To think about the Pista Finlandesa makes me want to cry. I had a really rough time during my almost three month long stay in Oviedo (that ended in Spain rejecting my visa application and having to leave the country in a week) and the Pista Finlandesa always brought me comfort. It's a beautiful mountain road that circles part of Naranco Mt, with breathtaking views of Oviedo and even the surrounding mountains on clear days. There's always people walking around at all hours (even on Christmas Eve at 11 PM! Even after the lights were turned off! Because of course I went up by myself on Christmas Eve at 11 PM and suddenly found myself in the darkness) but there's this sense of quiet that really gets to you. In the good way. The pista finlandesa actually ends near the bus stop, but you can keep going (minding the occasional cars though) through the narrow paths until the pavement ends and the soil is too mushy to keep on walking. I know Oviedo has a lot of pretty sights, with their old buildings and everything, but I found that there's no place like Naranco Mountain. This is going to sound lame and sappy, but it really made my day better to walk around this area and appreciate the beauty of it all. And I had a lot of bad days in Oviedo. I may look back with bitterness towards my mother's country rejecting me, but I will always love this little mountain road that kept my mind and body busy when there was nothing left for me there. read more

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