Teal Sky

Spain's Northern Coast

The Tour de Basque welcomed back to Spain as we pulled off the side of the road to watch them go by. It was rainy but we were expecting a bit of that along the Atlantic in the winter. The pay-off is incredibly green breathtakingly beautiful scenery. Our first night was in Santillana, another wonderfully medieval pedestrian village loaded with charm and character. We had a great night in the Casa del Organista with a delightful room and view in this boutique hotel. We made our way the next day to the Altamira Cave Center reconstruction, which was very interesting and well worth the visit, although not the same as seeing the real caves in France. We worked our way along the coast in a very pleasant day trip, seeing some early works of Gaudi, in his hometown of Comillis."_blank">Gaudí: EL CAPRICHO

We spent the rest of the week in the Picos de Europa National Park. Spectacular scenery. First we treated ourselves to a bed and breakfast with our breakfasts and dinners taken there. We took day trips at that end of the park including a day of hiking that was along one of the most popular trails in Spain. We traveled around the park to the south and spent another few days deep in the interior on the east side. Very different scenery but just as imposing. The weather was pleasant enough for hiking and experiencing the park. We then made our way east through the Rioja Wine Region to our next apartment in Lakuntza.

Lakuntza is close to Bilbao and Pamplona as well as an easy drive to San Sebastian, Rioja, and many hiking trails. It was a good location for the week but we did not have the best of weather. Plus we were a bit tired of traveling and had lost a bit of the luster. The apartment was akin to being in an IKEA showroom - really comfortably done up. We did however have good day trips to each of the above-mentioned areas - following a bit in Hemingway's footsteps. We left a copy of "The Sun Also Rises" for the next English speaking visitors to enjoy.

Our final week had us on the road again to a variety of places including several days in Zaragoza. They were preparing for the World's Fair that coming summer so we saw the construction area and several of the pavilions. Exciting. A good town with lots of energy - good restaurants - and a huge plaza, which it turns out, is over a parking garage. A young man befriended us who was recently there from the USA and wanting to share his experiences.

Another highlight of the final week was the Monistario de Piedra, where chocolate was brought from the Americas and cultivated here. But what made the day enjoyable were the extensive "natural" gardens the monks created. We were not expecting to spend the entire day there but enjoyed the different water features. It was a prefect tranquil day and we were in the right place to appreciate it. We touched down in so many villages in this route that it is hard to differentiate but we were left with a good solid feeling of the Spanish people, culture and of course, the incredible food. We will look forward to our return!

Highlight Trip Photo

Spain's Northern coast on the Atlantic Ocean was an incredible surprise. This view of the coast just East of San Vicente de la Barquera shows the green landscape set off the blue waters of the Northern Atlantic.

Schedule

Itinerary Highlights.

Fun things to do.

Happy Travels,

Pam and Henry