Santander, the Jewel of Cantabria

Santander, the capital of the Cantabria Comunidad, has been on my radar ever since my friend, Monica, named it as her favourite city in Spain. I wasn’t going to miss a chance at visiting it now that I was so close. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a train to take me there, or at least not according to Google. I kept getting conflicting information so ended up basically giving up and getting a bus ticket instead. The main bus station in Bilbao is quite interesting too, well, once I found it. It is rather frustrating when Google is behind in its street view refreshers, a great example of which is the train station which has obviously been moved/rebuilt and is now in the lower levels of a brand new complex, a fact not immediately clear thus leaving me in a very confused state. I’m sure the guy I asked where the busses were must have thought I was really dumb. I still blame Google Maps though.

The bus ride itself was quite pleasant, the bus wasn’t terribly full, at least not until we made the one stop about half way through and a whole bunch of young people got on. I discovered later that they were most likely going to Santander and the beach. The scenery, however, was amazing. The mountains that hug the northern coastline of Spain were in glorious abundance, their jagged peaks looming over gentler green hills with the occasional farmhouse and fields way at the top of them. Yes, the fields hug the hills and sit on top of them, rather than at their base (like in Canada) making the scenery very picturesque, though I do wonder how the livestock doesn’t topple over. Or maybe my imagination is getting the better of me.

We arrived in Santander in just over an hour; it really isn’t very far from Bilbao, some 50km, but the one stop slowed us down a little. The bus station at this end was right in the centre of the city putting me right where I like to be in a new town — at the heart of it all. The first thing I did, however, was grab a coffee and a little bocadillo at a coffee shop next to the main square. Thus refueled, I began my exploration at the Plaza Porticada, a large porticoed square with many restaurants. I then made my way to the very nice Correus building, the main Post Office, happy that here in Spain many of the post offices are buildings of note. I wandered around a bit more but something kept drawing me towards the waterfront.

Perhaps it was the green space I could see beckoning, perhaps it was the children’s carousel … or, more likely, it was the book fair that drew me towards the waterfront next. To be honest, seeing the kiosks with the publishing house names above and all those lovely books on display was a bit too much for me this time. The combination of showing up in so many random towns while there was a book fair going on AND my inability to actually buy any books (remember, I travel with an already pretty full suitcase and books weigh so damn much!), I just couldn’t hold it together anymore and had a nice little emotional breakdown. Fortunately I was wearing sunglasses (thank you, Spanish weather) and the park was right there and I could find a bench to sit at and feel sorry for myself. Fortunately I’m not one for overwhelming emotions so this little hiccup didn’t last long, but I must say watching the little kids enjoying the carousel was enough to pull me out of my funk and continue enjoying the fair. Yes, I went back, and perused some more books, and no, I still didn’t buy any. I think it must be this constant restraint I practice is what broke me. But I recovered and enjoyed myself the rest of the day.

The next place I lucked into was the very modern and imposing Centro Botín, an arts centre and a museum. I say “lucked into” because I so often don’t bother planning my visits and prefer to just let my feet take me where they will (not always a good idea but I’m sticking with it) and in this case I really didn’t have to work very hard: the centre sits right on the edge of the Bay of Santander. It is a very cool building, with massive presentation halls, accessed by some of the largest elevators I’ve ever been in, and that’s saying something in Spain. The main exhibit I got to see was Picasso Ibero, a very unique combination of prehistoric artefacts and their influence on Pablo Picasso’s work. There were a few other exhibits and I tried to get as many pictures as I could, but once again the guards were not the friendliest so I had to sneak around. The things I do for my readers.

I have to admit the outside of the centre was just as fascinating as the insides, with many cantilevered walkways and lookouts, giving magnificent views of the bay and the city. I particularly like the normal-sized elevator that sang as I went up. Yes, sang! As the elevator ascended, the pitch of the singing went up. You know what this means, right? I just had to see if it also sang on the way down and yes, yes it did! It was the most fun I’ve ever had in an elevator so I went up and down once again, just to record the experience. It was brilliant! One other thing I found interesting while up there and looking down was the total lack of safety precautions/signage/barriers on the edge of the paths alongside and underneath the museum … I think Spaniards take personal responsibility to a wholly new level. On a personal dare I did walk up right to the edge and was very happy there were no people around to push me in. My head goes to weird places, what can I say.

Not sure where to go next, I decided to explore the Península de la Magdalena, a beautiful park with a palace on it. I had bought a bus pass at the bus station, in anticipation of checking out the local transit system, but I also thought I could just walk to the park, it wasn’t that far (on the map) … Boy, was I wrong. It was far, very far, but the route was beautiful. I followed the water’s edge all the way, coming across a few cool things along the way. Los Raqueros, bronze statues of kids jumping into the water were first, then the marina, Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria, Hamacas de Gamazo (a little garden-like space with lounging beds for anyone and everyone), and, finally, a couple of actual beaches I decided I should traverse, rather than going around them. Walking through the sand wasn’t fun by this point, and I did get some weird looks from a few people, but it was the most direct route so I stuck with it.

At last I made it to the gates of the park, a park that really reminded me of Vancouver’s Stanley Park, mostly in shape and the park’s purpose, if not exactly size: it’s a place for family fun, playgrounds, sports fields, picnic areas, an aquarium, and a palace. OK, Stanley Park doesn’t really have a palace and it is much bigger and more dense, but this one was awesome too. And I managed to walk all the way around it. I don’t know how I did it but I think the views were what kept me moving: they were fabulous. There is something absolutely magical about the rocky shorelines in this part of the world and I will take multiple pictures of the same spot just to immortalize yet another wave breaking over some rocks, knowing full well that the photos never have the same impact no matter how much I want them to. I caught the end of an sailing race, as well, and watched the boats being towed back to port, something I had never seen before.

It is impossible to walk around the peninsula and not see the Palacio de la Magdalena, it really is quite an imposing structure … but somehow I managed to only get a look at it from the edges of its gardens. I think I was just too tired to even inquire if a visit inside was possible. This was a royal summer residence from the early 20th century and the Spanish monarchs spent much time here until 1930. Later it became a university (la Universidad Internacional de Verano en Santander) and maintained that status in one way or another until the 1970s. It is now used as a cultural and convention space, and you can even have your wedding there. If you’d like a little virtual tour, it’s easier than booking it 😉.

One more surprise awaited me as I reached the isthmus of the peninsula again: a mini-marine museum and a sad-looking aquarium with a few seals lounging around. I am still not sure what the deal with that place was, but its location and views were magnificent and the beach very inviting. I guess it matters not what the aesthetics are, as long as the animals look happy and the visitors are sidetracked by pretty sights. Ah, the Spanish way …

Exhausted from all the walking and a bit hungry, I decided I would use my fully loaded pass and take the bus back into town. Once there I looked for a place to eat close to the bus station but the only place I found still open offered one of the most expensive roasted vegetable salads I’ve ever had but when you’re hungry and want veggies, you pay whatever they ask. The ride back to Bilbao was pretty smooth and I was happy to be sitting down again for a while. All in all, Santander was a joy to visit, I can totally see why Moni loves it so much, and I definitely want to visit again. There are still so many things to explore here I think I will need more than a day the next time around.