Lands Of Witches And Spirits

“He who goes to Santiago And goes not to El Salvador Visits the servant ANGAS And neglects the Lord” CDE NÍS Ancient Folk Saying O A brupt ridges and valleys painted with green. Mountain peaks And Its Parador softened by untamed rivers. Houses colored by the moss of fog and witches and spirits. Misty coasts and seas inclined to be both inflexible and pleasant. People of few words and decisive actions. Villages of errant adventurers with patriotic inclinations. Regions just brushed by unattainable prosperity. Rebellious lands of eternal love and war. Landscapes of crosses, gorges and white water.

The do not boast of an ancient lineage: they have quite enough to say with their medieval history, the years of their maturity. Even so, they were once Celts, and some signs of those cults still remain in their collective attic, long forgotten and covered in dust. When the Romans arrived they found “tribes braver and fiercer than any other of Hispania’s peoples. And as they live in cold and rocky places without the luxuries and comforts of the others, they can withstand a great deal of work.”

However, they were not as uncultured as might be imagined. The Asturians were already utilizing the wheel on carts pulled by the asturcón, a small, powerful horse which even Nero added to his stable. It is said that from these come what we call today “vaqueiros de alzada” (cowboys of the heights), nomadic cattle herders who lived in the crags. Strabo spoke of their unusual customs, a description which has come down to us over the centuries: “They wash with urine stored for a time in cisterns, and both men and women wash their teeth with it.” Let the reader not be disgusted, for surely some ancient relative engaged in this aseptic ablution. The origins of these peripatetic herds are difficult to untangle. Some say that they were Celts or Normans, others speak of Jews descended from Roman slaves. Regardless of the truth, the Asturians jealously guard their very ancient ways and customs. But he does not hide early superstitions, a worship of the lovely water nymphs, still called xanas; or the lovely girls, yalgas, enchanted and taken prisoner by horrifying culebres. They speak of mischievous and interfering trasguas, who even today continue to be the invisible spirits of all these woods. Women had already assumed a matriarchal role, and the same dances have been handed down for generations, the corri-corri and the pericote.

Throughout much of this area, there is almost palpable evidence of the passing of time. Lovely caves carved out over the years, such as Moria in Rivadesella. Some were lived in and decorated by the earliest tribes, tens of millennia ago: the Cave of Bruxu, in Cangas de Onís, where geometry had already been discovered; Les Pedroches Cave, close to Villaviciosa; Ídolo de Tú, near Llanes; and perhaps more than any other, Tito Bustillo, which has nothing to envy in the ancient cave paintings of Altamira.

Covadonga came into being so that could be born: so that Pelayo, armed with large stones and wooden crosses, could resurrect

CANGAS DE ONÍS AND ITS PARADOR 1 , saving it from Sánchez Albornoz’s “overwhelming tide of Islam”. which the virtuous monarch would inscribe the eternal incantation still Others say that the “Moors were few, wandering somewhat aimlessly seen today: among those peaks.” There are even some who assert, with dubious intentions, that the good Pelayo threw himself into the great adventure of “He who should dare to take me away shall be instantly struck down his life and our history out of a desire for vengeance against a Moor who by God’s divine bolt of lightning.” (Strabo) had dared to love his sister. The capital would soon be decked out with the riches, services and gilt At that time, a group of Benedictine appropriate to a court, although unusual in such austere Christendom: monks searching for a home and a aqueducts, baths, hospitals, tribunals, and more. Stone masons, “masters suitable place to keep their of geometry”, and sculptors got down to work, producing the wonder relics known as pre-Romanesque. The church of San Tirso, near the cathedral, still has its double horseshoe arch, a display of Moorish virtuosity mystifying for scholars and amazing for visitors. No less surprising is the temple of San Julián de los Prados, highly regarding for its structure and the paintings which cover its interior walls.

