Of Sleepy, Gray Giants and Waterfalls

December 7th.

We got an early start on the day as we had eaten breakfast and were out of the piso by 9:00am. It was clear out and we decided to risk it and leave the umbrellas behind. We caught the bus from the bus stop in front of the apartment and took it all the way to the last stop at our destination of Virgen del Mar.  We walked along a road that wound through the country side.  We climbed to a church and graveyard where Mr. Salmón is buried.  We cut back down and walked up toward the cliffs of Virgen del Mar, where the waves crashed against the rocks and jagged spires jutted out of the water.  We explored this area for about an hour before meeting Mikey G down in the parking lot where we got in the car and drove with him to the national park of Río Asón about an hour away.

Rain pounded the windshield as we drove along twisting mountain roads in the beautiful scenery.  We were above a cloud bank and I marveled as we drove alongside the sleepy, gray giants.  When I thought it couldn't get any more beautiful, we turned the corner and I was greeted by a breathtaking sight of waterfalls and cascades that poured into the green valley below.  Mikey G told us more about the politics of the region, and the Vasque Country Nationalist movement.  He thought they were pretty stupid and could really care less if they wanted to secede.  He found it ironic how they always talked about how special their País Vasco was but always came to Cantabria as we could tell where the cars were from by their license plates.

We parked the car and headed up the dirt and gravel path toward the snow capped peaks, passing fields of green, grazing horses, and old stone walls.  We found some snow on the ground and had a mini snowball fight before turning around to drive back to Santander so that I wold have plenty of time for my flight.

After another round of excellent lentil soup, I packed my bags and said goodbye to Mama Salmón.  As she handed me a sack lunch,  she told me to visit again in the spring.

As we rode the bus to the bus station, Mike told me about his time in Prague.  I snapped a picture of a sign marking part of the trail of the Camino de Santiago (an adventure that I would like to do in the future).  At the bus station I said goodbye and thanks for a great couple of days.  I took the airport bus back to the airport where I had plenty of time to catch my plane.

The flight to Madrid was fast and I took the metro to the bus station.  The metro took almost an hour and I was happy that I had taken a taxi on Friday.  After eating my sack lunch from Mama Salmón and brushing my teeth, I got on the bus.  I managed to sleep a little on the bus.  We arrived in Granada at 2:30am.  I walked the 45 minutes back to my apartment, crawled into my bed, and fell asleep.