Donde Las Montañas Cantan...

Before I left for this study abroad experience, I made a bucket list. Some of the items on the list are in the first entry of this blog, others are hidden away in my journal. But, one of the goals on that bucket list was to climb one of the Picos de Europa. 

So, week 1 in Oviedo, I sought out info on the Mountaineering Group connected to the Universidad de Oviedo that takes bi-monthly day trips to different picos near Oviedo. My friends, Joanna and Lauren, accompanied me as we decided to sign up for the Level 2 (of 4) Pico Cornon.

Two weeks later, filled with eagerness and excitement we joined a bus full of well-prepared and evidently practiced hikers, with hiking poles and energy bars in hand. Our contrast to these mountaineers was laughable. With holes on the outer side of both of my tennis shoes and a no longer waterproof raincoat, I was optimistic that I could brave the elements if necessary.

Well, after 20 minutes into our hike, it started to rain. What I love about having lived in Oregon and Oregonians in general is that we like to romanticize rain by giving it human or enchanting characteristics, such as "spitting" rain or "mist". Well, my friends, the rain that we experienced for the next 6 hours of our hike was "spitting rain", the kind that makes you want to scream "Make up your mind already!"

While the views were somewhat non-existent thanks to the constant fog/rain, I was blessed with an opportunity to fill my lungs with mountain fresh air, put some red in my cheeks with more strenuous exercise and contemplate how great God is and how small I feel when hours away from civilization on a Spanish mountaintop.

At the top!
View: non-existent
Sense of achievement: Extraordinary
Bucket List to hike a Pico: Check!

Blessed with a rainbow on our descent

The blessings were multiplied a few weeks later when Joanna and I took a day trip to Cangas de Onis/Covadonga with Joanna's conversation partner, Diana. With the help of Diana's aunt and uncle who live in Cangas de Onis, we were able to take a car ride to the hard-to-reach Covadonga Lakes. While we were told the whole day that we would be unable to go as the fog would make the drive treacherous and the view non-existent, the Lord answered our incessant prayers by clearing away the clouds and producing the most perfect weather for us to take in the gorgeous view of the lakes and the refreshing mountain air.

La Música de Mis Venas

While I am not a cultured person in the least, I do enjoy a little mixture of Mozart, Bach or Tchaikovsky now and then. Plus, I have spent many hours of my life ticklin' the ivories thanks to my parent's urging and the competitive sibling rivalry of trying to be better than my almost perfect brother in at least one activity. I also attempted the flute for a while (I even went to band camp... it's where all the cool kids went), but after receiving a "C" in band in 7th grade (who gets a "C" in band?!), I decided to part ways with the wind instruments.

So, after arriving here in Oviedo, I started looking for tickets to see a classical music concert. With an already packed schedule due to my tendency to over-plan, the options were limited due to my few free weekends. However, I ended up deciding with Joanna and Lauren, two friends from my program, on a concert of violonchelo with pieces from Tchaikovsky and Schubert.

The adventure truly began the day before the concert. Unlike many of the ticket systems back home, I had to go to Cajastur, a popular local bank in the region of Asturias where one can print their tickets. However, after entering my debit card and selecting "Imprimir Entradas (print tickets)", I proceeded to watch the first, second, and third ticket all get stuck in the ticket box as the door would not open however hard I pushed/pulled/banged on it (I'm truly doing my best to re-assure the infamous perception of "dumb Americans").

So, as ticket #3 fell and the door to the box once again did not open, I decided to turn the woman at the ATM machine next to me and ask her if I was misunderstanding how to use the machine or if she knew of a number I could call. She tried to open the box to no avail and then turned to the other 4 women that were standing at ATM machines nearby, which caused me to be swarmed by 5 overly attentive Spanish women.  It is at this point that I would like to state how wonderfully helpful the Asturian people have been whenever I have asked for help in the form of directions, grammatical questions, or the case of the trapped concert tickets.

In the end, I had to call the 24-hour customer service line and spend 15 minutes explaining my situation and finding a remedy. The service agent informed me that she would forward my information to the ticket box and that I could enter with just my debit card and identification. The irony of this mishap is that after asking the name of the customer service agent to potentially reference later, I had to laugh as she told me "Esperanza"... or "Hope". God is sooooo humorous.

To get to the main point of the story, the concert was incredible! With the heart-stirring performance of the main cellist supported by a string orchestra, I was beyond thrilled and quickly forgot the trouble of the previous day. I have attached pictures as well as a short clip from "Andante Cantabile" by Tchaikovsky for your viewing pleasure.

Also, the second video is from a free concert I was invited to by my friend Lauren's host mom who is an accordion aficionado. The short clip is from one selection of "Filomenillas", a collection of short duets for violin and accordion composed with a child-like quality. Please enjoy!