A Day of Three Cities

We did a lot of walking today. Having caught sight of the astonishing Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos from Monte Naranco, I was compelled to walk there this morning to have a look around. I don't think I've ever before seen such an improbable building. I can't see this kind of thing ever getting signed-off, or funded, in the UK. I took many photographs and, in the end, this had to be the one to represent what proved to be the  highlight of the day. Sadly, we couldn't get inside, but we were a bit sneaky in exploring other bits to which access wasn't approved! The scale of it is amazing.

After a little more wandering around Oviedo we got a bus to Gijón, arriving in torrential rain, which rather dictated our lunch venue - namely the nearest place we could find. There was only one thing on the entire menu that held any appeal. It's tough being a vegetarian in this part of Spain. The rain stopped long enough for an exploration of the old town where it felt like there was something unusual to be found around every corner. They're very playful with the built landscape here. Perhaps that speaks of less stringent building regulations than we have back home.

We then took another bus to  Avilés and had time to explore the old town here too. Lots of great public spaces and more hidden gems. We're staying here for a few nights as Emma is presenting at the Hippocrates Conference on Poetry and Medicine (the reason for our trip). We had an early night!