The Hike to Cristo

My chance to return to the mountain came quicker than I thought it would. A friend of the group, Sam, who studied in Oviedo last semester, offered to take the UMass crew tothe very top.  There, stands a giant statue of Jesus Christ. Every day on my walk to school, I see the small figure looking down at me. So, when I learned about the excursion, I jumped at the opportunity.

We all met in front of the university early Saturday morning. Sam, a small blond haired girl from Ireland, led us up the same pathway Taylor took us on a few days earlier. The sun shown again and I found myself in only a t-shirt after a few minutes. What a perfect day for a hike, I thought.

Within an hour we traveled past all I saw on my first journey into the mountains. We encountered some of the Romanesque churches of Oviedo,and stopped for mini photo shoots.  Santa María del Naranco (the first church we saw), built in 848, is a two story building used as a royal chamber known as the “aula regia.” It is where the court of King Ramiro I held royal councils. The church features triple arched windows and stone carved columns illustrating plant motifs, which is typical of the Romanesque style.

A few minutes up from Santa María is San Miguel de Lillo. Ramiro I built the church in the 9^th century as a royal chapel. It is famous for its animal and geometric motifs. These churches are said to be two of three most interesting historic monuments in Asturias.

As we continued to climb higher, I enjoyed the view of the growing city behind us. We reached a paved road that would take us to Cristo. We walked for about another hour before the statue became visible. The last stretch before we reached the top was a steep hill. I sighed as I watched my friends climb with ease. I mentally kicked myself for not working out as I began the ascent.

Santa María del Naranco

Ten painful minutes later I stopped.

I was at the top. I made it.

I felt overwhelmed as I stared as the massive replication of Cristo. He was huge! The high altitude proved to be more than chilling, and as my hair whisked in all directions, I knew we wouldn’t be staying long. I took in the view, gave myself a quick pat on the back for all the physical activity I managed to complete, and then got a picture with Him.

We headed back down to lower ground not long after for a quick lunch. It felt good to sit down and eat after three hours of straight walking. After we replenished ourselves, we began the trip to town. The excitement from seeing Cristo slowly drained from my body and exhaustion set it. By the time Taylor and I reached home, it was close to 5 p.m. We ate lunch in silence, too tired to talk. As I laid down for a much needed nap, I couldn’t help but smile as I thought of the other great adventures that would come.

San Miguel de Lillo

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Surviving

I woke Monday morning feeling as though I contracted the flu. I hate missing classes, so I decided to go, with hope that I would feel better as the day went on. I was wrong. When I arrived home from class, I went straight to bed without lunch. A few hours later, when I still couldn’t move from bed, I knew things could only get worse.

The next morning, due to the worst stomach cramps I have ever experienced, I didn’t make it to class. This went on until Thursday morning, when my “madre” (mother) insisted that I go to the doctor. I reluctantly agreed and we headed to Quintana Street, about a half hour walk from the house.

San Salvador Cathedral

As my madre led me around the city, I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful buildings that surrounded me. We passed the San Salvador Cathedral and a small market area where vendors sold items such as socks, slippers, t-shirts, even food for reduced rates. I told myself that when I felt better I would go back.

After what seemed like hours of walking we reached the clinic on Quintana Street. My madre asked the receptionist if any doctors spoke English, and to my surprise, one did. Not long after arriving the doctor called us in. Unfortunately, his English was worse than my Spanish, so I knew if I wanted him to understand anything; I would have to speak in Spanish.

Or at least try to.

I described my symptoms (terrible cramps, fatigue, others that I’m sure you don’t want to know,) while he nodded his head, attempting to understand me. He then brought me to an examining table, and after he poked around and listened to my stomach, he told me he thought I had a gastrointestinal problem. This usually occurs from ones diet. Without getting into the dirty details, it basically meant that I needed to stick to a strict diet that consisted of mostly bread and rice. All the while I suffered through severe stomach pains during the day and into the night.

I felt determined later in the week to go out, despite the throbbing that continued to sporadically torment me. I walked up calle mon with my friends and watched as they drank beer in the plaza del sol-an open area where groups of drunken party-goers guzzle alcohol in between bar hopping. I tried to join in their banter, but it wasn’t long before my stomach began to feel worse and I headed home, disappointed that my second weekend in Oviedo turned out to be a letdown.

Thankfully, by the end of the weekend my stomach settled down, and I began to eat normal food again. This time when I went to bed on Sunday I was reluctant that I would make it to class on Monday. However, when my alarm jolted me from my slumber that following morning, I rose from bed feeling almost back to new. Gracias a Dios (thank god), I thought as I got ready and headed to class.

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