Traversing Northern Spain

Santiago De Compostela

We took a commuter train to travel from Portugal into Spain, landing in lovely Santiago De Compostela in the Galician region. We stayed two nights at the Hotel Spa Relais & Chateaux A Quinta da Auga in a lovely spot just outside the city. In addition to the lovely inn and restaurant, this place had a fabulous indoor spa with all sorts of heated pools, whirlpools, saunas and steam rooms. We did indulge in a relaxing spa evening!

Hotel Spa Relais & Chateaux A Quinta da Auga
Beautiful interiors

This city has its origins from the discovery of the relics of the apostle, Saint James, which established it as the destination of the famous pilgrimage route (the Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James). This pilgrimage has several routes, including one starting in France, and attracts hundreds of thousands of participants each year. If you hang out near the Cathedral, you will see pilgrims reach this destination after (sometimes) months of walking. A bagpiper plays continuously at the end point to welcome pilgrims. Here’s a few views of the outside of the Cathedral…

Our fantastic guide pointing out some details. This entrance is only open by decree of the Pope in special months or years. It leads directly into the part of the Cathedral that leads to Saint James’ final resting place.

I highly recommend checking out Airbnb Experiences to find great local guides wherever you visit. On this day, we had the guide all to ourselves, someone born in Santiago with so much knowledge and information to share. We were never disappointed in any of these experiences.
The final few steps of the Camino. You can see a pilgrim approaching with the bagpiper playing just under the arch.

In addition to an orientation to the squares and spaces around the Cathedral, our guide also walked us through the central part of the city and shared some of the highlights. We particularly enjoyed the marketplace and wished we could have spent more time here during the morning hours when it is really active with vendors. We did buy some AMAZING Galician cheese…San Simon da Costa. Delicious!

This cheese is amazing! Of course, I haven’t really met a cheese I didn’t love. But darn, I enjoyed every bite of this and wish I’d bought a few more.
The food court. By the time we finished our walking tour we’d missed the “tapas” window…so I would definitely plan better next time!
Just a charming little street side wine vendor.
We spent some time perusing in the seafood wing…mollusks, oysters and lobsters anyone? I will say the seafood looked amazing and fresh!

The following are some shots from our trek around the city center with our guide. Santiago is a very active university town in addition to its status as a religious and cultural center for the region.

This small little church built in the 12th Century is dedicated to the mother of Saint Paul, Salome. It has one of the few existing statues of the Virgin Mary (to the sides of the door) where she is actually depicted pregnant,
Still some lovely flowers blooming, even in early November.
Many residences were built with enclosed sunrooms on the top level given the rainy climate that is typical for this region. The climate in this part of Spain is very much like our Pacific Northwest.
Part of the University grounds.

Gary and I did return to visit the inside of the Cathedral after our tour was over.

The fabulous pipe organ, a highlight in this Cathedral.
Another view…
And one more view!
Our guide explained the rather large size of the Thurible (incense burner) used in the church. Pilgrims, after many months of trekking, did not always smell all that great, so they burned quite a bit of incense in the Cathedral to mask the smell.
I loved the simplicity of this tomb.
But down in the belly of the cathedral is the main attraction, the Sepulcrum of Saint James in the location it was found. The Cathedral was built above and around it (similar to Saint Peter in Saint Peter’s Cathedral).
Pilgrims place letters to the Apostle into this sacred space.

Asturias

After leaving Santiago, we headed into the Asturias region of Spain. I was so happy we had a car to make this fantastic drive, it was so gorgeous and we had a spectacular day with perfect weather. I pinched myself many times along this drive just so grateful to be here.

Pulled over to take a quick video of the spectacular and scenic countryside in this region of Spain.

Some spectacular bridges in this part of the world!

And lots of large windmills dotting the landscape.

We stayed two nights in a beautiful, off the beaten path, monastery/spa/winery/inn, the Paradores de Corias near the small village of Cangas del Narcea. The beautiful facility shares space with a still functioning monastery and it is SPECTACULAR. If you ever find yourself out in this remote neck of the woods (near some spectacular national parks and hiking trails), take the time to land here.

