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| The first night of Pintxos |
The plan was to attend Spanish Language school for a week, at the beginning of our month in Spain. We decided on the city of Santander, one of the debarkation points for the car ferry from the UK. The city renowned for having one of the most pristine estuaries in all of Spain. A very hilly and vertical Santander on the bay.
We flew into the small airport in Bilboa, and spent a delightful 2 days at the swanky Hotel Melia - close to the Guggenheim Museum and overlooking the tree lined park which follows the Rio Nervion. Recovering from the flight in a deliciously comfortable bed and spending our first evening sampling Pinxtos throughout the city, we were ready for the bus ride to Santander and Spanish class. |
| Bilbao. The Nevioro River |
An hour bus ride along the coast deposited us in Santander, which on first glance was slightly dowdy and dated after the sparkling streets of Bilboa. Santander is the home of the Delta Language school and a Spanish seaside resort town. Pickle plans on meeting us here mid-week, for the vacation portion of our trip. Santander is also a vertical city. There are escalator sidewalks, due to the steep inclines. I would end up huffing and puffing my way around the city. Thanks, Mr. Beta-Blocker.
School was hard, mentally and physically, but we made great friends while there. We both learned a lot and it was a great experience. I highly recommend them. By the end of our time in Santander, with more time spent hoofing around its streets, I was in love! Gritty, vibrant and young. After all our travels in Spain, it remains high on the list of my favorites.
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| Swing foretales a great time |
Pickle arrives, H rents the smallest car he can and we three pack in with our bags for the drive to the caves of Monte Castillo and for several days stay in the medieval town of Potes located in the middle of Los Picos National Park.
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| The entry to the cave |
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| Potes |
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| Pick doesn't want to miss a dance |
The Caves of Monte Castillo were remarkable. They are some
of the oldest caves know with intact cave paintings, which are still accessible
to tourists. Still, the cave remains sealed at the entrance with temperature
and moisture monitors thru out. Soon it will be closed to the public, as the
ice age art is slowly disappearing due to the daily visits of tourist and
archeologists alike.
The small town of Potes is as “cute as fuck”, Pickle and I
agree. A twisty, turnie cobblestoned medieval hamlet, it is now the gateway get
away to the grand peaks of Los Picos. After World War II, Lebanese immigrants
were invited to relocate to the area and practice their homeland skill of sheep/goat
herding. The combo of Spanish and Lebanese makes for interesting dinner
combinations. Goat cheese abounds.
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| At the top. Los Pico's National Park |
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| San Vicente de la Barquera |
We end up back in Bilboa for the Picks flight home. She has found the swing dancers and our last
evening in town is spent sipping wine on the river that runs thru Bilboa and
watching frantic swing dancers, doing their thing. We leave her to her fun and
wander sown the tree lined pedestrian street toward home.
