Spain Crashing: Part 2
I’m making a bold claim here, but along with Scotland, Spain is one of my all-time favorite countries to road trip. Stunning scenery and excellent highway infrastructure make for smooth and eye-popping rides. And this (in a small rental car) is how we traversed from Barcelona all the way to the northern beach town of San Sebastian, just southwest of the French border.
After a 6 hour drive, we pulled up to our AirBNB just before night fell. Situated on the outskirts of town, the apartment was near the San Sebastian technical college and in a very local district pretty far removed from the main beaches. We quite appreciated the laid back vibe of the area and didn’t have any problem with the 10 minute drive to the city center. Starving, we got our lay of the land with a quick walk to a small commercial center and some bar hopping into the evening.
We got our start the next morning rather early, making our way up to the north beach for a quick breakfast and then a solid day exploring the town, walking everywhere, and eating everything (especially coffee & gelato!). In short order after visiting the beaches, making our way up to the Miramar Juaregia, and walking around the local theme park at the top of the mountain, we immediately understood the hype regarding this sleepy beach town and could picture multiple returns.
As is customary, dinner starts late in Spain with most people eating after 10pm. Luckily, in northern Spain there’s a delicious little “happy hour” loophole called the Pinxto (Peen-cho). So picture the oldest village you’ve been in and imagine if every building had a small bar on the first floor. Now imagine those bars filled with wine, tart cider, and inventive finger food- think grilled octopus and squid on a stick, crusty bread bites with cheese and serrano ham, olives and peppers, etc. This is where we spent several hours hopping from place-to-place in search of the perfect bite. This led to many pintxos being tried, many bottles of cider being finished, shells being lost (and then found), and one cell phone being lost forever.
In addition to the world class beaches, SS has no shortage of parks and nature to explore. One of our favorite hikes of this trip occurred the following morning as we sought to explore the grounds around Mota Castle, eventually making our way to the top. Surrounded by tall trees, a cool ocean breeze, and incredible overlooks, we underestimated both the change in elevation as well as the sense of accomplishment in reaching the top! Feeling satisfied that we had experienced a significant part of SS, we opted to enjoy our last night in the apartment with a chicken and pasta dinner and with late night card games, wine, and cider.
The next morning was a flurry of packing and driving as we headed west towards our beloved Asturias region. This would be an adventure day with several previously visited stops that we wanted to introduce to Martin and Irene. However, the first stop in Llanes for breakfast (ok churros & coffee) was new to all of us. Llanes is one of those picturesque fishing villages with a small but vibrant downtown and hidden beaches that are well-worth the exploration.
We also traveled through the mystical Picos de Europa mountain range for some cow spotting and lakeside hiking. I cannot describe to you the feeling of being so remote in such an understated area of nature with few people around enhaling cool, crisp, humid mountain air.
After exploring the mountains for a bit, our journey took us back to Asturias favorites, the Sanctuary of Covadonga and the beautiful Roman Bridge in Cangas de Onis. You can read more about those locations and our first trip to the Asturias region here. Needless to say, it was quite fulfilling to introduce these hidden gems to my siblings and see the same wowed expressions we had our first time around.
With nightfall once again breaking and a long day under our belt, we drove into the city of Oviedo. Our objective that evening was to introduce the siblings to the famed food and cider culture of the region- one of our all-time favorite areas of the world. It is on Calle Gascona where seemingly the entire town of Ovideo comes to enjoy simple, spectacularly rich food with tart cider, served by professional cider pourers. I think it is another very underrated area to visit in Spain, especially if you want to get away from the tourist traps! Trust me, you will not be disappointed!
Our time in Asturias was spent winding down our trip with plenty of walking around, a trip to the ancient church of San Julian de los Prados, and another night at Calle Gascona. We relished in the simplicity of the city and really enjoyed our time once again with card games late into the night.
It was another early morning, made better with pastries from Cafetería Santa Cristina (our favorite) as we once again hopped in the car to travel south to Madrid. We needed to make it by lunch time in order to meet with our family that lives in Madrid. Being the professionals that we are, we grabbed a quick pre-lunch at the Mercado San Miguel before making our way to meet the family for some delicious Chinese food at Restaurante Thong. It was great catching up with them over icy beers and Peking duck!
With all the traveling, our time in Madrid was pretty low key after meeting with the family. We explored the palace and national cathedral for just a bit before grabbing a taxi and heading back to our hotel by the airport, the Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel. Some card games, another bottle of wine, and some great conversation made for a fitting end to our whirlwind trip to Spain. We’d part ways early the next morning with plenty of stories to share back in the States.
-GP