Meanwhile, the patient persistence of the Moor had extracted the painful tribute of 100 Asturian maidens, exchanged in dark treaties and destined to be enjoyed in the harems of Cordoba. The heroism of the young ladies and kingly skill succeeded in bringing such a humiliating truce to a good end.

As the calendar page turned to the ninth century, masterful examples of religious and secular architecture would be erected. Their fame is no excuse for missing the opportunity to visit or at least make a short stop: Santa María del Naranco, the splendorous palace of King Ramiro I, and San Miguel de Lillo. Both rise up from Mount Naranco, models of the art and wisdom of the cathedral age. Today’s traveler may see them as brilliant examples of Gothic architecture, yet they were already elegant buildings in the early Romanesque period. The choir stalls offered a daily welcome to the numerous pilgrims who came to venerate the miraculous relics kept, sacrosanct, in the holy chamber. The original Cross of Victory (Cruz de la Victoria), the jewel and symbol of the Principate, was much coveted – the impressive treasure was even stolen and miraculously returned a few short decades ago – and displays the most luxurious work safe from the hands of the Saracens come across a place called Oveato. of Romanesque metalworkers. Inside the case is the original wooden cross, There they built a church and a monastery dedicated to their protector, the cross that worked the singular and portentous victory of Pelayo. Saint Vincent the Martyr. Soon came the first Asturian and ‘Ovetense’ kings. It was King Fruela who ordered a larger church to be built, But it is above all the Holy Chest (Arca Santa) which most amazes and dedicated to the Savoir. He almost certainly could not have known that astonished pious and impious visitors alike. Such was its fame, and the it would end up as the proud, unique cathedral, refuge and reliquary of power of its relics that King Alfonso VI made a pilgrimage to the site the few fleeing Christians, although it was to be reduced virtually to accompanied by his sister Doña Urraca, Cid Campeador and several rubble by the Muslim fury when aroused once again. bishops. After a week of compulsory penitence on the part of one and all, the sacred box could now be opened. Inside the king found such treasures Let the visitor now travel back through the slow haze of time: with the that he ordered a new, more suitable and luxurious chest made. He then arrival of the second King Alfonso – known as the Chaste for his excessive ordered that it be locked in such a way that it could never be opened virtue – we find ourselves in pre-Romanesque , as the 13th century again. And so it remains closed today to guard it from the tempted or flows lazily by. These streets were rather empty: some inhabitants, nobles, jealous looks of the incredulous and the irreverent. So many and sacred and a few pilgrims, pious believers as far as necessary. There also lived are the relics contained in the chest that they would even overshadow friars who wrote Latin codices and master builders who constructed those of Santiago de Compostela itself. churches whose stone vaults leapt high. Skilled metalworkers decorated the Cross of the Angels with gold, on

