One weekend whilst we were in Spain, we took a trip to the two towns of Santillana del Mar and Comillas, only a few hours from Santander by their cheap and comfortable inter-city buses. Our host in Santander advised against staying for the night as, in her opinion, we didn't need long to see both places, I even overheard a conversation in a cafe of some other toursts that were leaving on a bus at 11.30, visiting both towns and returning for a show in Santander at 8pm. We think we could have easily spent more than a weekend there, particularly in Comillas.
Santillana del Mar
Parts of Santillana del Mar had certainly become a touristy town, but with good reason. They have a beautiful old church, lovely architecture, well-maintained cobblestone streets and nearby are caves in which lived some of the earliest human inhabitants.
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Santillana del Mar's main drag (Collegiate church in the background)
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Posers in front of the Colegiata de Santa Juliana at Santillana del Mar
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While we saw the outside of the church and wandered about town by the early Saturday afternoon Kat unfortunately began to feel even further ill, and retired to bed, but I (once making sure she was comfortable) returned to see the inside of the church. No photos allowed inside (I apparently, was the only one observing the rule).
Unfortunately, I was not able to see the cloister, as there was a wedding but I did get to have a lovely, peaceful and solitary look around. For the thousands of pilgrims that have walked this way over the years, while extraordinarily grand for such a small town, it seemed a very peaceful & spiritual place to be.
What is now the Colegiata de Santillana del Mar (or 'de Santa Juliana') was once a small chapel built as long ago as the 9th century when the remains of Santa Juliana were supposedly kept here. It flourished into a great monastery and became a collegiate church in the 12th century.
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Morning sun on the Colegiata de Santa Juliana
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Within the walls of the monastery
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For the latter parts of the afternoon we were entertained by local triathletes who were almost cycling and running past our window, being encouraged by a very repetitive man on a loudspeaker.
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About town there are some proud coats-of-arms
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Stunning house decoration
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Late afternoon in Santillana del Mar
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Comillas
Comillas, well, a day probably wasn't enough. Our bus came into town in the late morning, but was stuck on the outskirts because of a road closure for a cycling event. Deciding not to wait, we walked the last kilometre or two and cheered on the cyclists as the peloton passed through.
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Bike back!
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We first were excited by the necropolis, with a large angel standing guard. Originally, the angel was there to protect the marquis' first son, but eventually the place was opened up and the angel was given to the town to protect the souls of their dead. It was a beautiful and peaceful place with a view of the surrounding hills and down over the town.
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| Guardian angel standing watch - ever ready at Comillas |
We continued up the hill, eager to leave behind the crowd and traffic of the cycling event behind us and hoping to find the entrance to the Pontifical University - which I think is under renovation. We did not manage that, but had a very enjoyable walk. We returned for lunch where Kat found a Kat-sized personal Lighthouse - and we visited the local port/marina, which itself had a nice view of the esplanade and I think was once used for whaling.
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A Kat-sized lighthouse
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It was only after lunch that we visited the town proper. We passed a man playing a digeridoo outside the grand church on the multi-layered market square, and walked part of the pilgrim route to a beautiful spot overlooking the beach, where a tall monument to the Marquis of Comillas was erected, sticking our beaks into the pilgrim's albergue on the way (which was packed full).
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Church of San Christóbal rising above the market square
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| Comillas Beach |
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On the pilgrim's path, outside an albergue
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We of course, paid homage to the sand and water - where we realised that our experience of the beach differs greatly from the local Spaniards. Spanish beach-goers set themselves up to face the sun, wherever it might be, while we generally always orient ourselves to thew water. They probably have good reason, summer had started to draw to a close, and we were on an Atlantic facing beach, so the water wasn't what you would call inviting. Kat grabbed this lovely photo of this phenomenon in action. Umbrella and backs to the sea and wind, faces to the sun!
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Setting up at the beach
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Sun is the priority, not water
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This was all before enjoying an early dinner, where we had the unfortunate opportunity to overhear the horror of sleeping in one of the flea infested beds at the albergue. The American recounting the story from the night before had just arrived in town at 7pm to find all Comillas albergues full, and that he would need to continue walking! Long hard days that reminded me a little of our efforts in Nepal. A small part of me was jealous that he was on such a beautiful long hike, but the other part of me was looking forward to a nap on the bus that would carry me back to my nice warm and flea-less bed, in an apartment with hot running water, a stove, refrigerator and wifi!
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