| Gijón began as
a fishing village nearly 3,000
years ago, according to the
records of the Campa Torres
Archaeological and Nature Reserve
in Gijón. Today the city is an
important port on the Atlantic
coast of Spain. The historic
fishing village known as
Cimadevilla is located on a
peninsula that divides the port
in half. The village is the main
tourist attraction of the city.
|
Capilla
de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad
in Cimadevilla, built in 1674. |
| Most of the
streets are cobblestone and
barely two cars wide. Many of the
buildings have been renovated to
display the colorful life of the
village. Those that have not are
evidence of centuries of
construction designed to
withstand the powerful forces of
the Atlantic.
A hike up the
hill and through Cimadevilla
leads to Cerro de Santa Catalina.
It is a park on the tip of the
penisula that provides a view of
the outstretched coastline
forming the port. On the very
edge of the penisula is a
sculpture the size of a house,
Eligio del Horizonte, or Praise
of the Horizon. It is one of 16
large sculptures placed in public
spaces throughout the city over
the last decade.
Eligio
del Horizonte--Praise of the
Horizon--located at Cerro de
Santa Catalina, sculpted by
Eduardo Chillida from concrete in
1990.
A brief look out to sea and the
numerous cargo ships bring back
the present. The busy commercial
port is to the left. The port
authority building not only
houses plenty of information
about the port, but also one of
the cleanest public restrooms in
Europe, at least at this time of
the year.
To the right is Playa de San
Lorenzo, the main beach of the
city, which in summer becomes
very busy too. During spring
the Atlantic brings cold nights,
rainy mornings for the city, and
snow for the mountains nearby. By
afternoon, though, the clouds
break off from the sea and the
sun shines, urging everything on
toward summer.
Turn around, and a view of the
city lies out beneath some of the
greenest hills in Spain. The
region of Asturias is known in
Spain for its greenness. At first
mention of traveling to the area,
Spaniards all gasp and exclaim
at its beauty.
To get the most out of a visit
to the area, my recommendation is
to stop in at the local
tourist office, also in the
port.
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