CANGAS DE ONÍS AND ITS PARADOR 2 Pilgrimages Laden Down activist and fearsome believer, was the hammer of the Inquisition and the With Miraculous Relics excesses of the Church’s earthly goods, and one of the most important thinkers and essayists of the 18th-century Spanish Enlightenment. Nor should we forget Leopoldo Alas, Palacio Valdés, Pérez de Ayala, Alejandro L et not the reader be overcome with curiosity, however. In the Casona, among others. middle years of the past century, the diocese revealed, for a fee, the contents of the sacred chest to the pilgrim. They were listed in a These were men of ideas and even arms, such as Rafael de Riego, with printed document: his own anthem to arms against the French invaders. These Asturians, learned in independence, were the first to declare war on “The precious shroud of Christ stained with his holy blood...Eight Napoleon. And so one of the most cultured and politicized areas of the thorns from his Sacred Crown...A scrap of the cloths that covered him in peninsula would continue to hold its heads and arms high, time and time the manger...One of the denari that Judas received for his betrayal...A again. chunk of the rock upon which Moses sat while fasting in the Sinai...A piece of the wand he used to part the waters of the Red Sea.” There were even It should come as no surprise that there arrived times of foreboding, some miraculous foodstuffs: “A piece of the roast fish and honey cake that times of miners rising up from the gorges and of attacks powerfully Our Lord ate after he was resurrected...Bread from the Last Supper...Some repressed, as history and they themselves would not have us forget. of the manna which God caused to rain down on the sons of Israel...Milk During the “Uncivil” War, Oviedo resisted, trapped by geography and from the Mother of God herself.” rebellion, like an island in the Republican Asturian sea. Inexorable, slow and placid, the predictions and hopes of Ramón Pérez de Ayala The precise and precious certificate had the required guarantees from would come true: church authorities: “We, Dean and Chapter of the Holy Church of Oviedo, have issued and caused to be issued the present...” “Spain has something of a puzzle about it. The little pieces are all mixed up and confused; but none are missing and they can all be put to Pilgrims can view the Holy Shroud, with scientific proof of authenticity. good use. One day soon we will see whether they have each adapted to the However, viewing times are limited. If you would like further evidence of others, and if the task of uniting them was a simple thing.” the Asturian dynasty, we suggest a visit to the Royal Pantheon. Here it is said lie the remains of the Fruelas, the Bermudos, the Castos, the Ramiros Let the pilgrim remember, and reflect upon finding him or herself and even Alfonso III the Great and Doña Urraca. among the questionable glory of the medieval past. This surprising “inn”,

Soon there came a change which heralded a much less sunny future: the courtiers and monarchs of Asturias left Oviedo for better lodgings and the more strategically located city of Leon, then as now the beginning and end of the essence of Castile.

Meanwhile, the peoples of Oviedo and Asturias, forced to look to the sea, at the edge of valleys, or sunk into the depths of the earth, felt the repercussions of the court’s departure. It was such a financial setback that barter once again became the rule of trade, in which salt –always abundant and generous in this region– returned to its status as little less than a substitute for money.

But these difficulties would not reach the river of history: Oviedo and its region would have much work ahead. At the end of the 14th century, the wise King Juan I made the enlightened and beneficial decision to create the title of Prince of Asturias, the patrimony of the first born son of the royal family. In the following century, Fernando Valdés, a notable clergyman with a penchant for culture, had the happy the exceptional inheritance of idea of creating the University of Oviedo. This institution was to have what was once the Monastery of San Pedro de Villanueva, was much to do and say, and as a result, the residents of these lands can transformed into a Parador by the virtuoso work and grace of the architect rightly boast of having hosted the most well-read and well-known and artisan Mariano Martitégui Cáceres. The building’s ancient and heroic Spaniards. It was also Valdés, at the time the powerful Inquisitor General, origins have adapted well to the comforts required by the present day, who authored the feared Catalogue of Forbidden Books, which would give without treading on the toes of the historic relics standing for all eternity much to be silent about. on the banks of the Sella River. This lasting frontier both divides and unites the lands, customs, landscapes and compatriots of Cantabria and Other erudite and distinguished Ovetenses would flourish in the 17th Asturias. century. Had there been no Velázquez, Juan Carreño would have been the School’s best baroque painter. Fray Benito Jerónimo Feijó, the We find ourselves in an excellent location: between the Bay of Biscay versatile theologian and essayist, taught half of Europe the most advanced and the Picos de Europa Mountains. These “Peaks of Europe” were given ideas in science and letters. Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, a progressive this name because in the not-so-distant past “they were like a savior,

