Spanish Language Immersion and Hiking in Northern Spain
Walk, speak, listen and live the language in Asturias
This special edition of Walk & Talk is designed for travelers who want to experience Spanish in the most natural way possible: through conversation, movement, music, food, landscape and shared daily life.
Based in a charming rural hotel near Oviedo, we spend the week exploring Asturias, one of northern Spain’s most beautiful and authentic regions. Each day combines relaxed Spanish conversation with moderate walks through green valleys, chestnut forests, traditional villages, coastal paths and historic pilgrimage routes.
Your guide and teacher for the week is Mary Kay Maas Ritzman, who has called Asturias home for more than twenty years. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Mary Kay first discovered the Camino while studying abroad in Oviedo, and that experience shaped her lifelong connection with Spain. Today she brings together her love of language, music, teaching and local culture to create a week that feels welcoming, personal and genuinely engaging.
Each morning begins around the breakfast table with informal Spanish conversation and simple language activities. A poem, a song, a short text or a local theme may guide the discussion, helping you ease into the rhythm of the day while building confidence in the language.
Then we lace up our hiking boots and head into the Asturian countryside. The walks are moderate and flexible, usually between five and eight miles, with plenty of time to enjoy the views, ask questions, practice Spanish and experience the slower rhythm of rural northern Spain.
Evenings bring us back to our rural base, where good food and conversation continue around the table. Over the course of the week, Spanish becomes less like something studied and more like something lived.
This is not a classroom course.
It is a week of walking, language, music, food and connection in one of Spain’s most beautiful regions.
Why this tour is special
This is Spanish immersion without pressure. You do not need to be fluent. You only need curiosity, a willingness to speak and a love of learning through experience.
The rhythm of the week is gentle and natural. You speak Spanish over breakfast, on the trail, in villages, around the dinner table and through the small daily moments that make language come alive.
