Altamira Santillana del Mar

Twas a rough old night as we free camped (including a wonderful fish barbecue) on Oyambre beach, and it soon became apparent that our surf boards were non too happy perched a-top the van roof; this to the extent that they attempted to become detached at around 5am ...

A very pretty (cobbled alleyways, olde worlde stylee, cows in a field with not only udders, but also tuneful bells which, when youºve got a dozen, made quite a din a la Mike Oldfield) little town, unlike the campsite which was essentially a sodden piece of grass, for which we were charged Euro 22, for the pleasure of a night's shut-eye.

Leaving San Sebastian behind we drove to Santander to spend the night. With nothing more then the car, no place to stay and no plan. As luck turns out we found a cheap Pension to stay at, and ate in their quaint little restaurant, treated to warm hospitality, good food, and free Grappa and Lemonchelo

... an old lady eating a breakfast of only toast and olive oil, as is commonly done in Spain. This brought back memories of "Spain: On the road again", and the incredibly lovely Spanish actress Claudia Bassols. One of her co-hosts asked her why she eats toast with olive oil, and she explained that she loves it, and eats it almost every day for breakfast. He almost laughed at her, which I never understood - perhaps that's how she maintains such lovely ...

... The mediocre melon gelato I got from Heladeria Italiana didn't help either, as it was a little too creamy, and not as light and refreshing as I had hoped.

Santander ... I originally thought it would be a little tacky, given that it's quite a famous tourist destination, at least for the Spanish and Europeans. Like La Coruna, Leon, and Burgos, I did have a bit of a reason for coming here (in addition to beautiful Spanish senoritas ...

... I'll enjoy staying here because Julia makes you feel like right at home. When she asked why I spoke Spanish, I responded with my usual "Because I have the beautiful dream of one day marrying a Spanish girl." She smiled, laughed, and reached up and touched me on the face, with an expression that said "Oh! You're such a smart boy, you know that the Spanish senoritas are the best!"

El Sardinero is absolutely beautiful, but given that it's ...

... as I've just heard that United have replaced the
world's best player with a combination of Michael Owen and a fella
from Wigan (well Equador really, but via Wigan), rollout the hoses
that's what I say.




Notes:
Trans port:
Train Leeds to Plymouth direct (£26
each)
Ferry Cabin to Santander Brittany
Ferries (£189)
Accommodation:

Silken Coliseum (65 Euros per night
for 4 *)








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... I loved this human scale city. No building is higher than the church spires, and so many streets are closed to cars. The locals make the most of this and wander around late into the evening. It feels a very safe city. The city sits right on three beautiful beaches and the back drop are hills and mountains. I think it would e a very nice place to live. The food is also great with the basque equivalent to tapas lined artistically up along bars.

Not going to Germany like I have purchased tickets for. I would have had to leave at 12:30, and there is no way I could have put myself through that. Im whiped. Plus there is no place for me to stay, and the girls I would go with have differnt places to go and no plans of anything to do/see. Not to mention the 100 euro train ticket! No thank you! Chilling with my friends tomorrow. We will eat pizza and watch Ditry dancing. Relaxing is nice!

... and Jim stepped in some dog poop so washed his shoe off in an ancient horse trough. We climbed to the top of the village and looked down upon Santillana Del Mar, which was very picturesque with horses grazing in the fields and the sun setting on the red tile rooftops. We had a great dinner for 15 Euros each, which included a bottle of wine. Met a couple from Taunton, England who we chatted with for awhile.....and it was midnight before we got to bed!