dajamieson Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 Been discussed a couple of times but without any firm plans being made. George was really pushing the festival in Gijon next year at the L.A. Worldcon - http://www.semananegra.org/ It's running from the 4th to the 13th of July. There's a couple of people planning to go already, anyone up for this as a get-together? Sounds like a larf (not that I can actually read Spanish:p) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zakalwe7 Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 Possibly. But need to see with holidays and all. think that me and needle will be trying to get to Dever Worldcon if we can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padraig Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 Sure, i'm interested at least...that part of Spain should be nice to visit. The event is on for quite a long though. I wonder is GRRM only going to pop in for part of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajamieson Posted May 16, 2007 Author Share Posted May 16, 2007 Dunno...guess we can ask him in Japan;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 It looks pretty cool. Although it'll really depend on finances if we can swing that and a trip to Denver a month later. (and wrangling the time off of work as well). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Iceman of the North Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 Didn't we try this one previously, but ended up going to London in stead? It would be fun going to Gijon, but the question is whether we get enough interrest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maid Sansa Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 Yeah. And we were even considering Barcelona, which is much, much better-connected. Gijon might be cool, and George will be there, but it's practically in the middle of nowhere. I'm guessing a flight to Madrid or Bilbao and then a long train ride is what it would take. So, as nice as it looks, it's not the best place for a meet. Edit: scratch that, looks like there's an Aeropuerto de Asturias 40km from Gijon, with bus connections. Slightly better, but still not ideal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niamh Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 40 km in the Asturias! You ever been there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maid Sansa Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 40 km in the Asturias! You ever been there? Nope... I gather it shows. Ah. It says it takes the bus about 45 minutes. I think I'll just imagine the coastal roads along the Adriatic for comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niamh Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 Nah I'm kidding, Asturias isn't the most backwards of the northern area by far. If it was Cantabria it'd take the bus 90 minutes to be sure. But it is mountainous. (and green and beautiful) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 The event sounds like magnificent fun. Read this. Linda and I are tenatively planning to go. Maybe figure some way to tack on an extra week in Andalusia or something, for the horsies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meli Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 i should be there by the time this happens. i'm also hoping that we can do a meet in brugge once i move Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meli Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 double post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 Ooooh. Tempting. Was thinking it may be good to combine with a visit to my mum's, until I realised it's on the wrong side of the country. Still, EasyJet fly cheaply to Asturias and it's probably not that bad getting to Gijon. Combine that with the fact that Gijon is a reasonably-sized city with tons of hostels and cheap hotels (a simple Google search brings up an avalanche of options in the city itself, not to mention the surrounding countryside). They're even building a subway there for better transportation (no info if it'll be done by next year though). I'd say this was both doable and affordable, if sensible saving is carried out beforehand*. * Erm, which I suck at. May have to hand over control of the saving for this to the better half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padraig Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 Well, the festival certainly seems to fulfill the BwB criteria... There is plenty of all-night drinking and carousing among the mystery literati and, seemingly, the entire city, which is more alive at 4 in the morning than at 4 in the afternoon during Semana Negra. GRRM has been at it before. I remember him talking about taking the "Black Train" from Madrid at the beginning of the festival, which he really enjoyed. And from reading Ran's link, sounds like its all action for the whole 10 days. So he could actually be there for the whole of it. Didn't we try this one previously, but ended up going to London in stead? We never tried this event before. We tried Barcelona but GRRM wasn't going to be in Barcelona at the time. Certainly people may not be able to make it but if it works out, smaller meetings can be a lot of fun too. Even the fact that Gijon hasn't got an airport doesn't bother me that much. So many flights these days leave you a hour or two from your actual destination, this is not much different. And its got trains! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parris Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 Gijon! Come to Gijon! It's a lovely town, great food, nice locals, and Semana Negra itself is well worth the trip. The festival is a combination of a literary conference (with participants from all over the world, multiple translations available real time at the panels) with a major carnival surrounding it. Asturias has many Celtic influences, even their own bagpipes - and bagpipe museum! Several locals pointed out the sea wall, saying the original was built by invading Romans, and they used to chain Celtic rebels to it and then everyone would take a picnic lunch to watch the prisoners drown. Very much an international event, with all sorts of interesting people on panels and in the bars. Speaking of bars and food - there's plenty of good food and drink to be had at very good prices. We fell in love with one pizza restaurant there, some of the best pizza we've ever had. I wanted to ask the owner if he had a younger son who could come over and set up shop in Santa Fe. Barcelona is so beautiful and cosmopoltian - but I think you'd have quite a good time at Semana Negra with the chance of more 'quality time' with one another and certainly would cost a lot less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 A sound recommendation. Especially the pizza. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronn Stone Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 A sound recommendation. Especially the chaining Celtic types to a wall and watching them drown part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajamieson Posted May 17, 2007 Author Share Posted May 17, 2007 even their own bagpipes - and bagpipe museum! Right, definitely not going then:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJDonegal Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 Just putting my tuppence in early... if it's anything from January - August (as Gijon is) then you can slap me on the not coming list. If it's anything in early September you can slap me on the maybe list. Anything later and it's the probably not list. 2008 is going to be a busy year for the Deej. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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