CANGAS DE ONÍS AND ITS PARADOR 3 a lighthouse serving as a point of reference for Cantabrian sailors”, Inevitably, the curious visitor will perceive an atmosphere still filled who fished the seas along these coasts, where they still sail today. Today with superstitions. Any regional newspaper will surprise you with its what was once the Monastery of San Pedro rightfully boasts of being the advertisements for fortune-tellers and other surprising magical tricks still owner and ruler of these unusual valleys, valleys given life by the still steeped in captivating evil and virtue. All or many of the ancient myths clean and fertile waters of the Sella and Gueña Rivers. The inhabitants of are still present. Perhaps the barriers which isolate the region, these these plains enjoy this exceptional geography, perhaps the richest in the loveliest of lands, have also served to keep them safe. entire region. Let us quote from an early 17th-century synod: “If you know of Setting off from the Parador, visitors can enjoy any number and any anybody who uses charms, spells, omens and sorcery, or who casts variety of diverse sights and curses, dark spells, incantations, the evil eye ... If you know of anyone sensations, among who has books which have been banned ... Report to the vicar or visiting judge. They will be examined to determine whether they are good and Catholic or if they are superstitious and reprobate.”

Let the visitor remember that this was a basilica which once contained a royal pantheon, an obligatory and pious point of reference from around the 13th century. Of that past, today only a few witnesses remain: the walls of the nave and three original apses. In any event, the proud, ancient and wealthy Romanesque roots of this Parador date to the 12th century. Note the presence of carved stone capitals, despite the inevitable additions made to the monastery in order to preserve it, especially form the 17th century. These have, at least, allowed the building to remain alive and proud, to be today’s surprising Parador.

them the region’s ever-changing and surprising geography and nature. The seas are rough at times, and at others pleasant and peaceful. Tables That Leave The mountains are steep and threatening, covered with enduring snows, You Begging For More but in spring and summer, both climate and people are generous in both words and action. Traditions and handicrafts have been well and carefully preserved. Excursions take us back into the earliest prehistory or the purest Romanesque. Even in terms of gastronomy, this region is an A The new culinary orthodoxy asserts that there are four different indisputable sanctuary. Asturian cuisines: coastal, with fish and seafood and pilgrimages between Gijón, and Avilés; that of the miners of the Nalón region The lovely structure of the present-day Parador was born in the pious with Soups and Bean Stews washed down with Cider by Oviedo; that setting of the 12th century, in the heart of the Romanesque period, time of which goes in search of Octopus and Savory Pies along the roads to the pilgrimages. However, with the passing of time, significant changes have west; and another which looks to the east, more comfortable among rivers been made. In the mid-17th century, the roof was remodeled and the of Trout and Salmon. staircase altered. The monastery was redesigned around a two-story cloister with semi-circular arches around the lower story. The lovely triple- The traveler would do well to forget these subtleties, more the purview arch arcade lends an air of distinction to the upper part of the patio. of culinary experts than of honest and grateful palates. The lovely capital of the Principate is also a cathedral which convokes the most varied The monastery inevitably suffered the rage of Mendizábal, the seizure of cuisines of these lands. church lands in the mid-19th century known as the Desamortización. Later the Royal Academy of History proposed that it be declared a You can set yourself right, as they themselves say, with some appetizers, national monument. Finally, in 1995 the building was refurbished to turn Tidbits of Limpet or Sea Urchin, known here as Oricios, which while it into a Parador de Turismo. The present-day traveler shares rooms which looked down on in other areas, are here accorded the rank of caviar. Or for centuries were cells occupied by monks who worked, prayed and have some Elvers or Swimcrabs, Spider Crabs or Shrimp. provided hospitality to pilgrims, some with more faith than others. There were also not a few traffickers in relics, some miraculous and many others Stews and Casseroles have justly earned their appreciation, although imbued with magnificent virtues: the bones of saints and martyrs, thorns there are dishes of fish alone which also preach the holy word: Sea from the crown of Christ, splinters from the cross and replicas of the holy Bream Cooked in Cider or Stuffed Hake, for example, or shroud, all with a multitude of virtues, all of them curative. Monkfish. Other fish exiled here from other regions find an excellent home, and let us not forget the Eel and Lamprey and other creatures of the water.

CANGAS DE ONÍSAND ITS PARADOR 4 inherited and reworked no one knows where or why. The changes may be made with a light touch or involve a daring variation, such as:

Compango is a unique bean stew with an expert touch, always seasoned with morcilla and chorizo sausage, Asturian, of course. You will also need a ham bone or two, bacon and boiled ham. Finish it off with a light touch of saffron.

