September 22-24, 2018
Santander, Spain
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Today we traveled by bus from Bilbao to Santander, Spain. Situated on the northern coast, Santander is a mere 68 miles to the west of Bilbao.
Our bus was with the ALSA bus company and it was new, spic and span clean, on time and gave us a very pleasant and enjoyable hour ride from Bilbao to Santander.
Santander is the capital of the autonomous region of Cantabria and the city has many historic government buildings.
To those who live in Santander, it is a bustling city and home to the 4th largest bank in the world! The bank is appropriately named Santander, or Banco de Santander. Its global headquarters is an impressive massive structure which encompasses 3 city blocks.
whose beautiful Mediterranean-like beaches hug the coastline and attract tourists from all across Spain. Very few Europeans outside of Spain have discovered it. They typically vacation in the south of Spain. And because it is listed in only a few guidebooks, Santander is considered one of Spain's best-kept secrets!
We arrived to blue skies and a soft sea breeze.
The Bahia Hotel was our home for 2 days. Our room had a scenic view of Santander's wide bay overlooking the Cantabrian Sea backed by the Cantabrian Mountains.
We had a busy 2 days for we saw many sights, spent time on its beautiful beaches, ate extraordinary food and saw a bit of the old Camino del Norte.
The Camino del Norte is the Northern Way that took pilgrims across the Basque country to Santiago de Compostela. Here is the symbol that people today look for in order to stay on the Camino del Norte.
This one led to the gorgeous Santander cathedral, also named the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of Santander.
This one led to the gorgeous Santander cathedral, also named the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of Santander.
It was a stunningly beautiful day as we walked to this majestic cathedral!
We walked thru this 12th century's cloister and admired the Gothic style arches.
As we were admiring the serene grounds, we were told that the cathedral was closed for sightseeing for there was to be a wedding.
As we walked down the stairs to the street, who should arrive and step out of her chauffeur-driven black Mercedes but the bride along with her father and her precious 3 little flower girls. It was a beautiful sight.
The lovely little girls with flowers in their hair and their matching dresses giggled as they tried to get the stunning wedding dress' very long train positioned properly behind the bride. The father of the bride looked appropriately proud but somewhat oblivious to the situation. The bride was ready to get the show on the road telling everyone what to do!
The lovely little girls with flowers in their hair and their matching dresses giggled as they tried to get the stunning wedding dress' very long train positioned properly behind the bride. The father of the bride looked appropriately proud but somewhat oblivious to the situation. The bride was ready to get the show on the road telling everyone what to do!
A few hours later, the area outside the church was filled with over 100 children and families of small children eagerly awaiting the featured clown to perform as part of the annual cultural events program. It was great fun!
From our hotel, we only had to walk a block to find fantastic restaurants with outdoor cafes. Our location was within walking distance of the historic section.
Santander has managed to successfully retain much of its long history, old landmarks and monuments to the past, in spite of a major city fire in 1941 that rampaged the city and burnt for 2 days leaving much of the city devastated. But Santander has rebuilt and has restored its damaged historic buildings, retaining its heritage and has even created many new ultra-modern and futuristic structures such as the Centro Botin below
Over the course of our stay, some of the sights we saw along the way included
The Town Hall
Church of the Annunciation
One of the oldest buildings in Santander is the Gothic style Cathedral Nuestra Senora de las Asuncion. Much was destroyed in the fire of 1941 but has been lovingly and carefully restored with portions rebuilt. It reopened in 1953. Traces of the Roman era were discovered here during this restoration.
The Plaza Porticada
We walked past rows of lovely high-end apartments on the water.
As we headed to the lighthouse we passed a golf course high above the beach.
You can see the green in the photo above and below.
Santander has lovely gardens
We were right near the Puertochio which was formerly the main fishing port. Today Puertochio is considered the upscale part of town and a great area for families to enjoy.
We walked the Puertochio and passed by "The Raqueros" which are sculptures of four boys ready to dive into the bay. They are to remind us of a time during the 1800's when passengers from the steamships arriving into port would throw pennies into the water and watch the local children dive to collect them.
Here's the original photo from which the sculpture drew his inspiration. Santander has managed to successfully retain much of its long history, old landmarks and monuments to the past, in spite of a major city fire in 1941 that rampaged the city and burnt for 2 days leaving much of the city devastated. But Santander has rebuilt and has restored its damaged historic buildings, retaining its heritage and has even created many new ultra-modern and futuristic structures such as the Centro Botin below
Over the course of our stay, some of the sights we saw along the way included
The Town Hall
Church of the Annunciation
One of the oldest buildings in Santander is the Gothic style Cathedral Nuestra Senora de las Asuncion. Much was destroyed in the fire of 1941 but has been lovingly and carefully restored with portions rebuilt. It reopened in 1953. Traces of the Roman era were discovered here during this restoration.
The Plaza Porticada
Lots of fun shops lining the streets with handmade intricate and elaborate items for sale.
to the Centro Botin on the beach.
We walked to the beaches and they were lined with bathers and sun worshipers as far as the eye could see.
As we headed to the lighthouse we passed a golf course high above the beach.
You can see the green in the photo above and below.
A beautiful spot to play golf!
Santander has lovely gardens
and a stunning lighthouse.
It was a beautiful day to walk out to the end.
On our way back home we passed more scenic seashore spots all sporting panoramic views.
This palace of a building is a casino. We went inside to look around and they carded us! Seems to be the law in Spain. It had an amazing interior.
We walked the Puertochio and passed by "The Raqueros" which are sculptures of four boys ready to dive into the bay. They are to remind us of a time during the 1800's when passengers from the steamships arriving into port would throw pennies into the water and watch the local children dive to collect them.
As we walked by "The Raqueros" statues
a young girl sat by the statues looking like she was one of the "Raqueros".
The Plaza Plumb
where we saw children and adults alike enjoying the two-story carousel!
and women chatting together in the late afternoon sun
As twilight fell, we watched the new and the old Santander with the Centro Botim looming overhead pointing out to sea as the fisherman below, doing what his forefathers have done for generations, searching the horizon for his dinner and casting his line out to sea.
We found Santander to be a charming city surrounded by a beautiful sea, scenic mountains, rich culture and filled with family-friendly fun.
Here's to our wonderful stay in Santander!
