At the beginning of May, we spent a weekend in Cantabria, the coastal region to the East of the Basque Country – one of only three forays we have made outside the Basque Country. We stayed with some ex-colleagues of Pietro who now live in Santander, and who were happy to drive us around and show us some of the highlights. We were also lucky in that it was a spectacularly hot and sunny weekend (a rare event in this year’s washout spring!)
We didn’t spend much time in Santander itself, but it is a handsome port city, with acres of beautiful beach, and lovely views from the hill above the city:
Immediately after our trip to Santander, we headed east along the coast of the Basque Country, another very beautiful stretch. First there is the coast of Bizkaia.
Heading east, you move into the province of Gipuzkoa, passing a number of similar fishing towns, many with great beaches - Lekeitio, Ondarroa, Deba, Zumaia, Getaria and Zarautuz – and many villages. And then you get to San Sebastian, which I’ve also written about previously.
The castle dates from the 9th century, and the ruins of that original building were immediately outside our bedroom window: