For a final day, we planned to explore another part of Santander. This mainly consisted of a walk along the three beaches of El Sardinero, a look at the Magdalena peninsula and a nice late typically Spanish lunch!
The walk from the campsite to the beaches was great as there was a lovely shady park going right along by the prom. The sunbathers, locals and tourists were out in force and there was some sort of sailing competition going on, so white sailing boats scattered across the bay. There were also a few paddle boarders about and lots of people playing ping pong on the beach.
On our route we passed the 1916 casino building, the government headquarters and the town hall, all housed in suitably grandiose buildings. We wandered through the Jardines de Piquío. There were also some more statues along the front giving a nod to the artistic heritage as one was an artist and another a poet. We finally came to the end of El Sardinero and there was one further beach in that stretch, called Playa del Camello, so called because it has a rock in the shape of a camel. The end of this beach marked the start of the Magdalena peninsula.
There was a little tourist train that would take you around the peninsula, but we decided it was primarily for children and old people. We decided that we don’t quite qualify for the latter category yet. 🤣 So, we started to walk around and soon came across three galleons, a raft and a statue of a mermaid. The galleons were used by Vital Alsar, a navigator from Santander, in his seafaring missions. There was also a replica of the raft on which he crossed the Pacific in 1970.
It was another lovely walk because there were fantastic views out to sea and to the lighthouse. We eventually came to the Palacio de La Magdalena, which was buzzing with people, all dressed very elegantly as there was a wedding there today. This palace, built in 1909, was formally the summer residence of Alfonso XIII. It is now owned by the city and used as a wedding and conference venue.
We then headed back towards the Plaza de Italia, which was back near the casino, because this had been recommended as the best area for a long Spanish lunch. We did a bit of research and chose a place called La Cañía, which was crammed with people, and were lucky to get a table in their back room, without having reserved.
It was a beautifully traditional Spanish restaurant with excellent service. We decided to make it Dave’s belated birthday dinner. 😃 When we arrived at two there were still a few spaces, but by 3 o’clock it was jampacked and buzzing with Spanish chatter. We shared cheese and ham croquettes and langoustine tails in garlic for starters and then had a serving of ‘Arroz meloso con rabo y trigueros’ for the main. That was a rice dish with oxtail and asparagus. it’s fair to say that it was a fitting final dinner of the trip. We discovered that meloso is a type of rice ‘creamy rice’ which is not as dry-cooked as paella rice, giving a creamier consistency, but lacks the added fat of a risotto. Whatever they did to it – it worked! 🤣
After that we could barely move, so got another taxi back to the campsite and had a final siesta. After a while Dave went for a swim in the campsite pool, and then we had a short sunset stroll up to the nearby lighthouse Faro del Cabo Mayor.
Words of the day:
- Arroz meloso = creamy rice
- No pisar el césped = don’t step on the lawn, but urination is fine
- Peligro = danger (you might see that one on a cliff edge!! 😃)
Goodness, such a long blog again.
Like being at home, you seem to be experts at never standing still.
It is quite nice on occasions to do so.
(The pot calling the kettle black)!!!
What amazing sights and sounds you have experienced on this trip.🌻