Covadonga

01.08.17 — Covadonga

In the final installation of my trio of posts on my trip to Asturias, I herein recollect the Monday of my visit (the 17th of July), where Kevin put me on a bus to a place called Cangas de Onís. This seemed like quite a sleepy town, and we headed into the centre to have a pincho and relax in the sun a little – with a quick detour to get some suncream as I’d burned whilst in Gijón.

Cangas de Onís seemed like a very quaint and beautiful place, however Kevin was keen to show me a certain Roman bridge. Whilst heading for it I didn’t expect to stumble upon what presented itself to us – it was magnificent, with a fairytale background to boot.

After quite a while gazing in awe at the awesome views, we scooted round the back of a restaurant at the other side of the river and climbed up and over the bridge. Whilst up there we were met with yet more breathtaking sights…

After this we headed back to the bus station to board yet another bus up to see “the lakes”. I had no idea what this meant or what we were going to go and do, rather I just assumed it’d be a few pretty lakes with a gift shop. Once the bus began to climb what felt like the side of a mountain however, I soon realised we were headed somewhere special.

The bus journey was probably the most terrifying non-airborne trip I’ve ever taken! Looking out of the window we might as well have been on an airplane, as we’d ascended high towards the heavens such that we could look over the layers of clouds below. The bus had to traverse a menacingly narrow single-track road cut into the perilously steep and windy cliffs, with the most unsettling moments being as we turned sharp corners and the front corners of the bus were thrust out to hang over the edge of the cliff itself.

Terrifying.

After dicing with death for about half an hour, we eventually made it unscathed to a car park which sat cradled amongst beautiful green mountains. It turned out that we’d been transported to an area of outstanding natural beauty, and we were about to do quite a lot of climbing and walking in the relentless heat – with my burned legs I was not best pleased…

I soon forgot about the burning in my calfs however, as the amazing scenery I found myself wandering around provided ample distraction. What felt like miles above all civilisation, there was nothing to distract us but the occasional hiker and the melodic sounding of cowbells from the herds below.

After a wander through a defunct mine and yet more upward slopes, we found ourselves surrounded by another herd of cows, and I wound up taking some photos which I think sit amongst the best I’ve ever taken.

Eventually one of the promised lakes came into view, at the side of which sat a restaurant which provided a welcome break and a sandwich to refuel. Me being me, I had to take a selfie which has probably the prettiest background of any selfie I’ve managed to take ever…

After lunch and a refill of my trusty water bottle, we once again headed upwards to a spot called mirador entrelagos – literally meaning “viewpoint between lakes”. The vantage point lived up to its name, offering a breathtaking 360° view over two of the stunning lakes.

From there we began to descend quite rapidly towards the second lake, where a few cows had gathered for a spot of paddling in the refreshingly cool water. I wrapped my camera strap around my wrist, nearly took a plunge down a precarious little slope, and joined them by the waterside. Here I took some more breathtaking photos, and I’ll leave you with my favourite few here.

We then turned and headed back to the car park to grab a bus back down the death path (I swear it was worse on the way back down), having completed our circular walk around the lakes and mountains of Asturias. It was a shame to leave the stunning views, but I was relieved to take the weight off my feet and get out of the sun – and then Kevin reveals that we’ve one last stop to make.

We hopped off the bus before it arrived back at Cangas de Onís, as Kevin wanted to show me another small town. Having noticed a mythical-looking church high in the trees on our way up to the lakes, I wondered if that was where we were headed, and sure enough I stepped off the bus to be greeted by this awesome sight:

Before we headed up to investigate the seemingly magical place further, Kevin led me first to a cave cut high into the rock of one of the cliffs. Standing precariously above a pool of water and shrouded by the mysterious scent of incense, Kevin explained how it was a religious site and place of pilgrimage for many christians in Spain.

I had to drink from each spout and then I would be bound to return to this place again.

Before we headed up, Kevin instructed that we were to walk around the pool to a natural spring towards its rear. With five spouts from which water flowed, I was told I had to drink once from each and then I would be bound to return to this place again. I did so, topped up my water bottle, and then we headed up the steps into the cave itself.

Visiting the cave was a surreal experience, as it held a tiny chapel and bench seating for daily masses. Photography isn’t allowed up in the cave, however I did manage to catch a photo of that mysterious chapel from the high angle of the steps to the cave.

