Santander

So, I skipped writing about Santiago de Compostela and Oviedo (which I loved) but I figured I'd post this stuff or I'd end up posting nothing.

Santander
July 23-24

So, yesterday, it dawned on me that I should be keeping some sort of journal from this part of the trip. I need to do it now, especially, because the great things about this section are much more subtle and things I’m sure to forget the details of more easily. They aren’t captured in pictures as easily as drinking with friends or rock sitting in Italy.

I got to Santander around 4pm on the 23rd and set off to find a place to live. I didn’t reserve ahead because a) I’m trying to be more spontaneous and relax the planning side of me and b) because I have found that I have a hard time reserving things in Spanish over the telephone. So, I put my heavy bag in a locker (big score for patient John) and set off to the tourist office. I got a list of lodgings, made a short list of cheap ones and headed off.

The first one that I came to was full or really shady men. Fortunately, they were full. The second was full through Sunday (at least I think that’s what the sign said). The third had a nice looking woman at the door and I was pretty set. They only had 40 euro doubles, but they let me have one for 30. That’s still expensive, but it’s the best I was going to get in this city.

Before I had a place to stay, the city seemed busy, dirty and unfriendly. After I set off, having secured a place, the city suddenly looked pretty, friendly and exciting. I took a long walk to the peninsula at the end of the city. There were some nice seaside houses along the way and a couple of decent beaches. The palace (beach house) at the end of the island was really impressive. The views of the bay and the two lighthouses that I could see were beautiful. On the way back, I came down a street of restaurants and plazas that were starting to get busy (at 9pm). In there plazas there were these little huts set up, each with the name of a restaurant on top. Later, I found out that this was part of the 10 day Feria. These huts were all over the place. You could go up and get a pincho and bebida from each for 2.50. The bars and restaurants are like that too. You go in, hang out at the bar, grab what you want to eat and pay for it at the end… So, I just hut-hopped and ate dinner. I stopped by the obvious American tourist bar for one (overpriced) beer because I was hoping to speak a little English – it’s been a long time – but there were only some American 16 year olds taking shots, so I passed. Around 11, it was packed everywhere and I headed home.

On the way, I came up on this stage (one of about 3 in the town), and caught the first 5 songs of some Portuguese pop singer. She was pretty good, and I asked her name, but I’ve forgotten. That was a cool experience.

So, then…I headed home, watched a little of some bullfighting Sportscenter show on the first tv I have seen in about a week, and went to bed.