We spent a day exploring the area around San Vincente de la Barquera in Cantabria. The quaint town with just over 4000 inhabitants is located on the edge of the Cantabrian Sea. The day we were there they were having a medieval festival.
The streets leading up the hill towards the castle in the historic section of the town had rows of medieval themed shops and displays.
We walked up enjoying the different displays and the stalls selling all different types of goods.
All types of Cheese were on sale.
There were some medieval interactive displays along the way, of course Ray had to stopped to try one out.
We slowly walked up the street slowly looking at the different stalls and displays.
We eventually reached the castle, which is known as, The Castle of the King.
The Castle of the King
One of the arches in the castle.
We explored the castle area and walked out one of the arches into a nice quiet area with great views of the area and river.
Alison and Shelley on the trail near the CastleShelley taking in the scenery
The Castle was built in the 16th century and from there we could see the city and area below.
View from the wall of the Castle of the King
The views were spectacular and we enjoyed some time just relaxing and taking in the vistas. It was a good day exploring the town with so much history.
We went to explore part of the Picos de Europa which is a mountain range extending for about 20 km (12 mi). It forms part of the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain.
We drove to the small community of Camaleño. This is where the longest single span cable car aerial lift is located. The cable car known in Spanish as “teleférico de Fuente Dé” .
We lined up and waited for our turn to go up to the top located 1,850-metre (6,070 ft) high. As we waited in line we watched the cable car ascended to the top of the mountain.
We took a selfie just before entering the cable car and heading up the steep incline to the top of the mountain.
The cable car has a capacity of 20 people and the entire trip only takes 3 minutes and 40 seconds. The cable car moves at around 10-metre (33 ft) per second.
View from the cable car launch area
We were amazed at just how fast we travelled up to the top.
The views on the way up were breathtaking with rugged mountains on all sides.
teleférico de Fuente Dé cable car
We reached the top in 3 minutes and 40 seconds and were instantly greeted with amazing views of the picos de Europa mountains.
Shelley on top of one of the picos de Europa mountains.
The photos do not give justice to the beautiful, spectacular vistas.
Ray on the top of the Picos de Europe in Cantabria
We walked along the ridge area of the mountain exploring the views that seemed to change at every step. We stopped and took it all in admiring the beauty of nature.
Ray taking in the moment
It was so peaceful and quiet with only the sound of the wind. As we walked and came across different views it was just breathtaking.
Ray and Shelley on the Picos de Europa
We were very lucky because the lack of clouds made visibility great. It was not too long though and we could see the clouds moving in.
Clouds starting to gather on top of the mountain range.
At first the clouds covered some far peaks but quickly the clouds rolled in and visibility was almost nil.
Shelley at the Picos de EuropaNo visibility because of the clouds
It was a breathtaking and beautiful day in the mountains, it was a great way to spend the day.
We went to Cantabria to visit friends and explore the area over a few days. One of the spots we explored was the city of Santander. Our first stop was the Palacio de la Magdalena. It is located on the Magdalena Peninsula which is a 69-acre peninsula located near the entrance to the Bay of Santander.
The palacio was built in 1911 and used as a summer residence for the Spanish Royal family until 1931. It was then used for summer courses for the Menéndez Pelayo International University.
Today the Palacio is the most visited place in the city of Santander and continues to be used as a conference and meeting hall.
Augustine, Alicia, Shelley and Ray on the stair of the Palacio de Magdalena
The views from the Palacio gardens were spectacular. Looking over the bay and towards the Cantabrian Sea.
View of the Cantabrian Sea and a Lighthouse in the distance.View of the bay entrance to Santander.
The City of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria. It is a port city and located in the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, facing the Cantabrian Sea.
We walked through the downtown area exploring the beautiful architecture and streets.
The head office of the Santander Bank which the city is named after.The Gran Casino del Sardinero in SantanderCathedral of Santander
After exploring the area we decided to stop and enjoy some tapas and a drink at the Mercado de la Esperanza.
Main entrance to the Mercado de la Esperanza in Santander
Inside the mercado were many unique and interesting food stalls.
We walked along the rows until we found a nice spot to stop and enjoy some tapas.
Afterwards we walked along the waterfront exploring that area of the city. We came across some interesting monuments along the way.
The Raqueros statues along the pier in Santander.
These statues represent the era when children worked the pier to earn money to survive. The statues pay respect to the children that worked for a living.
Monument Fire Statue in Jardines de Pereda Santander
The Monument Fire Statue in Jardines de Pereda marks the devastating fire that occurred in February 1941 in Santander. The fire destroyed a large part of the historic center of the city,. Fortunately only one person lost their life however thousands of families lost their homes and businesses.
View of a section of the waterfront area of Santander.
We continued our walked along the waterfront and decided to take a break at the local marina. We had a great view and enjoyed a relaxing time watching the ships and boats.
Alicia, Shelley, Ray and Augustine
It was a very enjoyable day in Santander and we really enjoyed exploring this historic city.
In September of 2021 we started the Camino de Santiago known as the Primitivo route. It begins in Oviedo and is 321 kilometers to Santiago. We left from Oviedo and after incuring an injury we had to stop in Lugo. See this entry for the details https://chaputfootprints.com/?p=18542
After two years we returned to Lugo to complete what we had started two years earlier..
Shelley and Ray on their way to start Camino de Santiago
Our trip began with an 8 hour train from Alicante to town of Ourense in Galicia then we took a bus to Lugo.
