friday with a friend during my layover there.

It's been a good trip.  I told Jorge today that if I get home from a vacation and I need a vacation, it was a good vacation.  It's been one of those, for sure.