This and so many other combinations are actually arbitrary and delicious variations on a common theme. Delicious Onions Stuffed with the tasty fillings unique to each kitchen. Lovely, unexpected dishes using freshwater fish: Salmon and Trout born, raised and caught in the river. Nothing could be further from today’s fish farms.

Seafood and fish are requisite ingredients of a fish stew prepared como Dios manda (literally “as God commands”). Sea Bream from the Bay of Biscay is prepared in a variety of ways. It would be an unpardonable oversight to miss trying the Monkfish, better known as Pixín, in any number of dishes, all addicting. Nor should you miss Scorpion Fish Bean Stews and Soups are the heartiest of all, some always in the Pâté, Bonito Tuna underbelly, or Sea Bass, with or without vegetables. necessary company of some variety of sausage, if possible from San Martín, giving it that Asturian flavor: Spicy Chorizo Sausage; Boiled When it comes to beef, you will find that Young Rump Steak from Ham similar yet different to that of Galicia; Morcilla Blood Sausage cattle born and raised locally is very common. The Pig is the faithful with a good dose of paprika and even more of smoke; or Chosco, a provider of chorizo and morcilla sausages. The Apple is the emblem of flavorful sausage; and Bacon, which absolutely must be combined with Asturias, not only in Cider, but also as the star of a variety of stews and the others. desserts.

Dishes of ancient and established combinations: the Bollu Preñau, Sweets and desserts are also made from Hazelnuts, called Ablanes filled with chorizo sausage; Emberzau with morcilla blood sausage; and here, Walnuts and Chestnuts (Mayuques) or Strawberries and Picantito, sausage filling eaten before it is baptized with the name of Cherries. And of course, there is Rice Pudding, which bears no chorizo. Masterful inventions, which it is useless to disguise as modern: resemblance to other sweet rice dishes. Fabes Beans with Wild Boar, Fabes Beans with Clams, and more.

There is excellent Red Meat, although some still have their doubts. Lamb Roasted in an Oven or on a Spit as it has always been prepared in Pola de Lena. Game from the Picos de Europa, when in season and the Disfrutar Del Cantábrico hunt is successful: Chamois, Roe Deer and Wild Boar above all.

Any, or even better, as many as possible, of these Cheeses as fit on N obody knows for sure if Biscay is a sea or an arm of the ocean, your table, for they can easily compete with others at home or abroad: but it has given rise to myths and legends as dark as they are Cabrales, Gamonedo, Urbíes, Fuente, Bota, Peñamellera and hopeful. What is certain is that these coasts and fierce seas have seen the many others. Some are unfortunately difficult to find, as they are made by arrival and departure of now ancient cultures and civilizations. hand in very small batches. It is a temptation which is virtually irresistible: to cross the Deva River, For sweet dreams, if possible give your meal the coup de grâce of which forms the border with solitary and proud Cantabria, seeker of Frixuelos, a type of crêpe; little turnovers known as Casadielles; Castilian ancestry. It is not long before we come to Pindal Cave, of more Carbayones, egg yolk and almond pastries; or simply Rice Pudding, than generous proportions. It safely guards, yet allows us to view, carvings which even diners from other areas recognize as unquestionably excellent. and cave paintings.

There are no Wines, although some swear that there were in the past. The town of Colombres is well worth a visit. This capital of the Let the reader be content with those from Leon, just as Carlos V was. Ribadedeva region found fame and glory when Carlos V passed through This culinary emperor found nothing in these to turn his nose up at, here in the very early 16th century. Not long afterwards, this territory perhaps because he was inclined towards Cider, which is always an would be the setting-off point for waves of emigrants. After many comings excellent fall-back. and goings over long-suffering generations, they would become “Indian” magnates proud and ostentatious about their fruitful past. The General RECIPES BY WORD OF MOUTH Archives of the Indies are kept here.