Ray and Shelley on the bus heading to Lugo
We arrived in the early evening in Lugo and checked into our Hotel. Excited and anxious to start our camino the next day. Our day began early and we started out at sunrise.
Shelley on our first early morning trek on the Camino de Santiago from Lugo
We reached the camino marker that also marked the end of the camino for Shelley two years earlier.
Shelley at the camino marker outside of Lugo
She stopped and put a new rock on the marker and then we continued along the camino. There were many beautiful spots along the camino and over the next five days we would wake up early and walked long hours. Below are some of the spots along the way.
Although the journey was hard, it was very rewarding with special spots and memories along the way. The experience was enhanced when we finally reached Santiago de Compostela. To stand at the Cathedral of Santiago and look at it gave us a sense of accomplishment. It was a happy and emotional time even though our bodies were sore and tired.
Shelley and Ray at the Cathedral of Santiago
We managed to find a nice table near the cathedral and sat down to relax and take in the moment.
Shelley and Ray near the Cathedral of Santiago
After checking into our hotel and settling in we headed to get our compostela. We arrived at the compostela office and within 10 minutes had our certificates.
Ray and Shelley’s certificates of completion -Compostela de Santiago and camino stamp passport
We spent the day relaxing and had a nice meal to celebrate the adventure and achievement.
Shelley and Ray toasting the finish of the Camino de Santiago
The following day we headed home to prepare for our next adventure.
Shelley and Ray heading home from the Camino de Santiago
“Hasta la próxima, buen Camino y disfruta de cada paso de la vida.”
It has been a busy summer but a very rewarding and fun time. We went to Canada for a visit with friends and family. Ray was able to finally visit with his uncle, (first time since covid). They played some games and enjoyed quality time together.
Uncle Adrien and Ray playing shuffleboard.Uncle Adrien and Ray enjoying the day
We were able to rent a beautiful cottage on the Ottawa River.
Ray enjoying the view and a Timmy´s coffee
We spent a fabulous week there and enjoyed some relaxing time by the water.
Shelley enjoying the view and calm of the Ottawa River
One of the highlights of the cottage was that we were able to entertain and reconnect with close friends. Overall it was a great week at the cottage and the weather was quite nice during the week.
Shelley at the waterfront of the Ottawa River
We went to Ottawa on July 1st and we celebrated Canada Day with family. It was raining but we had a Barbecue anyways.
Keenan in the rain doing the Bar-B-que
Our grandson Keenan was a sport and did the barbecue cooking. The rain stopped later in the day and the sky was clear for the fireworks. We headed to the park and watched the fireworks celebrating Canada day.
Canada Day celebration fireworks in park in Ottawa
It was a great last day in Canada before we headed back to Spain with our Grandson. The next day we drove to the Montreal airport and flew back to Spain with our Grandson Tyreese.
The next few weeks in Spain were very busy. Tyreese was able to experience Spain for the first time. It was such a joy to show him around and try out new adventures with him. Each day we tried new things and had many adventures, below are only some of the activities we did during out time in Spain. We hiked up to the Castle of Santa Barbara and explored the 11th century castle.
Tyreese at the turret on the castle of Santa Barbara
There are some amazing views from the castle and we would stop to take in the vistas and beauty of the area.
Shelley and Tyreese at the Castle of santa BarbaraTyreese and Ray at the castle of Santa BarbaraTyreese at the Castle of Santa Barbara
One day we explored and walked some of the beaches in Alicante.
Shelley and Tyrsse overlooking the Postuget Beach in Alicante
Along the way we would stop and enjoy a cool drink at one of the many chiringitos along the beach.
Tyreese enjoying a refreshing drink
Each day we tried new things including Go Cart racing and we had a great time.
Ray had the best time but Tyreese was disputing the winner outcome. All and all Karting Alicante was a lot of fun.
Tyreese at Karting AlicanteRay and Tyreese of the race podium
We went parasailing and we had a great time. We enjoyed the best views and flew along the coast at 150 meters high. The views of the city of Alicante from the Mediterranean Sea were amazing.
Shelley, Tyreese and Ray getting ready to start our parasailing.Shelley Tyreese and Ray 150 meters parasailing along the coastline of Alicante
Each morning Shelley and Tyreese were out for an early bicycle ride.
Tyreese and Shelley heading out for daily bike ride
We took Tyreese for some surfing lessons and he loved it. Both Shelley and him spent the day surfing the waves.
Shelley and Tyreese getting first lesson for surfing.
After spending two action packed weeks in Alicante and area we went to Madrid to visit this amazing city before he went back to Canada.
Tyreese and Shelley in front of the Almudana Cathedral in MadridTyreese in front of the Royal Palace of Madrid
In Madrid we met up with a friend of Tyreese’s. Monica who was a Spanish student that lived in Ottawa as an international student for a year. She took the train to Madrid to meet with us and spend the day.
Tyreese and Shelley at the Madrid Train station waiting for Monica to arrive.Monica and Tyreese in front of the iconic bear and strawberry tree statue in the Puerta Del Sol in Madrid.
We explored the city of Madrid with Monica and enjoyed the day.
Monica and Tyreese in El Retiro Parque in Madrid.
The Next day we took Tyreese to the airport and said our goodbyes. It was time for him to go home.
Shelley, Tyreese and Ray saying goodbye at the Madrid Airport.
It was a very busy and enjoyable few months with lots of adventures and memories being made. These are only some of the activities we enjoyed during our busy summer.
“El mundo es un libro y los que no viajan leen solo una página.”- St. Augustine
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