Hotel Noray San Vicente de la Barquera

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.

... saying. We were at La Playa Franca and it was BEAUTIFUL!! I call it “where the mountains meet the sea”. I have never seen anything like that before, so it was very amazing to me. The mountains were literally going into the sea. We spent an hour taking pictures and exploring and just soaking in all of the beauty.

The rest is just said with pictures.....

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

We awoke to the sounds the ocean across the street. A stroll revealled the Picos de Europe directly behind us. We toured the lovely old city, took some naps, played in another discovered playground, and set off again around ...

... perfection! And that definitely would have been a dream come true for me, if it happened to be her sitting there eating toast and olive oil, instead of that little old lady!

Off to Santillana del Mar - when I was at the Mercado del Este earlier, I stopped at the TI and got some information on various day trips in the area. Their suggestion was Santillana del Mar, because Comillas was famous for its beach, something that wouldn't be ...

... quickly, hovering, dissipating, then coalescing once more. It was like watching a fluid Rorschack inkblot test, and proved to be very entertaining for quite some time. Think of the Gnarls Barkley video "Crazy", and you'll have a rough idea of what it was like. Interestingly, the only things I could make out in the clouds were Spanish senoritas and French pastries. Says a lot about my personality and priorities in life, don't you think?
Santander, Cantabria, Spain and Canary Islands pwong

... my kebab, because they had a special platter on their menu that consisted only of meat and french fries. How fitting for Spain!

I never understand why anybody would eat inside one of these shops because it's always like an oven, so I grabbed mine and sat on a bench along Calle Vargas. The kebab wasn't bad, though at the end of it, there was nothing left but meat, which grew a bit tiresome. As I finished up, I noticed some people walking ...

... accommodation, fewer long walks in the midday sun
looking for cheap accommodation, no more sleep-sheets to avoid
catching strange diseases from suspiciously stained beds and
unfortunately (for anyone reading this) fewer bloggable disasters and
mis-adventures. Shunning the staycationers, laughing in the face
(not literally) of Australian backpackers and trying to avoid school
trips, anywhere described as family-friendly or anywhere that large ...

... up. We were on the road by 9 and headed further west. We stopped off at Santander, which I think is the capital of Cantabria, the region we were heading through. We stopped here to stock up on food and to visit Decathlon, the store where we have bought most of our camping gear. The pump we bought to inflate our airbed had carked it after only 3 inflations. They swapped for a new one no questions, so no more ...