Day 87: Cangas de Onis, Spain

We had a slow start today since we were all jet lagged or exhausted from driving yesterday. We got to our next hotel in Cangas de Onis by 1pm, quickly checked in and discussed our local sightseeing options. We collectively agreed that the 1.5-2 hour drive to Cares Gorge (which is part of the Picos de Europa, "Peaks of Europe") was not too taxing, so off we went.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picos_de_Europa

After the first 10 minutes of driving the road is carved out of the side of a cliff and winds at slow speeds, which was not exactly welcomed news to those in the car that get car sick. But on we went anyway, and we certainly weren't disappointed. As soon as we got to the end of the road (Cain), we stopped at a small cafe and got some grub then set out on our hike into the gorge.


(A quick roadside break)


(Mountain goat we saw along the road)


(As we kept driving higher into the clouds we had this view. In the valley there is a town, and through a separation in the clouds you can see the snow capped peaks of the mountains.)


(Our first view of the gorge we are about to enter called "Cares Gorge".)


(The path is cut into the side of the cliff face. At points along the path we could view this cool aquaduct of smooth running clear water. We aren't sure what the point of the aquaduct is. Ilana, Siena, and Dave are in the middle of the photo.)


(One of the bridges that spans the gorge. The bridge is built about 100 meters from the gorge bottom. It's hard to make out but Siena, Ilana, and Dave are on the bridge in this picture.)


(Dave climbs up high on a rock that hangs over the gorge.)


(Ilana in front of part of the path that was drilled through the cliff face.)


(Ilana and Siena in the background. This section of the path is a series of tunnels drilled through the cliff.)

When we got back to the hotel we took a rest, walked around the hotel grounds a little, then went to the closest town for dinner where the main attraction is the roman bridge that dates from the medieval period (although the bridge has been renovated extensively since the original construction).


(Bulls grazing near our hotel)


(Ilana finally got a close inspection of the all the wild hydrangeas we've been passing on our drives.)


(The Roman bridge)


(Siena took this very cool picture of the four of us on the very top part of the bridge.)

And here are two videos I took while we were hiking in Cares Gorge. Hopefully you can get some idea of what the scenery was like. I'm so glad that we drove all the way there, it was truly an amazing sight to see.




FJ