On Saturday Juan Antonio Valladares hosted students in the Sustainable Tourism class at his ecoagrotourism farm, “La Portiella” in Caldueño, Asturias. Juan Antonio, with degrees in biology and ecology, raises native Asturian breed cattle which he markets through Foro Asturias Sostenible, a local network made up of producers and consumers of organic products for which he is President . He and his architect wife also run a small agrotourism business on the premises. During the visit we toured his property, met his family, learned about the workings of a traditional cattle raising farm, the eco agrotourism business and participated in the first steps of making sidra, the Asturian “national” drink: Picking the apples from the trees, crushing and then presssing them using traditional equipment, to finally sample the sweet juice accompanied by several tidbits Juan Antonio produces on his farm. Although the cider process continues as the sweet juice is stored in barrels and allowed to ferment for a few months, Juan Antonio let us sample some of his home bottled sidra from the previous year. Mark Mason, our in-house reporter wrote in detail about the experience in his article “Farming the Forbidden Fruit” found under the Narratives tab on this website.
The group with Juan Antonio at the FEVE Station
23 October, 2012
Posted by Oviedo visiting professor Wendy C. Walker
“The Ecotourism class is working with partners from the school of tourism here in Oviedo. See the link for an article and pictures. Some cool projects are brewing”. http://escuelaturismoasturias.wordpress.com/ (photo courtesy of Escuela Universitaria de Turismo de Asturias)
20 October, 2012
Oviedo students and visiting professor Wendy Walker joined the University of Oviedo hiking excursion this Saturday to the magnificent Picos de Europa National Park. The “Picos” receive many visitors from all over Europe who come attracted to this impressive karstic limestone formation, the largest in Atlantic Europe, that has peaks that reach over 2,000 m. and caves and chasms that are 1,000 m. deep. The weather couldn’t have been better to show off the splendid beauty of the mountains. It looks like the students had a good time! (Photo courtesy of Wendy Walker)
18 October, 2012
Students in visiting professor Wendy Walker’s class on Parks and Protected Areas of Spain volunteered at Campo San Francisco, Oviedo’s historic central park. Despite the drizzle and the hard work, it looks like they had a lot of fun too! Featured here: the work group in all their splendor. (Photo courtesy Wendy Walker)
16 October, 2012
This week Oviedo students visited the Cider Museum to find out all about this emblematic Asturian drink and learn how to pour it in the traditional way. Some had a real knack….or else they had a lot of previous practice :-). (Photos courtesy Wendy Walker)
03 October, 2012
Today, students underwent one of the Oviedo “rites of passage”, by hiking up Mt. Naranco to the El Cristo statue. On the way they visited one of Oviedo’s Preromanesque monuments, Santa Maria del Naranco. (Photo courtesy of Wendy Waker)
01 October, 2012
First official day of the academic program with ELE reception and placement exam followed by AHA orientation and a walking tour of Oviedo. Here’s the happy group posing in front of La Casa de las Lenguas.
29 September 2012
The Oviedo Fall program got off to a fine start. The group arrived to Oviedo on Wednesday by Saturday they were working side by side with other volunteers, to clean up a stretch of coast in Eastern Asturias. This activity was organized by several Spanish environmental groups(Asociación de Ciencias Abientales, Foro Asturias Sostenible y Asociacion La Hoguera de Celorio) during the European Land Stewardship Week.
It was an amazing introduction to the beautiful Asturian coast and a great start for students in visiting professor Wendy Walker’s classes (Parks and Protected Areas of Spain and Sustainable Tourism). We even made the news! http://www.lne.es/oriente/2012/09/29/oregon-limpiar-llanes/1304727.html
28 September 2012
Excursion to Eastern Asturias. The group visited the Shrine of Covadonga, set at the foot of the Picos de Europa National Park, and near the site where the first battle of the Reconquest took place almost 1,300 years ago! Afterwards they stopped for lunch in the medieval coastal town of Llanes with its magnificent Old Quarter and picturesque “Cubos de la Memoria”, work of Basque artist Agustín Ibarrola.
One of the highlights of the day, and of special interest to students in Wendy Walker’s Sustainable Tourism class, was the visit to the singular rural hotel CAEaCLAVELES located in La Pereda .(www.caeaclaveles.com). The hotel also houses owner and artist Emma Fernández’ studio. The building was designed by Longo and Roldán, two young architects based in Gíjón, who received the Asturias Architecture Award for 2012 for this project. The building has been ingeniously integrated in the natural landscape. Students were able to tour the facilities and were personally welcomed and guided by Emma Fernández herself. ¡Gracias Emma! ( Photo courtesy of Emma Fernández as posted in her Facebook page)
