When I first heard about "les vaces" ("the cows") here in Asturias, I thought everyone was just overreacting. Cows? I see them all the time in Montana. What's so special about a cow? Boy, was I wrong!
The cows in this region don't look much different than your average cow: light brown fur, big black nose, small horns and lots of moo-ing. The males are a bit bigger than the females and have larger horns, while the females are smaller and have bigger eyes that you can't help but gaze into. But the more you stare at the cow, the cuter it gets.
At first, I was underwhelmed because I was on a bus and going up a steep and winding mountain pass that was making me super bus sick. I kept thinking: these cows have royal status here in Asturias? Why? I should have known that I had a lot more to learn about their importance to this region!
These cows live all over the mountainous area of Asturias. I've seen them in a few fields that are near the ocean, but it just depends on the farmer. During my mushroom hunting trip with some teachers, I saw numerous cows in the valleys below.