After leaving the cave via another exit, we were soon headed towards the chapel. We had a wander round its exterior and I took way too many photos of the greenery to even begin sorting which ones to upload here, so I’ll just leave you with a couple of the church and its surroundings.

After this we headed back down to the bus after a rather long day of exploring rural Asturias. Exhausting as it may have been however, I had a phenomenal time having my breath taken away at seemingly every turn. Kevin had once again proven his mettle as a tour guide and host, and that evening we had a well deserved relaxing dinner near his flat back in Oviedo.

As this rounds off my time spent in the wonderful place that is Asturias, I have to once again thank Kevin and his family for their hospitality and making me feel right at home during my first visit to the north of Spain (well, except Barcelona, but as a huge easterly city it doesn’t really count). I shall definitely be back again…

Gijón

26.07.17 — Gijón

One of the days in Asturias, after landing and meeting Kevin in his home city, was spent in Gijón after just a short train journey from Oviedo! We were soon winding our way from the train station down to what promised to be a gorgeous shoreline, but not before we stopped for a pincho (a small bite to eat) in a bar on the way.

After one of the most delicious sandwiches I’ve ever eaten in my life (seriously), we were soon down by the harbour in all it’s sunny glory!

We wandered first around the bay to the site of the old city, where a big green tree sculpture revealed itself to be made of hundreds of empty cider bottles – only in Asturias! From here, we went back on ourselves a little as Kevin wanted to show me another section of the shoreline, and so we wandered through the gorgeous little streets of the center of Gijón.

Once we’d made our way down the centre street in the above photo, a very unexpected and awesome sight greeted us – a huge golden beach! It was full of people enjoying the hot and sunny weather, and I was quite surprised as I hadn’t expected to see sandy beaches in the north.

Instead of heading out onto the sand however, we took a left turn, wandered past a coastal church, and wound up beginning our way up an incline. As we crested the views over the sea just kept getting better and better – I hadn’t realised we were heading onto a high natural jetty which gave nearly 360° views over the coastline!

As we hit the summit of this piece of land I suddenly became aware that I had managed to let my arms and face burn in the sun – the cool coastal breeze had tricked me into thinking that the sun wasn’t as hot as it actually was. I pushed on anyway and it was worth it, as a big sculpture loomed into view which is aptly named Elogio del Horizonte, or “Compliment to the Horizon”.

After this we descended back down to near where we’d began our exploration of the coast, and I picked up an ice cream on the way. We were soon back in the square by the harbour, where we’d arranged to meet our friend Sara who was also in England with Kevin during their Erasmus year! It was lovely to all be reunited again after all the evenings we’d spent in England drinking and talking about how we were going to meet up in Spain one day – seems like that day came quicker than we all expected!

To take it easy and chill out, we all headed back on to the harbour to grab some cider (no surprise there) and I had my first go at decanting it from the bottle into the glass from a height of a meter or more – it’s not as easy as it looks!

After this we headed to check out Semana Negra, a literary festival dedicated to dark crime mystery and noir stories. Accompanying the celebrations were a huge market, a fully-fledged amusement park on the coast, and plenty of stalls to grab a quick beer and soak up the atmosphere – something we sure as hell did!

All too soon it was getting late and the time came to bid Gijón and Sara goodbye, but I have a feeling it was more of a “see you soon” – I was enchanted by Gijón just as I was with Oviedo. Next time, however, I’ll bring suncream…

Graduation

24.07.17 — Leeds

Just this Thursday gone, and after first moving to Leeds to start my adventure four years ago, the day of my graduation finally came – 20th July 2017. This meant an early morning for the Briggs family, as we all grumpily stirred from our beds at about 6am in order to pick up my tickets and get my gown on ready for the ceremony starting at 9:30am sharp.

After briefly catching up with everyone as they enrobed and ran about to take photos, I soon found myself out in the queue to enter the Great Hall with fellow graduands. My parents found a seat near the back, and after a few embarrassing photos which they tottered up to the front to take, our tutors entered and the ceremony began.

One by one we were called onto stage to receive our certificate and a congratulations from one of the key professors in the School of Design, before returning to our seats and eventually being applauded out of the main entrance to the Grand Hall. Degrees in hand, it was time for another few photos in between the spells of patchy rain which didn’t manage to dampen our day one bit – we were all in giddy high spirits and I noted how the folder with my degree certificate in it was the most expensive umbrella I’d ever used!

