Asturias. Paraíso Natural.
The Asturian tourist board's slogan reflects what people from all over Spain think of this long, thin province on the Cantabrian sea: Rolling green hills, quaint seaside and mountain villages, cider and fabada beans, and more cows and sheep than people.
It's a popular tourist destination, and though I'd just been there about a month before, I tagged along with a group of friends who had rented a casa rural for the May 1st long weekend. I wouldn't fault you for expecting a rugged country cottage when you hear the term casa rural--that what I did. But the place they lined up was anything but rugged: newly renovated house that slept 12, complete with jacuzzi, pool, outdoor terrasse and BBQ, sound systems and flat-screen TV, a big yard and a cow field right across the fench.
You'll notice the 11 people I spent the weekend with conscpicuously absent from these photos. I forgot my camera, and had to rely on someone else's photographic memories of the weekend. And the photos captured in one 4 hour stint of debauchery don't accurately represent the otherwise laidback weekend of chilling out, walks on in the country, elaborate multi-course meals, and visits to quaint seaside villages. So you'll just have to use your imagination...
