Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 – Gijon, Spain – Cloudy – 63 F

Distance from Le Havre to Gijon, Spain: 565 Nautical Miles

Local Information: Gijon, population 280,000, is located in the Asturias region of Spain.  The city sits on the Cantabrian Sea is and important Spanish port on the Atlantic Ocean.  The city was founded by the Romans in the first Century AD. 

A cloudy but somewhat warmer day in Gijon, Spain.

We slept better – we heard the thrusters during docking this morning but our mysterious noise came on after we got up. 

Ellen is on tour today (“Gijon City Tour”) and I am going to take the complimentary shuttle to town to find WiFi. 

Docked in Gijon Spain (Small)

Celebrity Reflection docked in Gijon

The ride to town took about 30 minutes. 

Welcome to Gijon 3 (Small)

Welcome to Gijon

I walked quite a bit looking for a WiFi signal or hotspot.  The area the bus stopped at was OK but it consisted almost entirely of bars and pubs.  A few scattered pizzerias and coffee shops made up the rest of the commercial landscape.  I found a closed Burger King and could not find the McDonalds advertised on one of the town’s turnabouts.  It could have been miles away.

Some streets had very nice cafes.  They would open later for chilly but outdoor eating.

 Cafes not yet open (Small) 

Plan B would be hotels.  I checked signals outside a few hotels until I came up with a winner at the Hotel San Esteban.  I asked the clerk if she had WiFi and she asked me if I was staying at the hotel.  I told her I only wanted to check my e-mail and she handed me the password.  I checked both our e-mail accounts and sent out an e-mail describing our trip so far along with pictures.

Mission accomplished - so now I was able to check out some of the sites of the harbor area. The marina was very nice and in the distance, I could see the Celebrity Reflection docked at the commercial pier.

Gijon Marina (Small)

Gijon Marina – Reflection in the Distance

Gijon Marina 2 (Small)

Gijon Marina

Statue of Regi Palacio Gijon (Small)

   Castle and Statue near Marina (Small)

Palace of Revillagigedo (ca 1700s) Plaza des Marques

Collegiate church San Juan Bautista (Small)

The Collegiate Church of San Juan Bautista

Gijon has a very nice, wide, beach – Playa de San Lorenzo – which, in season, is complete with showers and lifeguards.  Today, the beach is deserted.  Also visible in the shots below are some interesting tidal structures abutting the walls of the square.

Gijon Beach (Small) Gijon Beach and Bay (Small) Low Tide (Small)

Playa de San Lorenzo beach Gijon (Small)

Playa de San Lorenzo (above pictures)

Next to the beach are the Ruins of the Roman Baths.  These date back to the 1st Century and the time of Roman Empire Rule.  Marking the spot is a statue of Octavio Augusto Caesar.

Park over Roman Baths (Small)

Park above the Roman Bath Ruins

Augustus Caesar 2 (Small)   

Octavio Augusto Caesar

Ellen ran into an interesting “art” installation.  A large string of plastic colored bottles draped across some trees (below).

 Sculpture from plqstic bottles (Small)

Ellen on Tour

The Universidad Laboral is the largest building in Northern Spain. It was built by Generalissimo Franco for the children of a Miner’s disaster.  The building is now used for concerts and other events.

Universida Laboral Gijon (Small)

University buildings Gijon (Small)

The photo below of an exterior alcove of one of the University’s building shows a mosaic of the constellations.

Universidad w contelllation mosaics (Small)

University now for Concerts 4 (Small)

 University now for Concerts (Small)

University now for Concerts 1 (Small)

 University now for Concerts 3 (Small)

The four photos above show the concert venue.

The University also has a very impressive clock tower.

 Clock tower University (Small)

University of Laboral Clock Tower

The next stop was at a Factory that makes apple cider (below).

 Apple Cider Farm (Small) 

My third talk - “Mystery of the Romanovs” is scheduled for 4:45 PM just before we sail at 5 PM.  The attendance was very good with about 130 passengers present.  Good feedback from many of the attendees.

We went to the early show in the Reflection Theater. 

  Lindsay Hamilton (Small)

Lindsay Hamilton Performing

Lindsay Hamilton, a veteran West End Performer, started off with an incredible version of “Don’t Cry for me Argentina” and ended with an equally incredible “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.  Everything in between was terrific including bonding with the audience (it also helps to show pictures of your adorable children). 

At one point, she went into the audience to chat with a long married couple.  She has a very engaging banter.

Lindsay Hamilton 1 (Small) 

It was hands down the best show we have ever seen cruising.  The crowd trying to get her CD was too big so I will find her CD on line.

We spent some semi-quiet time listening to the guitar vocalist – Jefferson Ang - in the Ensemble Lounge.

Pedometer: 6147 steps; 2.9 miles; 301 calories.

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