Santander

After leaving Picos de Europa, we drove to the nearby city of Santander. Located near the Mar Cantábrico (which is part of the Atlantic Ocean), it offers beautiful vistas of the Sea, with great beaches. The seafood here is extremely fresh; the fisherman go out in the mornings and bring back the daily catch to be served in the restaurants. While in Cudillero (see previous post), we ate Paella. However, here in Santander, the Paella was much, much better. After the Paella, we had a second course, of which my share was Cod. I think I could eat seafood every day of my life and be just fine. Other than the beach and the seafood, we didn’t do much in Santander. We did however say goodbye to Jorge. We’ll be seeing him again, though, as he has already bought his ticket to return to Louisiana in April 2011. Now, back to Segovia for the night, and then Madrid on Sunday for the final. ¡¡¡Viva España!!!

Los Picos de Europa

After Los Lagos, we went to a different part of the same mountain range, called Picos de Europa. We were debating whether to take the train through the middle of the mountain to the pueblo near the peak or walk; we decided to walk, and I’m glad we did. Not only did we save the twenty Euros for the train ride, we were surrounded by mountains for the entire hike up. The trail leading to the top follows a river that has cut a nice valley between two peaks. The hike probably took a little more than an hour, but it was well worth it. Once we reached the top, we sat and had a couple of beers and lunch in the pueblo (named Bulnes, the residents live relatively tax-free because the government wants that the pueblo remain as it is, which is great). The hike down was easier but a bit more nerve wrecking, as the rocks can be a bit slippery (and maybe Toms aren’t the best shoes in which to go hiking).

Los Lagos de Covadonga (a.k.a. God’s House)

Los Lagos de Covadonga may be the most magical place I’ve ever been. We took a nice long drive up a mountain in the car, which offered its own beautiful views. However, once we reached the top, it was even better than I can probably describe. At the top of the mountains, there are three lakes, two of which we saw. In the surrounding fields cows lazily graze while tourists and locals wander around taking photos, trying to capture the beauty. Being an adventurous person, I went wandering and found a few little peaks to climb. I was watching out for bulls, because I didn’t want them to think that I wanted their cows; Jesus said they can be very aggressive, very territorial. I think I will remember most the sound of the cowbells ringing constantly as the cattle grazed.

¡¡¡Viva España!!! ¡¡¡Viva Puyol!!!

Wow. What a night. After Cudillero, we ventured back to Gijón to watch the Spain vs. Germany game. The German Squid Paul picked the Spanish team to win, which seems a little backward. But nevertheless, it was an amazing night. As my Facebook status said, Spanish goal + Spanish bar = crazy. It was like I was back in Tiger Stadium when LSU scored a touchdown against Florida...but not quite (because that will always be close to my heart). I really couldn't have asked for a better night.

Cudillero

Wednesday brought a new adventure: the fishing village of Cudillero. Like Segovia, the streets here are very narrow (I don't know how two cars pass at the same time, but they do...even when people are walking). It really reminded me of an older version of a town just north of San Francisco called Sausilito (Brian, thanks for taking me there on a bike ride across the Golden Gate). Located on the coast, the seafood here is extremely fresh; whatever fish they catch for the day is on the plate later in the evening.

Asturias

Tuesday we spent most of the day in the car, driving north to the region of Asturias, which is very different from the rest of Spain. The mountain chain in the North (which lies just to the South of Asturias) keeps the rain from the sea in Asturias, making everything very green. The people here really love and respect their environment, and it's clear to see why. The vistas once we entered Asturias are beautiful. We were making our way to Gijón. On the way, however, we stopped for a late lunch in Leon. I wish we would have had more time to stay here, because, like every other place we've visited, it has it's own charm which probably would required a week in and of itself to fully discover. Back in the car, we were almost to Asturias. I was looking forward to seeing Jorge, a friend who visited us in Lake Charles last year. Jorge is full of life and an extremely fun person to be around. Always happy, Jorge will make you laugh with his love of American Country Music and Lady GaGa.

Jorge is a great tour guide. He showed us Gijón, a very different city that the others that we've visited so far. It seems a bit more modern (especially more so than Segovia). After checking into our hotel and a much needed shower, we got dressed and headed out for dinner. I must say, boiled Squid is one of my favorite things I've eaten here. The texture is just chewy enough, but not too chewy. The sight of the "suction cups" (I'm sure there's a technical name, but I don't know it) was a bit off-putting at first, but I dove in and I can say that I'm glad I did; it's delicious. With our meal, we drank a bit of Sidras (alcoholic apple cider) which is the typical drink here in Asturias. It has a nice bite, but it's not too bad. Drank in "shots," it added a nice local touch to our dinner.