A Postcard from Asturias - Picos de Europa

Oh Picos de Europa...I could wax lyrical for days about our time in the mountains of Asturias. From our incredible Air B&B - perfectly matching its description as 'a cottage in the wilderness' - to the amazing hikes we went on, there wasn't a moment I didn't love.

But let's break it down, starting with this Air B&B cottage. The owner, James, has basically achieved my aforementioned dream by converting dilapedated farm buildings into beautiful cottages surrounded by kitchen gardens, with ducks and chickens roaming free. The whole place was nestled within the Picos de Europa, accessible only by a road made by James himself. It was the most perfect, relaxing little hub to come home to after a day of exploring, and ideal for an animal-obsessed two-year-old. (She referred to the property as "the chicken house", and was absolutely thrilled when James gave her the responisibility of feeding the chicks. By the end of our stay, they would run cheeping towards her the moment they saw her...overfed might describe them by the time we left.)

When we weren't chasing chickens or checking out the compost toilet (regrettably without ever really trying it), we headed out into the Picos de Europa National Park. This was the only part of Asturias that we saw that was genuinely pretty crowded. We wanted, for example, to take the Funicular de Bulnes (Julia had begged to go on the "baby train" all damn day), but cars were parked halfway up the mountain, and we had absolutely no inclination to carry a toddler and a baby down and then back up, so we drove to the nearby Mirador del Naranju instead. It was just as beautiful (compared to the photos of the Funicular we saw in guidebooks) and almost completely free of people. We found a little mountain path that brought us to a platform with the most incredible views of eagles flying over the mountains, and it was the kind of moment that made even the most train-focused among us forget that this was actually Plan B.

One of the busier places we did visit, though, and that I would highly recommend, was the Lagos de Covodonga. It's like a whole other world up there, with its free-roaming cows and beautiful lakes, surrounded by the jagged peaks of the surrounding mountain range. There are loads of different hikes you can do from there, but the short round route was enough for us. Have you ever been hiking with a two-year-old? If you haven't, suffice to say that any hike takes twice as long at least because of the need to climb onto every bench, jump off of every step, and moo at every single cow. It's adorable until they pee themselves and you realise you haven't got any spare clothes.

...see? I could go on and on and on about this place. But I'll stop, because words really can't do it justice anyway. All I'll say from here is: if you go to Cangas de Onís for a meal, don't order a full menu. Unless you're Homer Simpson in his muumuu days, in which case, go crazy! But seriously. So. Much. Food. And it's all just so good. All of it.