There were a tonne of photos taken but there’s only one real serious one which I am happy with – I opted not to bother with professional photography of the day but I think this one taken by my dad is probably much better than anything I’d have had taken in a studio.

As I said, the rain seemed to only heighten our jovial spirit, and hence I present to you a few photos of us all goofing around and using the hoods of our gowns as actual hoods. Hogwarts connotations aside (we all look like we’re in Slytherin, everyone kept noting), they actually worked pretty well to keep our hair dry…

Pretty soon we all had to go our own separate ways, with people having lunches and all sorts of things to attend to, and so me and my dad wandered off to the library to take one final portrait in the beautiful setting of the Brotherton Library – I figured I should have one where I look somewhat scholarly or something…

Is that Draco Malfoy in the Brotherton Library?

After disrobing and trundling back to our car through yet more rain, we eventually checked into our hotel for the night and headed out for some snacks, before making our way to Ox Club for a delicious dinner. After this we went out for cocktails as a family, but I managed to catch half an hour with the rest of the gang before heading back to the hotel to sleep after a long day.

It was a really lovely day, with an atmosphere of celebration and good fun not dampened at all by the sub-par weather which had been threatening to make us all miserable. It was pretty amazing to see such a huge formal event run like clockwork, and it felt like a lovely closing to these past four years which have taken me halfway around the globe and then some!

In the meantime I have updated my CV with my degree result, and am currently working my way through more photos from my trip to Asturias which began with my last blog post about my time in the wonderful city of Oviedo. Stay tuned!

Oviedo

22.07.17 — Oviedo

As spontaneous as ever, and a mere 8 days before my graduation, last week I ended up jetting out to Spain for a week! After a gruelling day spent hitching a lift to Burnley train station, two trains to Liverpool, a quick wander and then a bus journey to the airport, I flew out from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Aeropuerto Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas (yes, it is a ridiculously long name for an airport). I didn’t stay for long in Madrid however, as I was soon on a bus up to Oviedo, Kevin’s home city where he’d recently returned to from Leeds.

After a reunion in the bus station, I met Kevin’s parents who had kindly come to pick me up and drop me off at their family apartment in the city. Having been awake on the bus for the entirety of the journey from Madrid to the north, I must admit that my first impressions of Asturias (the area in which Oviedo sits) were somewhat skeptical – there’s a tunnel where you enter under clear skies surrounded by arid slopes, and exit into another land of fog, rain, greenery, and a temperature that’s ten degrees colder than when you first entered the tunnel five minutes before. It’s quite a shock!

After a quick wander round the city it soon became evident that we were both tired, and so headed back home after a gorgeous meal of croquettes, patatas bravas, and a lovely mix of meat called picadillo – I even tried my first traditional hand-poured Asturian cider!

The next day we were greeted by a bit more sun and I really got to appreciate the city a bit more – starting with the view from Kevin’s flat. After this I grabbed my camera and we went for a proper few hours exploring the city…

We spent most of the morning exploring the old centre of the city, with gorgeous streets flanked by pretty little balconets. The centre of the area seemed to revolve around a big open square which housed the cathedral, a beautiful structure with intricate wood and stone carvings adorning its facade.

Detailed stonework just outside the entrance

Kevin acted as my tour guide throughout, showing me every nook and cranny of the city and recounting the odd anecdote from his years spent as a student in the city. One of the symbols to look out for was the flared cross of Asturias, one of which we found perched on the railing of the church.

After sticking our heads in the door of the cathedral and then promptly retreating to avoid paying the extortionate entry fee, we waltzed leisurely through the square and then round a corner down the side of the church on to the main nightlife street of Oviedo.

Although Kevin had already spoken of the cleanliness of Oviedo, I was pleasantly surprised by the state of the street which lay ahead – any other visitor to the city would never have known that it was where people went to drink and party of an evening. It was spotless! A local had even taken to playing some traditional catholic music from their window, making it feel like we were on the set of some kind of epic drama as we strolled down the sloping street.

As we headed down Kevin wanted to show me one of his favourite places to go on a night out, a club called Radio, which unlike most British clubs actually looked quite resplendent during the day too. We also nipped down a few other side streets to beautiful squares and plazas, and I was enchanted by Oviedo’s quiet comfort and relaxing ambience.

