Covadonga and La Cueva Santisima

We arrived at our first Casa Rural, a charming rural guest house at the foot of the hill in the town of Repelao.  A note for Spanish-speaking readers of the blog:  the town's name is derived from Rey Pelayo - hence, Repelao.  We were greeted by Raquel and Raquel, mother and daughter.  Before we could even get our bags out of the car they made cafe and we sat down to visit with them and a friend, Cristina, from a house near the Basilica.  One interesting note about some of the conversation:  while we were in Cantabria we quickly learned what they thought of the Asturianos. There was a driver blocking the road and as an insult they were calling the driver "Asturiano...from Asturias"!  In other words, calling him an idiot.  Now we learned from the Raquels and Cristina that the Asturianos think the Cantabricos are two-faced (doble cara).  Not ALL Cantabrians, of course, it's just the 'fama' they have established for themselves.  Anyway, we had a great time with them, it was like being with family and all I had hoped for when I chose to stay at some Casas Rurales in order to meet the people of the different regions.

And here we are, wish we could have stayed with them longer.

A walk up the hill was the 19th century Basilica of Covadonga.

As we drove up the hill towards the Basilica there were several young men in suits walking down the hill and we wondered why they were so dressed up and where they were going.  As it turned out there was a wedding at the Basilica and these guys were headed down to get a drink at the bar, avoiding the long ceremony with a full mass. (see them above behind the car)  They showed up shortly before the ceremony ended and hung around outside of the church.  Christine and I quietly entered the Basilica and heard the boys choir singing accompanied by the organ, the sound was breathtaking.

After the ceremony, some of the boys checking out the car waiting for the couple.

The beautiful couple.

In Covadonga, Don Pelayo - the son-in-law of Roderick, the last Visigothic king - and 300 followers fought and defeated the Moors, thus starting the reconquest of Spain from Islamic rule. We decided if Pelayo really looked like his statues in Asturias then he was darn good-looking.

 Near the Basilica is the cave, Santa Cueva, where Don Pelayo, founder of the kingdom of Asturias, prayed to the Virgin Mary.  Don Pelayo's tomb is now located in the cave along with a chapel where masses are held daily. 

This is a set of crosses in the cueva, notice the Basilica in the background.  I have a picture of my mother taken in 1982 sitting at the foot of the crosses, now I have one of me and Christine.

There were bus loads of Spanish senior citizens visiting the Holy Cave.  Here is a view of the interior.  It was a beautiful experience and a very unique site to see.  You would never expect so much mystery and beauty nestled in the remote mountains of Northern Spain.