Cantabria
EAT Restaurante La Serna in Potes (locals spot - try the Cachopo!)
EXPLORE Castro Urdiales
Julio
We finally made it to the freeway, headed North and to our dismay, due to the long weekend it was bumper to bumper. Feeling defeated we pulled off after an hour into the Cantabrian town of Castro Urdiales. It was on the list given to me by the three amigos and since this was also a popular weekend destination for Spaniards getting into town was very slow. We decided to park and walk to beat the procession. We descended into a misty scene from what appeared as the Spanish middle ages.
Castro Urdiales is a fishing village that was also a fort for the Knights of the Templar. The town is crowned by a beautiful Gothic cathedral and fort built right on the coast. We walked along the water and ended up finding a delicious local restaurant for lunch, La Lecheria de Castro and then hopped back in the car to see if the traffic let up. It had, and we continued through Cantabria to our next destination of the national park of the mountainous Picos de Europa.
The drive was pretty extreme. Filled with tiny little switchbacks and hairpin turns it proved challenging to my dear sensitive wife who does not care for lots of motion in the car. We passed through many little charming towns until finally we ascended to our hotel, the cliffside Parador de Fuente De. The Paradores are actually state-run luxury hotels in historic buildings and castles throughout Spain. Some are super fab and luxurious, some are just kind of meh. This one had a very lodge-y and charming feel and proved to be a great stay all around. It is situated literally on a dramatic cliffside next to cows and sheep whose calming bells we could pleasantly hear from our room.
We went into the nearby town of Potes to explore and get some dinner. Taking the recommendation of a Cuban man I had met along the way we went to local eatery for some dinner. I asked the waiter what he recommended for us and he filled our orders with Fabada con Sidra and the Cachopo. As he mentioned the words Fabada con Sidra it suddenly came to me that this was one of my Father's favorite dishes. He made it for us on cold and difficult days. I was reminded of my time with the three amigos on the train from Barcelona and how the gentleman that reminded me of my father had insisted I have this dish. I began to well up and felt as if my Father had been near and communicating with me.
The food was delicious as was the cider or sidra which was served with a self pouring contraption so that it could hit the rim. Cider is life here. It is poured from high above to aerate its flavor and give it some extra effervescence. It is amazing, as is all the wine, cava and most of the beer in Spain. All these tasty libations are perhaps a third of the price that we are used to paying in the US.
christina
The Picos were a dream. The pictures don’t even remotely do this place justice but the sheer beauty of this natural wonder was awe inducing and took my breath away. We were met with nothing but goats on this beautiful hike we took and it reminded me to really slow down and connect back to the land where we were – much like when we were in Anavryti and Kastoria.
It’s been such a blessing to take this trip with time as opposed to fitting everything into a tight tourist schedule – I’m constantly reminded of how blessed we are to be able to do this and continue to earn an income while doing so – even though it’s very out of the box for people our age. High risk, high reward is where it’s at for us right now. We've definitely shifted in order for this to become a reality, and truthfully I don't know what's at the end of this road but I'm loving it and finally feeling like I'm unwinding - granted we're now 6 weeks in! It's amazing that it's taken this much time to truly relax and remember to breathe. All the stress leading up to leaving, combined with the wedding and my work schedule before that had me spinning throughout most of Greece - I was very focused on "seeing and doing" - but being out here has made me feel like "Being" again. What a gift! Being deep in nature I am reminded of who I truly am – stripped of the clothes and objects that so often define me. It’s when I feel most like my true self, my free self and the person I am here to really be. Finding this person, re-discovering her is what this trip is about and also about birthing a new identity as a couple together. It’s such a majestic experience to be here frolicking in the fields and forests with Julio and the goats – we are so alive in this magic! I think the pictures show that.