One of my favourite buildings was one of those which Kevin had told me was the most aesthetically pleasing in the city, with striking blue painted window frames glowing above the restaurant below. With a decaf coke in hand from a nearby Mercadona, I spent quite a while snapping away to try and get the perfect shot of it’s gorgeous colours!

As the day wore on we headed further looping around the streets of the city centre, passing even more gorgeous buildings such as the town hall and exploring even more quaint little streets flanked by shops, nightclubs and residential blocks. We eventually wound up at a square with a sculpture in it which was rather unimaginatively known as the umbrella when translated from Spanish, and which Kevin told me was used to hide from the Asturian rain when people are out drinking on the streets.

This is probably called the umbrella square or something

After that we began to make headway back to the flat before having some snacky food for the evening. On the way though we encountered an open church door and wandered in only to find that a lot of the religious figures and pews had been covered in plastic sheeting whilst renovations to the building were ongoing. I thought this gave a rather eerie quality to them and snapped a few photos…

After dinner that evening we headed to Kevin’s friend’s place for some drinks before hitting the town, where we sang and danced up and down the same street we’d been to earlier! It was a lovely evening, but the next day we had to take things a little easier than we’d hoped seeing as we only managed to get back home at 5am! Oops…

The next day we explored the more commercial side of the city, with Kevin once again showing me more of Oviedo’s sights and scenes, including an unsuspecting gofre (waffle) stand where we got the most amazing freshly cooked waffles loaded with cream, dulce de leche, Nutella, and syrups of every flavour under the sun. We then sat in the pretty little park and I did my very best to shovel mine into my face without dropping the toppings all over my white shorts – amazingly I succeeded!

The hut above sells the best waffles in the whole of Spain – I swear.

That evening, instead of heading straight home, Kevin took me towards the train station and we began to climb the side of what seemed like quite a pointlessly steep hill. I was wondering why we were headed up there until I got to the top and caught a glimpse of the city behind me – it was quite breathtaking. A little further up we also stumbled upon a church, which although seemingly abandoned had the telltale sign of a recent wedding – a pool of rice on the floor outside the door. Strange.

The two following days were spent in Gijón and up in the Asturian lakes, which were so beautiful and full of adventure that I’ve decided to dedicate two upcoming blog posts to them rather than try to squeeze them all into one. After those though came my final evening in Oviedo, when me and Kevin went to grab some pizza and then walk home, but Kevin took the time to show me one last thing before I left – a Roman church which is apparently the oldest standing building in the entire city.

My time spent in Asturias and Oviedo was absolutely phenomenal, both thanks to Kevin’s impeccable hospitality and the gorgeous places that we visited during my time there. The people of Asturias are some of the loveliest I’ve ever met, and the weather although a tad wet allows for rolling hills of lush greenery which other parts of the country miss out on. It reminded me of being back home here in England, but with a definite Spanish charm and a tonne of amazing food, the quality of which I’m not sure Burnley will ever be able to match.

Stay tuned for further photos and news from my trips including Gijón and the lakes!

Leaving Leeds on Film

03.07.17 — Leeds

So in case you guys hadn’t figured it out by the passing of my final year degree show, my time at the University of Leeds has finally come to a close after I began four short years ago. Not to get all sentimental, but I’ve been scrolling back through my blog posts and one of the largest from first year (which can be found here) has reminded me about all the crazy things which have gone on since I left home.

There’s been the various trips to different parts of Europe and even a hop across the big pond to visit New York with the university. There’s been countless hours of university work to build up my portfolio, and plenty more hours spent chilling out with some of the best people I’ve ever met! There’s even been my year in industry where I was lucky enough to work with the fab team at Erretres over in sunny Madrid – it’s been a wild ride.

But back to business, I just got back a batch of photos from my film camera, and most of them document the launch of the degree show – our last official university even before the big graduation day. Talking about graduation, today I received my final grade, and I’m over the moon to have been awarded a first-class honours degree – now it’s just a case of finding a nice shirt to wear when I go up and shake hands with my certificate!

I also have a couple of photos from when my parents came to see the degree show and I took my dad out for some Father’s Day lunch – detailed in this blog post.

So the next time you’ll hear I’ve been in Leeds will most probably be for my graduation on the 20th July – I’ll be sure to bring plenty of photos – I’m trusting my dad with my camera for the day so we’ll see what he manages to capture!

All that’s left to say I guess is thank you Leeds and everyone I’ve met along the way – it’s been great. Onwards to new adventures!