5/24/17 – 38.6km/24mi(!!!) from Santander, to Santillana del Mar
Santander was gorgeous, but the suburbs that we had to exit through were nothing to talk about. We went under some bridges, along some roads, and also passed what appeared to be a nuclear power plant. To cross a river that one could only walk across on a relatively dangerous rail bridge, we stopped in a lil’ town called “Boo” and hopped onto a train for about 2 minutes. This means that while David and I walked the entire Camino Frances in 2014, in just 2 weeks we’ve already been “boaterinos,” “buserinos,” “trainerinos” (peregrinos/pilgrims who take the train). What’s next? Donkey? However, Santillana Del Mar is one of Spain’s most prominent and well-preserved medieval towns. It was full of package-tour tourists in the afternoon and evening, and while it was busy it was still a beautiful atmosphere.
On another note, so far on the trail, we’ve been having fun with town names. Not everyone speaks Spanish, and fewer still do it with the right accent. So sometimes place names get butchered. Sometimes just for fun while we’re talking amongst ourselves, and sometimes by mistake when someone mispronounces at the wrong time. Some examples: Orio – Oreo (that one was a gimmie); Zarautz – Zarathustra; Markina-Xemein – Marky Mark; Munitibar – Multibar, Minotaur; Guernica – Gattaca; Lezama – Lasagna; Bilbao – Bilbo Baggins, Rocky Bilboa; Islares – La Isla Bonita, Israel; Santander – Santa’s Bear. You gotta find a way to have a few laughs on these long journeys!
