Santander

The Cantabria Region from the train

Santander is located in the green region of Cantabria. Thanks to its beaches it is a very popular destination for vacationers looking for some sun at more reasonable prices than the usually more expensive beaches on the south of Spain or the Spanish islands. I got to Santander around noon on Monday after taking an almost 3 hour train from Bilbao. The FEVE train (or el lechero as I would like to call it) stopped in every single town between the 2 cities; however the landscape along the journey was well worth taking it. In addition the train ride allowed me to make a lot of progress my reading of “The Testament of Gideon Mack”; the book that accompanied me during this trip. After finding a hostel for the 2 nights I was staying in Santander I headed out to the streets, stopping first to grab a sandwich and a coffee, and continued then to the beach and the “Casco Viej” (old town).

Santander City Hall - Bay of Santander

Santander Cathedral

I had planned to take a boat trip around the Bay of Santander on Tuesday afternoon but I woke up to a very cloudy, foggy and rainy day. I was hoping it would clear up so I could get on the boat but no luck with that. I started thinking then about what I could do instead; trying to come up with a plan B. Since I had already seen the Old part of town and the cathedral the day before and there were no signs of the day clearing up so that I could take the boat ride I decided then to go to the train station and take a train to a nearby town. I took a 45 minute train to Torrelavega; the name sounded catchy and the price was right. Torrelavega is a small town with not much really going on. It had a small city center, a cathedral which was undergoing renovation and a town square right in front of the city hall. I arrived during siesta time so the shops were closed and the streets were pretty much empty. It took me about an hour and change to walk around town and have something to eat while sitting down at a bench in the town square.

Torrelavega City Hall - Torrelavega City Center

I headed back to Santander in the late afternoon for a last walk along the beach and along its city center. Just like most cities in Spain people start hitting the streets of Santander sometime around 6 o’clok. And somewhere between 8 and 9 o’clock the streets are totally packed. I found the people in Santander to be very laid back and relaxed. The city gave me the sensation that people are in no hurry, that they do not really stress over anything and that they take things easy. Some traits I’m really hoping are very contagious. That night I was pretty tired from walking all day long so I sat down for about an hour on a bench on one of its main boulevards to rest and observe the people. I was so comfortable that I had a hard time getting up and going to the hostel. I tried to go early to bed that night as I had to wake up early the following day for a long trip to Gijon and a long day which was going to end in Oviedo.