Costa Verde
Trip Start
May 03, 2009
1
13
18
Trip End
Jun 28, 2009
Pechon, Cantabria, Spain and Canary Islands
Friday, June 5, 2009
The rain or at least, cloud, stays with us for the whole week which means few chances at even seeing the mountains let along walking in them. A few other things go wrong too. I leave my computer in the first place we stay in Cudillero, a fishing village not far from the airport. Fortunately the owner is very trustworthy and holds it for me. But its meant a wasted day for Terry and I driving back to pick it up.
We choose a reasonable day to drive 2 hours to Bilbao
Reunion at Aviles Airport
. Arriving in the city we get so badly stuck in a traffic jam in the city, that I have time to leap out of the car and visit the tourist 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 the windows keep in very dark. One morning we all sleep in until after 9.
We venture to the next village and explore a medieval church and castle which was part of the Atlantic Pilgrims Route to Santiago de la Compostela. We pass a number along the road still walking. They all have wooden sticks, backpacks and look exhausted. I think this route would be a lot more interesting then the one that goes inland which seems to be more open and relentlessly treeless. The road along the coast would be hillier but has lots of views of the sea and plenty of shade, even though much of it seems to be along the main highway
One day we disregard the clouds and drive along a truly pectacular road to Potes, (heaps nicer than the 'best' village in Spain, Santillana del Mar). Here we manage to get a little walk in while the rain stayed away.
After 6 nights in Pechon we drive to an Sebastian. 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.
