This is the mid-point in this 6-month journey. We started our trip in June in Portugal, moved on to France, and now, here we are in Spain. We plan to be in Spain until December.
I will spare the details of our trip from Pau to Santander. I will simply say that some bus service is not nearly as punctual here as is their train service. Although much later than we expected, we finally arrived in Santander. We’ve done a little exploring; we found the city center, found the place to buy re-fillable bus passes, and found city buses that take us where we want to go. Passengers can pay per trip as they board the bus with cash or a credit card. The fare is 1.3 euros. With a refillable bus, however, the fare is just 46 cents. We like that!
The city promises much to be discovered. One thing we learned already in our brief time here is that, unlike France where restaurants offer lunch only from noon to 2 pm, restaurants in Santander do not begin serving lunch until 2 pm. At 4 pm restaurants close and do not open again until about 8 pm. While lunch timing is manageable for us, dinner is a bit awkward. I usually have my pj’s on by 9 pm.
On our second day here (yesterday) we walked about two miles to reach the coast at Virgen Del Mar and hiked the tall rocky bluffs overlooking the sea. There was no resort, no promenade, and only a few people there. In a purely natural state, the land at this seaside overlook is undeveloped, windy, and spectacular! We will return here often.
I know it’s redundant and indeed boring to hear that everything is so grand and beautiful, but honestly, each place is just that . . . beautiful and stunning in its own sort of way. To us, it is incredible to understand how all these glorious but unique places came into being . . . by a huge astrological explosion, earthquakes, erosion, and glaciers . . . or simply by the hand of the Creator.
Two months ago, we had never heard of a city called Santander but as we prepared to leave France we knew we wanted to stay as far north as possible to avoid more hot weather. Santander offered the best possibility.
This city is on the Bay of Biscay but the bay is so enormous that it’s difficult to perceive the sea here is not the Atlantic Ocean. Recall, that Biarritz and San Sebastian are also on this same big body of water but the three cities are very far apart. Our apartment is on the west end of the Santander and is one of the most quaint and attractive apartments we have ever rented. It has a rustic look with floors of big red Spanish tiles and wood beams on the ceiling on which the owner has hung herbs and dried flowers. It’s not my style but I like living here. Our unit has no a/c but at night, breezes come along, and temps become quite soothing.
We are going to be here for five weeks. This spot tenders lots of exploring to do, great foods to try, and lots of learning to enjoy. Maybe we will practice our Spanish a little more. We have little excuse not to.
Yet another beautiful town and I love your precious little house and definitely my style lol. Stay safe.
Judy, you said it perfectly . . . another beautiful town. How can there be so many?? But they are. And what amazes me is that nearly all are well preserved which gives us a glimpse into lives lived long ago. Lucky us!
We still like this apartment. I find myself poking around, examining all the herbs and the fascinating bric-a-brac. The kitchen is small — and the refrigerator is in the hallway closet. (?) There is a dorm-size built-in freezer in the kitchen. I think the spot originally held a dorm-size fridge — we’ve seen that before in tiny apartments in Rome. I’m guessing that when the owners upgraded to a full-size fridge, there was no place to put it except in the hallway. But given a bit of time, we learned to adjust and know if we want milk or eggs, we look in the closet. Quite often we prepare a meal working together Not here though. Still, it’s my favorite of all time.