Spain Travel Asturias Exploring Llanes A Country Drive In The Mountains
On this gorgeous sunny day I had already fallen in love with one Asturian coastal
town: the scenic town of Ribadesella had truly captured my heart and made it into my personal travel memory bank as one of the most scenic ocean-mountain towns I had ever seen. Now in the mid-afternoon I had to continue eastwards towards Llanes, another picturesque coastal town on the Cantabrian Sea. I was going to stay overnight near Llanes in a small country hotel called la Posada de Babel in the village of La Pereda.Most of my drive to Llanes took me very close to the Atlantic coastline and I had to stop several times to gaze out over the sandy beaches on the ocean. After 3 pm I arrived in Llanes, a small ocean-front town of about 14,000 people that stretches out along the Green Coast of Spain. The Picos de Europa mountains almost reach down to the sea here and the town is framed by the coastal range called Sierra del Cuera.
Today Llanes is a fishing port with a long history: the remains of the towns walls date back to 1206. Of course, tourism has also become an important contributor to the local economy. I stopped at a beach area called Playa del Sabln, a small scenic crescent-shaped beach that was surrounded on the north side by a long elevated promontory that offered gorgeous views of the entire area.
I left my car parked at the beach and strolled into the town which was amazingly quiet right now because it was siesta time. Tourists in Spain have to be aware that any time between 2 and 5 pm, Spanish stores may close and activity ceases until the frenzy resumes during the cooler hours of the late afternoon. A few restaurants were open, and these were the only places where I actually saw people. The streets, for the most part, were completely empty.
The medieval streets in the old downtown of Llanes were narrow and cobble-stoned, The old town is centered around the Church of Santa Maria del Concejo and the remnants of the towns fortification wall. With its salt trade and fishing activity, the town became an important trading post between 1000 and 1500 AD, giving rise to the medieval architecture that characterizes the towns centre.
To reach my hotel for tonight, I had to conclude my walk in Llanes and keep moving. I drove westwards on the coast through beach towns like Celorio, Barro and Niembro where I came across an absolutely gorgeous little church on a small lake just inland from the ocean. I just had to stop and take a few photos and video clips of this extremely scenic location. The Church of Dolores (La Iglesia de Nuestra Seora de Dolores de Barro) is surrounded by a cemetery with a high wall and is set right above the lake. Sometimes impromptu travel presents you with the most scenic unexpected vistas.
Then I turned in from the coast to head up into the mountains. Having grown up in the Austrian Alps, I have to admit I am always a sucker for mountains and the mountains of Asturias reminded me so much of my home country. I drove inland on the AS 115 highway and turned off at Torrevega to get on a narrow mountain road behind the coastal mountains.
Cows and sheep were grazing on the green mountain slopes, and the cow bells were ringing throughout the valley. I felt like I had been transposed back to my childhood in the mountains of Austria and my heart started beating noticeable faster with fond memories.
The road became ever narrower until it pierced the coastal range and allowed for distant views down to the ocean and the coastline of Llanes. On the winding serpentine curves I made my way down the other side of the mountain and was able to locate the village of La Pereda in the now flatter terrain. I found the sign for Posada de Babel and took a narrow road and a long driveway to enter the country estate of my small family-owned hotel where I would spend the next two nights. A small white dog and a cat welcomed me as I entered the reception area of the main building.
After checking in I dropped off my suitcase in my comfortable second floor room which overlooked a large meadow and a forest with the coastal mountain range in the background. I could not have found a more idyllic and restful location than La Posada de Babel. I went downstairs into the large library where I sat down for a chat with the owners Lucas and Blanca who have been running this small hotel for almost 20 years. In the large library, guests can enjoy two fireplaces, a bar and two great sitting areas with floor to ceiling picture windows that provide a stunning view out into the countryside.
Lucas is originally from Colombia and moved to Spain many years ago. He used to work as a tour guide in Madrid while Blanca was working as a psychologist. Both of them had had enough of the urban rat race and decided they wanted to move into the country. They chose this location outside Llanes and became hotel entrepreneurs. They have two daughters, Elvira and Blanca, and the family is joined by Luna, the terrier, and Katy, the cat.
Both Lucas and Blanca are art lovers and original artwork is displayed all over the huge library and the reception area. Lucas is also a big fan of modern architecture, and in addition to the main building, which was constructed in 1992 and holds seven guest rooms, there are three other buildings. One of these is the Cube, a 7 x 7 metre cube with a modern minimalist design. Lucas also showed me the Garden Suite on the main floor of the familys house.
This contemporary private retreat holds two large beds and a sofa bed and has a direct walkout to the garden. Then there is the Hrreo, a typical Asturian grain storage building from the early 1900s that has been renovated into a two-story room with a bathroom on the main floor and a bedroom on the other. Lucas and Blanca obviously love architecture and have spent a lot of time and money on creating a truly unique environment here at the Posada de Babel.
Lucas took me on a stroll around his 3.5 acre property. He says he never gets lonely out here in the country and feels completely at peace here. In the forested area of his property he has even built an elevated wooden deck where he sometimes comes to lie down and look up at the treetops or to gaze at the stars at night. Both Lucas and Blanca radiate a profound sense of balance and peace and it seems they have found their real calling with the Posada de Babel.
But not only the spiritual side is well nourished at this idyllic country retreat; the Posada de Babel also has a fine dining restaurant that caters to the more earthly needs of the hotel guests. Lucas added that when they opened their hotel, the restaurant was open to the public. But it became so popular and resulted in such a huge workload that Lucas and Blanca decided to close down access to the public and turned the restaurant into a private facility for hotel guests only.
After working 20 hour days at the beginning of their career as hotel owners, they fine-tuned things over a number of years and finally found the right mix which allows for a great personalized guest experience and a good quality of life for the owners as well. Lucas added that he absolutely loves making a personal connection with the guests, which had already become evident in our conversations as we walked around the property.
Armed with my camera, I was ready to document the entire process with photos and video clips. Reyes, the chef, has been working at the Posada de Babel for 13 years now and has become a real member of the family. She started cooking while Lucas was explaining what was happening. My dinner was going to be locally caught merluza (hake) and Lucas explained that this fish had been caught by an angler on a hook, not by a large trawler in the ocean.
Reyes started by quickly pan-searing the fish on both sides, and then Lucas shared the secret with me: the key to making a perfect fish filet is to wrap the pan in aluminum foil and take the whole pan and put it in the oven to cook the fish through. This is the perfect way to prevent the fish from drying out. Reyes had already prepared a tasty salsa with tomatoes, garlic, onion and virgin olive oil that would serve as the bed for my delicate hake filet. Since I had requested a spicy fish, she added ginger and fried leek on top of the fish and drizzled olive tapenade on the side of my plate. Together with some fresh Asturian bread I had a delicious spicy dinner with real ingredients from the Asturian oceans and the countryside.
Well, it had been a very long and exciting day today, and I dropped into my bed absolutely exhausted. But tomorrow, on my last full day in Asturias, I would have another chance to explore the area around Llanes and get to know the coastal regions even better.
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