leisure

LEISURE

Healthy Happy Christmas!

 

For those who prefer to burn off those extra calories (before or after all that hearty eating that is the norm at this time of the year), Gijón has a full programme of sports events starting on Christmas Eve.

                                      

The starting gun for one of the city’s major fun runs of the year will go off at 11am on 24th December at Las Mestas sports complex.

 

This 5-km run through the city’s streets is a must to work up an appetite for that family supper Spaniards hold on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, the more warm-blooded (and less-bloated from the night before) will have the chance to swim across the inner harbour of the Marina.

 Gijón/Xixón: an autum brimming with gourmet cuisine

You always have to return to Gijón. Whether in search of those endless strolls along San Lorenzo Beach, the warm sunsets over the marina, the sound of the sea and seagulls below the Praise to the Horizon or that pure, moist air in spots like the Atlantic Botanic Gardens, Deva and La Providencia.

But undoubtedly one of the best excuses to drop by the home town of Jovellanos is its cuisine and, of course, cider. Thanks to its location on the Bay of Biscay, just a short distance from the Picos de Europa, in Gijón you can enjoy the best of the sea and the mountains, with fish, seafood, cheese, meat, hearty bean stews and all the best produce of Asturian gourmet cuisine. Any time of year is good, but the city goes all out in autumn to the delight of even the most demanding gourmet.

August is even more Gijón/Xixón

Gijón/Xixón is even more Gijón/Xixón in August. August is our city’s most festive, sparkling month, with cultural, folk and gastronomic activities occurring almost non-stop from the beginning of the month right through to September. On 2nd and 3rd August, the Gijón/Xixón International Folk Festival offers a panorama of the traditions of a variety of countries from all over the world. It is one of this month’s proposals that draws the most crowds and is complemented by the Tonada Singing Contest that fills the Plaza Mayor (town square) every day.

outstanding citizens

OUTSTANDING CITIZENS FROM GIJON 

Jovellanos:

- Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos and Jove y Ramírez (Gijón, 1744 / Puerto de Vega, 1811) is the most illustrious Gijón and his urbanistic, industrial and cultural ideas conformed the city of Gijón .                


Josefa Jovellanos:

- Josefa de Jovellanos and Jove Ramírez (Gijón, 1745/1807) was a sister of Jovellanos and known as "La Argandona". She was a teacher and poetess and one of the most important figures in Asturian literature. When being left of Domingo González de Argandona, retired to the convent of the Agustinas

Nicanor Piñole.

Nicanor Piñole Rodriguez (Gijón, 1878/1978) was one of the most outstanding painters that Gijón gave and his extensive work can be seen in several Spanish museums, but especially in the Museum that in Gijón bears his name.

Eleuterio Quintanilla:

Eleuterio Quintanilla Prieto (Gijón, 1886 / Bordeaux, 1966) was directly involved in the evolution of Asturian anarchism. He was an important pedagogue collaborator in the School Neutra Graduated and died in France .
 

food and drink

              Food and drink:

Asturian gastronomy is very varied, from very heavy meals like “fabada” to delicious desserts like “frixuelos”

I’m going to show you the most typical Asturian plates:

. Fabada: (main dish) 

This is the most typical dish of Asturias. In all the restaurants of Asturias, you con eat a delicious fabada. The fabada is preparated with beans, “tocino, “morcilla”, “chorizo”, and, in some restaurants you can eat it with a type of meat called “lacón”.

 

. Sidra: (drink)

Is the asturian typical drink, and, like the fabada, you can eat it in every Asturian restaurant. It’s like apple juice, but with alcohol. In Asturias there are typical establisments specialized in sidra (and “tapas”) “called sidrerías”

 

. Frixuelos: (dessert)

This is the typical asturian dessert, it’s typical eat it during the winter, to warm your body.

It’s composed of cinnamon, flour, eggs, water and, if you want, you can add it sugar. In my opinion, it's my favourite asturian typical dish.

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Sightseeing

SIGHTSEEING IN GIJÓN

1.UNIVERSIDAD LABORAL DE GIJÓN

The Universidad Laboral de Gijón is located in the municipality of Gijón (Asturias,España),specifically in Cabueñes church,a little bit further than 3 kilometres of the urban centre. It was built between 1946 and 1956 and it is the most important architectural construction made in XX century in Asturias. It becames also the biggest building in Spain because of its 270000 square metres. It is declarated Bien de Interés Cultural since 2016.



2.SAN LORENZO BEACH

San Lorenzo beach is located in the centre of Gijón. With a longitude of 1550 metres and the shape of a shell is one of the most symbolic beaches of the autonomous community of Asturias. It goes from the stair 0 (behind San Pedro`s church) to the stair 16(in the mouth of river Piles). Parallel to the beach goes the promenade of "El Muro de San Lorenzo", more than 2 kilometres of maritime walk that moves us closer to other beaches like "El Rinconín"or"Peñarrubia".




3.JARDIN BOTÁNICO ATLÁNTICO

This garden located in Gijón has been the first of his kind in the northeast of Spain and it was opened the 25 of April 2003. It has got 150000 square metres and in all that area are more or less 30000 plants of 2000 different species. The garden is divided in four areas that are: the Cantabrian area, the vegetal factory, the historycal Garden of "la Isla"and atlantic itinerary. You can arrive there by bus or by car.



4.THE AQUARIUM OF GIJON

This place is located in the promenade of  Poniente beach. It was opened by the authority the 9 of June and opened to the public the 10 of June of 2006. There are 2000 square metres of exhibition with 60 fresh and salt water aquariums. Inside this aquariunms there are 250 species of animals such us fishes ,invertebrates,mammals,reptiles... There are also 8 sharks come directly from Florida(USA).



5.CIMADEVILLA NEIGHBOURHOOD

This neighbourhood is the oldest part of the city that has got archaeoligical remains of the Roman Empire time such us the wall or the roman baths. It situation in a hill,surrounded by a wall,made Cimadevilla an important square before its destruction in a war. In its east cliff was built the"Real Club Astur de Regatas",with the first swimming pool in Gijón. In the high zone of the "Cerro de Santa Catalina"there is a park with a statue of Eduardo Chillida called "Elogio del Horizonte".