Rural L'Alceu Ribadesella

.....or "The Christians Get Nasty Back!" We've driven out from Bilbao about 3 hrs. We drove mostly down the coast--lots like highway 1 down the California coast. Some very beautiful sights....after getting used to driving a car the size of a large anchovy can and the stick shift (which I haven't driven in over twenty years, I'm sure!) I was able to allow the sights to sink it. A few missed turns--thank ...

... 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.....

... the mountains following the river Cares. Although it is only possible to see the river occasional due to it being too far below the path it is possible to hear it. The walk is about 24 kilometers there and back. Approx 16 miles. We have never been on such a spectacular walk. The path clings to the cliff face hundreds of meters above the gorge and burrows through solid rock. It is very difficult to describe adequately.

Tomorrow 2 10 09 we move on.

... We rolled into San Sebastian around 10 to find the office closed!! Fortunately, they had only stepped away for a break and after setting up we sat by the camper and enjoyed some rose and regular port. 

         

... information place. I discover to everyone's disappointment that we had chosen to visit on the one day of the week that the Guggenheim is not open. Bilbao is still worth a look and the outside of the Guggenheim is at least impressive.

Our house in Pechon for the next 6 days has a view of the red tiled roofs of the village and the sea and we watch cloud sail across the sea. Its absolutely silent in the village at night and shutters on ...

... warm.  But we headed down the street to a pharmacy for Kevin but I stopped off for an extra battery for the camera (probably a good idea, even if I didn't forget the other in the car).  Kevin was able to find benedryl, but nothing non-drowsy.  Hopefully he'll (and therefore I'll) sleep better tonight.  We ended our trip to Bilbao by having lunch in the food court of the mall we parked our car under.  It had four food choices: McDonald's, Burger King, A sandwich place ...

... course was a mixed green salad with breast of duck sprinkled in, which I found to be the best duck I had in a long time. Prepared just the way I like it. For the main course, I asked for ternera (beef) that was covered in a creamy blue cheese sauce that borderlined the taste of a Gorgonzola. If you know me, I am semi-obsessed with eating steak with Gorgonzola cheese crumbles. Although my portion was about the size of a happy meal, it was still marvelous. For desert, we got ...

... On one side is a promenade along the riverbank with signs describing the local history, from Stone Age to modern times, followed by signs with all the local mythical creatures. Both were bilingual, Castilian Spanish and the local language, Bable, yet another version of Spanish. On the other side of the river is a lovely beach, with a seafront promenade backed by grand residences. Again there were signs indicating the ...

... mal sehr gespannt, ob mir die Verschriftlichung von allem dann auch so flux von der Hand geht. Also jetzt aber zur Skiausfahrt: Die Uni hatte wieder eine Ausfahrt angeboten, um Skikenntnisse zu erwerben, bzw. für Könner. Ich fühlte mich da irgendwo zwischen, naja zwar waren wir früher mal mit der Schule auf einer Skiausfahrt, aber davon hatte ich jetzt nicht den Eindruck, dass viel hängengeblieben war. Auch von den Skitouren hatte ich mich nicht hundertprozentig ...

I set off early after cooking up a little breakfast for myself. Early means 9am as it´s dark till 8.30am. I followed the spectacular gorge most of the way to Potes. A quick coffee and I made myself start the climb. I have to get over a pass at 1600m today. I managed to cycle most of it bar the last few km. The scenery as you´d expect was spectacular, except at the top where the way ahead was covered in mist. The rain started on my descent so it was actually ...