Asturian cuisine enjoys, perhaps even suffers, from being widely A few steps take us to enchanted and enchanting La Franca Beach. published. In these parts there are very few secret recipes left. Culinary Another surprise for the traveler is the Cueva Mountain Range, norms and cultures are transmitted by word of mouth: each restaurant, crowned by a peak which tops 1,300 meters. From the summit you can see each cook and family paint and sculpt their own dishes, prepared, both the Bay of Biscay and the Picos de Europa Mountains. Another

CANGAS DE ONÍS AND ITS PARADOR 5 “The Cares is a river of clean, lovely, fresh water, but of water which has its way with even the stones: you need but see it.” As you follow the route you will see how true this is, how this indomitable river was able to carve out such a unique course.

The bold adventure of the Cares began hundreds of millions of years ago, carving its path, patiently yet inexorably, by dissolving the calcareous material of the carboniferous period. It is for this reason that these lands have the colors they do. Starting from the bottom, first we see reddish earth. A little above it is somewhat rose-colored. Then come blackish tones, and last of all the white top layer: majestic and proud limestone.

In any case, this stroll along the divine Cares is not a tiring one (provided that the walker is moderately prudent and adopts a relaxed pace); one does not need to be an athlete to follow the route of the Cares. However, you should count on the walk taking about a full day. From these spectacular heights we can see part of Covadonga National Park, its woods filled with beeches, oaks, walnuts, ashes and lime trees. The great champion of the Reconquest, Don Pelayo, is sworn to have been crowned surprising curiosity are the bufones, narrow cavities through which the here. winds whistles, sending up jets of water when the sea is rough. At times the sound is a pleasant one, and at others it is terrifying. Also nearby the Should this be your first trip to the land of Asturias, and you have time cave is the idol of Peña-Tú, an evocative and enigmatic witness to the to spare, we suggest a visit to Oviedo. This lovely city just calls out to be Bronze Age. explored.

Cangas

My mother beat me with a stick For falling in love with a sailor And to the sound of the stick she says Long live the boat and the oar! (Sailor’s Verse)

It is the Deva River which decides who is who: along one bank a Cantabrian and along the other an Asturian. Colombres stands proud as the capital of the Ribadedeva region, famous and revered as a provisional inn and stopping place for Emperor Carlos V. And it is only right that here the Archives of the Indies have been preserved. The ex-president of México, Porfirio Díaz sought tribute and a home here, but failed. Parador de Cangas de Onís

In this area, the curious traveler will enjoy the many nearby virgin 33550 Villanueva. Cangas de Onís. Asturias beaches. La Franca offers deceptively smooth waters. Facing the Bay of Tel.: 985 84 94 02 - Fax: 985 84 95 20 Biscay stands the Cueva Mountain Range. These mountains look down e-mail: [email protected] from the magnificent heights of Turbina Peak, over 1,300 meters above sea level, to the far-off bay on one side and the Picos de Europa on the other. Reservation Center Since time immemorial, these indestructible lighthouses have served to guide Requena, 3. 28013 Madrid (España) many an intrepid sailor. Tel.: 902 54 79 79 - Fax: 902 52 54 32 www.parador.es / e-mail: [email protected] Beside the sea sits impassive Llanes, the capital of its region from times Text: Miguel García Sánchez Design: Fernando Aznar near-forgotten. So long has it been that the town can boast of ancestors who lived in caves and prehistoric communities. The curious traveler will find abundant examples along this entire coast.

The Bufón de Vidago snorts and brays spasms of water when the sea is at its fiercest. These lands produce excellent cheeses, salt beef and chorizo sausages, even salt-cured hams made by careful expert hands.

Through The Divine Gorge Of The Cares

The route of the Cares River is well-worth a day’s visit. Perhaps you would like to know something of this mythical and divine Cares. Its source lies in the mountain range known as La Cebolleda, and the river flows from there to Caldevilla in the Valdeón Valley.

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