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Geography & Climate
The key features of Asturian geography are
its rugged cliffy coast and its mountainous interior.
The Cantabrian mountain range (Cordillera Cantábrica)
is Asturias' natural border with León province
to the south. The Picos de Europa National Park forms
the eastern range and contains the highest and arguably
most spectacular mountains, rising to 2648 metres at
the Torrecerredo peak. Other notable features of this
predominantly-limestone range are the Parque Natural
de Redes in the central east, the central Ubiñas
south of Oviedo, and the Parque Natural de Somiedo in
the west. The Cantabrian mountains offer opportunities
for activities such as climbing, walking, skiing and
caving, and extend some 200 kilometres in total, as
far as Galicia province to the west of Asturias, and
Cantabria province to the east. Asturias has two impressive
ski stations, San Isidro and Pajares, both of which
are easily accessed by road from the capital, Oviedo.
In this era of climate change snow fall is unpredictable,
but the skiing season generally runs from December to
April inclusive. Perhaps surprisingly, climate change
appears to have benefited the ski stations in recent
times: relatively heavy snowfalls sustained the stations
in the winters of 2003/2004 and 2004/2005.
The Asturian coastline is extensive, with hundreds
of beaches, coves and natural sea caves. Notable examples
include the Playa del Silencio (Beach of Silence) near
the fishing village of Cudillero (west of Gijón),
as well as the many beaches surrounding the summer resort
of Llanes, such as the Barro, Ballota and Torimbia (the
latter a predominantly nudist beach). Most of Asturias'
beaches are sandy, clean and bordered by steep cliffs,
on top of which it is not unusual to see grazing livestock.
The climate of Asturias, as with the rest of northwest
Spain, is more varied than that of southern parts of
the country. Summers are generally humid and warm, with
considerable sunshine, but also some rain. Winters are
fairly mild but with some very cold snaps. The cold
is especially felt in the mountains, where snow is present
from November till May. Both rain and sunshine are regular
weather features of Asturian winters.
Food and Drink
Asturias is especially known for its seafood,
such as fresh squid, crab, shrimp and sea bass. Salmon
are caught in Asturian rivers, notably the Sella; the
first fish of the season is called campanu (from campana,
a bell tolled to signal the first catch).
The most famous regional dish is Fabada Asturiana,
a rich stew made with large white beans (fabes), shoulder
of pork (lacón), black sausage (morcilla), spicy
sausage (chorizo) and saffron (azafrán).
Apple groves foster the production of the traditional
alcoholic drink, a natural cider (sidra). This refreshing
tipple is traditionally poured in small servings by
an expert server: the bottle is raised high above his
or her head, so as to oxygenate the brew as it splashes
and sizzles into the glass below.
Asturian cheeses, especially Cabrales, are also famous
throughout Spain and beyond; Cabrales is known for its
pungent odour and strong flavour. Asturias is often
called "the land of cheeses" (el pais de los
quesos) due to the product's diversity and quality in
this region.
Transportation
Asturias is served by Ranon Airport (OVD),
which is about an hour's road journey from Oviedo, near
the northwest coast and the industrial town of Avilés.
A UK-based international carrier, Easyjet, began daily
flights to the airport in March 2005. Internal Spanish
carriers such as Iberia and Spanair also serve Asturias,
direct from Madrid and Barcelona. Eastern Asturias is
now quite easily reached from Santander or Bilbao.
Spain's national RENFE rail network also serves Asturias
well; trains regularly depart to and from the Spanish
interior. Major stops are the regional capital, Oviedo,
and the main coastal city, Gijón.
There is also a bus service within and without the
region, run by the ALSA company. It links Avilés,
Gijón, Oviedo and Mieres with Madrid, several
times a day. There are also services to Barcelona, Salamanca,
León, Valladolid, La Coruña, Bilbao, Sevilla
and San Sebastián, to name just a few.
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