Santillana to Santander

After the eating typical European breakfast buffet spread, heavy on pork products, we took off for the northern coast of Spain. First we drove to Santillana del Mar. We started off by finding the lovely parador, knowing it would be in a picturesque part of the city. We were not disappointed. This 15th- 17th century town was Margo’s favorite. It just could not have been more picturesque. Ancient cobblestone alleys, authentic buildings and not much motorized traffic on them.


The down side was we got there at our usual sightseeing time – siesta time!! Even the tourism bureau was closed from 1:30 – 4:00. The church and museum was also siesta-sized while we were there. However that did not deter us from enjoying the beauty and quaintness of the town.


We then departed and went to find the hotel that was arranged for our stay in Santander.

The Hotel Chiqui is relatively modern-looking and all of its rooms look out onto the beautiful bay and the Atlantic Ocean, with mountains in the background. The beaches are world class, but the day we arrived it was cold and windy.

The view from our window was exquisite.

We met with our host Amaya and her husband Mickey for drinks at our hotel lobby. She is a professor of environmental engineering at University of Cantanbria and he is an environmental consultant. They are very nice and make a cute couple. Amaya was the person responsible for setting up our visit to Santander. Also, she introduced us to our host, Lucio, in Bilbao.