We spent last week exploring Northern Spain from the very chic and beautiful San Sebastián to Vigo and we loved our journey. We found the people open and warm and willing to take a minute to listen and help you. We found the area industrious from the small fishing crews to the farmers to the shopkeepers. Most with a ready smile on their face. We loved the mid sized cities with amazing museums and architecture and restaurants. And we found many of the small villages to have the same….amazing food, historic & beautiful architecture and proud & accomplished restaurateurs.

For our journey in our fiat we loved the fact that we could take small roads through villages & along coast and then switch to the major roads and toll roads when we wanted to make better time.

As there are few major cities in northern Spain, I think it seldom finds its way on to travel itineraries …..one of the best reasons to add it to your travel plans.

As we recuperated from our first Camino hike we love the rugged authentic north coast of Spain.

We love northern Spain. The coastline is spectacular ranging from stunning cliffs to sandy beaches. Seafood amazing. And variety from large metropolitan areas to tiny towns. Oviedo -large city beautiful architecture. OGrove – tiny island town with fun biking, excellent beachcombing, and the cutest church completely covered in scallop shells. And easy driving in our little Fiat.

Okay – I combine photos from 3 places when I have WIFI – very confusing for you.

Let me see ifI can catch up

San Vicente- sea bass dinner – and the view of the cove. That sea bass was swimming in the waters of the cove earlier that day – delicioso and our dinner view was of the cove which is the quintessential small Spanish fishing village. Earlier that day at the nearby beach we watched a kid’s surfing competition.

The photos of the funky & spectacular architecture is a Gaudi home located in Las Comillas-another small coastal town. This home designed by Gaudi is one of a handful located outside of Barcelona. The tiles are all unique and hand painted – tho similar – each is unique. The support members make for an interesting room. And the stained glass really fun. Take a close look – in one a crow is playing the piano 😳 and in the other a bee – one of Gaudi’s favs is also destined to be musical.

The really rocky shore photos are of Llanes – a fav town

…I think My blog limits words….😁

….so back to Santander. Ok the beaches are great and the city is pretty good too. We stayed in a neighborhood close to Old Town. What we love about Most Spanish towns are the vibrant city centers. Starting around 6:00 the townspeople- of all ages come out – for a beverage, to stroll, to talk, or to play. We see a bazillion dogs. And most wear their best clothes. Groups will talk – for 60-120 minutes – then head home. That is the purpose of one of my photos to show this vibrant aspect of Spanish culture.

The photo with the escalator…crazy & amazing. This escalator is next to the street and is the neighborhood way back from old town. There was a series of about 6 of these to our neighborhood at the top. Pretty sweet.

The last photo is from a vantage point tower in our neighborhood with sweeping views. Santander is on a peninsula so we had views of the bay & port in 1 direction and the open sea in the other direction. Children playing soccer/futbol were below us.

Our hotel is historic with Spanish guests – a good glimpse into everyday life.

After the recuperation started in San Sebastián – and we ate our way through the town, hiked the great parks, trails, scenic vistas and strolled the beaches…. we knew that we had to either move to San Sebastián or move on. Hmmmm after careful consideration….we are moving on to Bilbao & Santander.

It is Thursday & the Guggenheim is closed ….yes big ooops😎

The photos of the titanium in the sunshine turned out well.

We are renting a car and exploring the coast.

You will see photos of :

Coast along the way

Random & interesting sculpture and

Santander. Major port city with spectacular beaches, lovely light house. Botin is an architecturally interesting art museum located on the water. Captivating exhibits of both new & traditional masterpieces. Beach – long expanses of exceptionally clean sandy beaches with gentle surf. One end of the beach is marked by the lighthouse which