Last weekend I went on a road trip through Asturias. As usual, I didn’t have a particular destination in mind, so I let improvisation and a spirit of adventure guide me. This time I decided to follow the coastal route, crossing into Asturias via the Puente de Los Santos bridge in Ribadeo. Even though I usually avoid highways as much as possible, I traveled quite a few kilometers along one before finally turning onto secondary roads. I’d recently visited this coastal area, so I wanted to explore more of the inland territory this time around.
Shortly after passing Luarca, I exited the highway and began heading up into the mountains. I discovered some very picturesque places along the way, perfect for stretching my legs and enjoying short walks. At one point, Google led me down a completely impassable track, it took a fair amount of effort to get back out again (and it was pretty therapeutic to mutter a few choice words I won’t repeat here), but as a reward, I stumbled upon an old house surrounded by a spectacular landscape, perfect for a couple of photographs.
Amidst all this improvisation and discovery, I saw some distant snow-covered mountains that immediately drew me in. They were many kilometers away, but what was the hurry? So I set off towards them, winding my way through countless curves until eventually reaching the Somiedo area. I live by the coast, where it never snows, so I stood there in awe, captivated by fields blanketed in white, imposing mountain peaks in the background, and clouds softly releasing powdery snow, an extraordinary sight I’m not accustomed to witnessing.
One place that particularly impressed me was the scene captured in today’s photo: a perfectly snow-covered field that I quickly marked with my footprints. There was also a beautifully preserved palloza (traditional round house) nearby, posing for me like a professional model. The striking mountains in the background turned the whole scene into a visual masterpiece. It was undoubtedly worth all those kilometers, feeling the cold, returning home with burning ears, and even stepping into the occasional hidden mound of manure beneath the snow. It was fantastic, and I’d gladly do it all again, a thousand times over.
