La Bahía Santander

When I say I am going back to Spain it’s sometimes met with this response: “Don’t you want to go somewhere else?” Well, yes. Yet I am drawn back to Spain. There are 17 comunidades autónomas (similar to provinces) and each offers up its own traditions, landscape, climate, food, drink, and in some cases its own language. For me, returning is a nice combination of familiar Spanish traditions I happily anticipate (like vermut and fresh squeezed orange juice) and new customs to discover.

Each trip I pick somewhere new to visit.

On this latest trip I headed north. If you trace your way on a map from Madrid directly north, you’ll reach the city of Santander. It’s on the coast of the North Atlantic Ocean but referred to as the Cantabrian Sea. Santander is the capital of Cantabria, the first of three autonomous communities I hit on this trip.

The name may sound familiar. Indeed, Banco Santander, the largest bank in Spain, was founded by the Botin family. The city has only a small historic centre as most of the core was lost to a terrible fire in 1941. Its location is the appeal. The city is stretched out along a large sheltered bay, Bahía Santander. A long waterfront promenade feels like the heart of the city, dotted with artwork, benches, boating docks, ferry launches, a modern art gallery, and plenty of space to walk, jog or bike. It offers panoramic views across to the green hills on the other side while a skinny sandy beach juts out in the middle of the bay. Add some fishing boats and sail boats to the scene and it’s all very picturesque.

I had good fortune throughout my trip with weather in this typically rainy part of Spain (see note below about the devastating flooding in Spain). Under clear blue skies I took a ferry ride across the bay to Somo. There I landed in a surfing village. Vans with surf equipment lined the streets in front of an expansive white beach with a surf school. Large waves curled, crashed and roared. I also found myself on the Camino del Norte, a northern route that follows the coast (starting close to the border with France) before cutting inland to Santiago de Compostela. I saw pilgrims walking along the beach as I lounged on the soft sand. The entire route however is not all beach and coastal trails. I spoke with a couple pilgrims from Spain and they advised this Camino was 60-70% walking on asphalt beside a road. “No es recomendable,” they said.

What is most recommendable in Cantabria however is the rabas de calamar. Before taking the ferry back to Santander I stopped for lunch at Bar Pepe, a brightly lite bar with splashes of red. The menu only listed raciones (full plates for sharing) so I asked if they had any media raciones. The server replied “Solo las rabas.” Perfect! I had been wanting to try this popular Cantabrian tapa. It’s fried squid, the flesh cut in strips and lightly battered. The squid was tender and delicious, and being fried, a half portion was good for me. I washed it down with a caña con limon. I learned about this drink the night before as I saw the bartender mixing beer with lemon soda. Keeping an eye on what they pour at the bar is better than any drinks menu, I find. My caña con limon was perfectly refreshing after a sunny morning on the water.

While the waterfront is a key feature of Santander the city has another peculiar feature. One that is not so aesthetically pleasing but quite practical: moving walkways. When I was a kid, I could only dream of such an invention making the trek to school with my friend. What if the sidewalk would simply take us to school? Well, in Santander you can hop on a mechanical ramp if you want to avoid the uphill climb. The streets get steep as you head inland. How handy.

In Santander I ‘walked’ up those ramps several times to get to my lodging, a room in an apartment hosted by Maria Rosa. She was terrific and gave me plenty of suggestions for what to do in Santander. She was originally from Asturias (the autonomous community to the west of Cantabria) so I asked her about the differences between the two regions. “En verdad, no mucho,” she said. Though she noted the mountains were higher and coastline more rugged in Asturias. I will visit Picos de Europa, a national park that straddles both regions, the following week. If not for the signs welcoming you to one or the other I would not have noticed border crossings. There are many commonalities between these two small verdant northern provinces. But I am getting ahead of myself, there’s more of Cantabria to see first.

Note: The tragic flooding in the Communidad Valenciana and other areas to the south east occurred later in this trip while I was in Spain. The damage is horrific and recovery efforts still ongoing. If you are looking for ways to help, here are links where you can donate: Spanish Red Cross and World Central Kitchen.