On this day we decided wandering in Gijon would be a good idea, so we took a taxi to the town centre again. We were also on a hunt for wine!
The harbour
We started at the Marina, know locally as El Muelle, at the foot of the Santa Catalina Hill in the Cimadevilla. The port has a history as a fishing port and a port for the export of coal and coke. It was converted to a Marina in the 1980s.
Plaza del Marques
The man on a pedestal is Don Pelayo, the first Asturian king. We found him in Cangas de Onis as well, standing in front of the church, but also buried at Covadonga.
The Palace of Revillagigedo overlooks the marina. It dates from the 18th century and includes the remains of a 15th century tower. Today it is owned by a Spanish bank and houses an international art centre.
The Cider Tree is a sculpture on the front made from 3,200 cider bottles. The aim of the scupture is apparently to make you aware of recycling. It didn’t do that for me – I just thought it was rather fun! The sloping wall in the background is interesting because this was part of the Roman defensive wall around the old town.
Gijon was bombed during the Civil War and so the local government provided air raid shelters for the residents. Gijon once had 193 air-raid shelters able to shelter 1,200 people. This is one of three entrances, but the shelters are closed to the public.
Plaza Mayor
Something was going to happen in the Plaza Mayor and tents and stands were being erected. The town has a major market here over the second weekend of every month, but it was too late for that.
Another wedding! Guests looking very posh as usual!
As you might expect there are plenty of cafes around the square and this one beckoned from under the arches…
Streets and shops
We wandered throught the streets, rather than follow a route, and so these were some of the things we spotted. The old fish market, on the front, is now municipal offices.
The Chapel of San Lorenzo, the Jove-Hevia tower, and a residence behind these buildings date from the 17th century. But no further information on the internet – odd.
We noticed some striking buildings, and apparently Gijon is known for its Art Nouveau architecture, and here we definitely needed a plan to find the buildings – another ‘next time’. Instead we wandered down some of the main shopping streets, and squares.
And we found a wine shop which was very helpful – I look forward to the results.
Basilica
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Gijon, La Iglesiona, dates from 1918, and was designed by Enrique Rodríguez Bustelo. But it has a long history. The Jesuits established themselves in Gijon in the 1880s and built a church on this site between 1889-96, designed by Nicolás García Rivero. It was demolished and replaced with the current Basilica.
The interior is almost overwhelming, decorated with paintings by Wilhelm and Heinrich Immenkamp, Bavarian artists. The paintings are made with tempera and oil paints. A fire in 1930 caused a lot of damage, and then, during the Civil War the building was used as a prison, causing more damage.
The Baslica is impressive, even overwhelming, but we felt it didn’t have the quiet, spiritual atmosphere which we had found in simpler churches.
As always, exploring is thirsty work and we tried yet another cafe before heading back to the Parador, armed with several bottles of Spanish wine.
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