The days are only getting colder and if anyone knows how to heat things up it's the Spanish. Even better yet are those Spaniards who survive cold and drizzly winters in the rainy region of Asturias. For those who decide to tackle the difficulties of winter travel in northern Spain, I have put together some soul-warming suggestions that may help you through some of those chilly moments.

One of the best ways to heat up during Asturian winters is to start at the core: the stomach. Asturias is well-known for its array of hearty and flavorful dishes that take your mind off the gray skies. A steaming bowl of fabada, warm and creamy arroz con leche, or a nice bottle of vino tinto just might help bring you out of the freezing winter travel funk.

For Asturians, fabada is a winter staple. You can't go anywhere without finding it as part of the menú del día. To say that Asturians love this dish is an understatement. During my stay in the region, people were always eager to know what I thought of it. After I got over the mysterious chunks of meat floating in my bowl, I discovered that it was actually pretty tasty.

What exactly is fabada? Fabada comes from the Asturian word fabes, or beans. The dish is a type of bean soup, slow-cooked with different cuts of ham, chorizo, and a blood sausage called morcilla. The whole thing is seasoned with saffron and sometimes supplemented with onions and other vegetables. Almost everyone makes it just a little bit different.

After you have fueled up with fabada, the perfect Asturian way to finish the meal is with a bowl of the region's most popular dessert, arroz con leche (rice pudding). Many local restaurants make their own, but there are some that serve a pre-fabricated version that is simply not quite as yummy, so be sure to ask if their pudding is casera (home cooked). With all this sugar to keep your blood pumping you'll be sure to stay warm on even the coldest and rainiest day.

Now, what should you wash all this down with? Sidra is suitable for even the most numbing day in Asturias, and Asturians even make a hot cider to warm the soul, but a nice glass of vino tinto can be just as effective in getting rid of the wintertime chill. At restaurants, you can always ask for a waiter to recommend a tasty selection. However, if you are like me, a big wine fan with a little budget, you may opt to head to the nearest supermercado or alimentación to see what they have to offer.

You can easily get a decent bottle of wine in most places in Spain for around 3 euros (a nice surprise after shelling out at least $10 in the States). However, the trick is knowing exactly what to look for so as not to end up with a tooth-staining, mouth-puckering disaster.

Before going to Spain, I knew nothing about wine beyond the simple bottle-wine-better-than-box-wine mantra. While I think this rule holds true everywhere you go, here are a few more tips I picked up that aid in navigating wine shelves across Spain.

• Rule #1: Look for the Denominación de Origen (D.O.) or Denominación de Origen Calificada (D.O.C.) certification labels. D.O. means simply that the wine comes from a regulated region of Spain and assures quality content. The D.O.C. label means that the wine is certified and of especially high quality. This label is given almost exclusively to wines made in the Rioja region.

• Rule #2: Know your wine terms... in Spanish. The wine types range from low to high quality in this order: vino de mesa (table wine), vino joven (young), crianza, reserva and gran reserva. Wine colors are as follows: tinto (red), rosado (rose), clarete (light red), blanco (white) and cava (sparkling wine or champagne).

• Rule #3: Steer clear of box wines such as Don Simon unless you're planning to mix it with something, i.e. you're making sangría, kalimocho (wine and coke) or a tinto de verano (wine and soda water).

• Rule #4: Experiment! The only way to find a wine that suits your tastes is to do a little of your own research and variety of taste tests, though not necessarily in the same night.

Sitting around restaurants can be entertaining, but just because it's winter does not mean that you have to return to a cooped-up hostel after the above tasty meal. How else can you heat up a chilly Asturian night? Head to Oviedo's Tintorería Cubana (c/ Altamira, 8) or Gijón's Cubanísimo-El Templo de la Salsa (c/ Rodríguez Sampedro, 35) for some spicy salsa dancing that will have you sweating in no time.

If the night scene is not your thing and you're looking for somewhere warm to spend the day, head to Gijón for the Gijón International Film Festival. Films created by young, aspiring directors from across the globe will be showing from November 21-29 at Gijón's Teatro Jovellanos. More information and a full listing of the films on the festival's program can be found at www.gijonfilmfestival.com.

If things still are not hot enough for you, turn to Spanish television and catch Operación Truinfo fever. Spanish people all over are going crazy about this I-wanna-be-a-pop-star reality show ever since it started in the fall of 2001. Now, with the show's new season underway, people are once again going crazy for their favorite competitor, and it's hard to travel anywhere without getting fever blisters.

No matter which way you choose to do it, there are plenty of ways to challenge the cold and come out on top, while doing it all Asturian style.

Questions?
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