Up here by Xosema
Via Flickr:
Puerto de Pajares - Asturias-León Quería pasar por este lugar si ou si, e a pesares dunha subida non tan atractiva dende o punto de vista de conductor, as vistas pagan a pena por si soas. Si, hai autoestrada para chegar dende Oviedo a León, pero ademáis de ben cara (por enriba dos 12 euros para coches), a paisaxe dende aquí enriba non é comparable con ter que atravesar uns cantos túneles. O pobo de Pajares (ou Payares segundo os locais) queda un chisco máis abaixo. Aquí arriba no alto hai apenas catro casas contadas, e non sei se estarei contando de máis, pois ademáis dunha especie de restaurante hotel á espera de alguén que o alugue, un bar de carretera destes que non te fiarías polo aspecto agás porque os que pasan por alí paran a comer nel e o edificio onde gardan a maquinaria para conservación da estrada... non lembro que me deixe ningún atrás. Máis arriba está a estación de esquí, tamén con hoteis á venda ou agardando aluguer e vacas paseando por aquí e acolá. Todo bastante solitario incluso a pesares do relativo tráfico que pasa por aquí. Así que un para un anaco o coche ó lado dun dos sinais que che di que estás entre Asturias e León, a 1378 metros de altura sobre o nivel do mar, ese no que apenas estivera unhas poucas horas antes, e observa eses montes e montañas ata onde as nubes deixan. No fondo, Pena Ubiña. ---------------------------- I wanted to pay a visit to this place whatever it took, and despite of a not so attractive way up from a driver's point of view, the views themselves are totally worth it. Yes, there's a highway to get from Oviedo to León, but not only it's quite expensive (over 12 euros for cars), the landscape up here has no match in going through some tunnels. The village of Pajares (or Payares according to locals) is a bit down the road. Up here on the top there are hardly four houses, and I don't know if I'm overestimating the number, since other than a kind of restaurant and hotel waiting for someone to rent it, a road bar which you wouldn't dare to go in by its looks until you see many people go and have lunch there, and the building where they keep the machinery for road works in winter... I don't think I'm forgetting anything. Even higher than this place, there's the ski resort, also with hotels for sale or rent and cows roaming here and there. Everything looks quite lonely even despite of the certain amount of traffic on this road. So you park your car by one of the signs that tells you you're between Asturias and León, some 1378 meters over sea level, where you were a few hours before, and you look at those mounts and mountains as far as clouds allow you. In the background, Pena Ubiña