This room (or rooms) rivaled anything we experienced on this trip. I am including a video so you can see how much space we had! Ignore Gary in the background talking on the phone!
Traditional shoes from the region sit outside each room, Look at that spectacular door!
The winery adjoining the property,

Here’s a few shots of the property. A really phenomenal space.

One of two interior courtyards
Here’s the other
Gary in the library
You can take a peek at a nun’s traditional room in the monetary portion of the facility.

Okay, then there is the restaurant and food. Also spectacular! What a great stop to just relax and rejuvenate in this tranquil and peaceful place.

The dining room was originally a chapel, and they left the original pulpit in the space.
A few shots of the amazing food! The gazpacho blew my mind (gazpacho is one of my favorite things, and I took every opportunity to enjoy a bowl while in Spain!).

San Sebastián

Next on our trek was a stop in San Sebastián. We spent four nights in this famous seaside town and enjoyed every moment! But before landing here, we stopped for part of the day to visit Bilbao, known for the stunning Guggenheim Museum.

Welcome to Bilbao!
And the striking Guggenheim!

I might have enjoyed the art outside of the building even more than the art inside!

The interior is quite remarkable as well.

I did enjoy this spectacular permanent installation of large metal sculptures you could get lost in. Stunning.

Here’s a few other highlights. You be the judge,

There are signs warning people not to get near the glass sculptures on the ground, And then there was the toddler running towards them. Thank goodness the dad got there just in time! But my heart did skip a beat or two.
This exhibit, There Was a War, depicts first hand accounts of people who lived through the Syrian War. Quite moving.

And then there were a few things I just didn’t get.

Before leaving Bilbao, we looked for a bite to eat that was a bit of a change from Spanish food. I yelped “best pizza”, and guess what? It was the BEST pizza and we both finished our pies! We almost didn’t get in on an early Sunday afternoon it was that popular, so we felt very lucky! Mine had four cheeses, including blue cheese, and just looking at this makes my mouth water.

Okay, on to the Basque region of Spain and beautiful San Sebastián (more formally known as “Donostia – San Sebastián). This beautiful spot is just 12 miles from the border of France, and lies on the Bay of Biscay.

Home for our four fabulous days here was the spectacular Gran Hotel Maria Cristina and their fantastic staff who took great care of us! This hotel sits right on the mouth of the Uremea river at the mouth of the great Atlantic.

The view from our balcony
The beautiful lobby.
Cocktails and treats in the bar!
A view of the hotel at night.
The bridges over the river are all different and have some beautiful architectural details.

San Sebastián is a very walkable city and we enjoyed perusing the beautiful shopping avenues.

San Sebastián is probably best known for its three spectacular beaches, and we were able to take in all three during a ½ day e-bike tour. We took this tour with two couples from the Netherlands and had a blast with our guide!

These three sculptures built into the rocks represent the past, present and future,
We rode to just above these houses for some views.

The highlight of our time here, given the time of year, was watching the amazing surf action. Things were crazy this time of year, especially at high tide, and we could have gazed for hours. There were times the roads bordering the sea were closed because of the danger of rogue waves and we saw more than a few people get wet.

High tide brought strong surges all the way up the river.
High tide also brought (crazy) surfers!

jilliansking

5 responses to “Traversing Northern Spain”

  1. Tom Avatar
    Tom

    What a beautiful place! We’ve been twice-the last time to Northern Spain. I’d like to talk with you both about places in Italy you enjoyed the most.

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    1. jilliansking Avatar
      jilliansking

      We would love to connect! We’re back in Sac settled into an apartment downtown. Life is crazy!

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      1. Tom Avatar
        Tom

        Perfect! Are you available any time this week? We could meet for a glass and a chat. Got a favorite place down there? What’s your phone number and email address?
        Tom

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      2. jilliansking Avatar
        jilliansking

        916 892-3295 or jilliansking@icloud.com. Free Thursday afternoon (tomorrow) or Tuesday next week. We could meet you part way somewhere?

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  2. Vanessa Avatar
    Vanessa

    Love that area of Spain! We need to explore more than just San Sebastian it seems. Those courtyards at the hotel are BEAUTIFUL.

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