* Pictures noted are bottom to top - Leaving Bilbao via the rural coastal road we passed through lush green countryside and then towns with surprisingly many large apartment complexes. We decided to pass the larger town of Santander and instead stopped at the quaint ancient city of Santillana del Mer.
After a short walk through the town we found a recommended restaurant at the historic Altamira Hotel where we enjoyed a late lunch of delicious bean stew, steak with Roquefort sauce and pork with a delicate cider sauce. On the way back to our car we enjoyed seeing the delectable cheese shops where locally produced cabrales and taramundi were in abundance and a lovely square showcasing the town's majestic Romanesque pilgrimage center, Colegiata de Santa Juliana (picture 1).
Back in the car we proceeded to Ribadesella where just across the bridge out of town we found the beautiful blue house of Hotel El Corberu. It was hard to believe this amazingly cozy, clean hotel was only 2-stars. Our room on the second floor was large with french doors opening out to the picturesque mountain view (picture 2), a comfortable sofa in the sitting area, and a bathroom which was modern and bright. All this and free internet - we were delighted - so much so we decided to extend our stay another night.
Following a great continental breakfast at the hotel (one of our best) with fresh squeezed orange juice, sliced juicy melons, delectable breads and pastries, we were back in the car heading into the mountains towards Picos de Europa Park, 35 miles away. While the day started off sunny, the clouds and periodic heavy rains were a constant reminder of fall's arrival in Spain.
On our way we passed by the beautiful 14th century Romanesque bridge in the historic town of Cangas de Onis (picture 3) and made a quick stop at the imposing 19th century Neo-Romanesque basilica in the mountain village of Covadonga (picture 4). Soon after, we arrived at the entrance of Picos de Europa Park and given the inclement weather decided to drive our car up the winding mountain pass (access usually closed during peak tourist season due to limited parking capacity at the summit). As we drove higher along a very narrow road with two lanes of cars, we drove slowly contending with a number of obstacles like limited visibility due to the clouds, heavy rains, and/or very large, slow moving brown cows (picture 5). The 'travel gods' smiled on us again as the sun came out when we eventually arrived at the first lake, Lago Enol (picture 6) and stayed out as we reached the highest lake, Lago de la Ercina, 3,629 feet elevation (picture 7). The sights were just breathtaking even though the temperatures dipped to a cool, but comfortable, 10 C (about 50F).
After a while we pulled ourselves away from the lakes, descended the mountain and exited the Park to start our return to Ribadesella and find a recommended restaurant for a late lunch. As described by Richard's friend Tom Snell as 'across the street' from the famous Cueva de Tito Bastillo (home of prehistoric cave drawings) we thought it would be an easy find. Of course it wasn't and instead we went on an 'adventure' drive on narrow, winding, back country roads for another 7km to Cuevas del Aguas. We were dumbfounded as we approached this town since we had to drive about 1/4 mile through this large, natural cave to get to it (picture 8) . The cave was so amazing, but unfortunately impossible to photograph once inside.
As hunger was settling in we retraced our steps back to Ridadesella to find we not only passed the Tito Bastillo caves once, but many times since it was less than a mile from our hotel. While this find was good, it wasn't perfect as there wasn't anything but the river across from it. In desperation we drove back over the bridge to town to maybe find another place for lunch and by some miracle found The Parrilla, a dumpy looking restaurant with a local reputation for great seafood (picture 9).
While the building wasn't impressive, it was busy inside. Within 20 minutes, at 4 pm, we finally were seated for a delicious meal including razor clams, hake and local favorite, apple cider dispensed with a special machine for fizz. After this wonderful lunch we parked at the harbor and strolled along the promenade (picture 10) and downtown (picture 11) where we bought some locally produced cheese, cabrales, then returned to the hotel for some computer work and relaxation.
After a night filled with lightning, loud thunder, and heavy rains we woke, ate breakfast and began the full day's drive to our next stop, Santiago de Compostela.
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