Santander

 Hi All,

From Comillas we headed for the port city of Santander. It is the capital city of  Cantabria. We met several people that came across on the regular ferry service from the United Kingdom. It seems to be a major port although tourism is an important part of the city's economy since it has some nice beaches and a mild climate.

Arriving at our apartment ....

 

 

Santander is really hilly and so the government has installed escalators in many parts of the city. The date palms are abundant!

 

Built around 1910 the Magdalena Palace was a summer home for the privileged Spanish royal family. Its situated on a 69-acre peninsula at the entrance to the bay.

Also located on the peninsula is a small aquarium and three galleons of the Cantabrian mariner and scientist Vital Alsar Ramírez. Vital made several extremely long sailing expeditions around the world and is worth reading about.

In 1973 Las Balsas expedition used three rafts, and became the longest-known raft voyage in history. Some 9,000 miles from Ecuador to Australia! It is the only known multi-raft crossing of the Pacific to date.

 

 

 

 

Now that Ive got dinner ready, I'll end this....

 

We only could stay in Santander for just a few days because we couldn't find a place over the weekend. Like I said, it has beautiful beaches and a mild climate.

So we head out to a town called Potes near the National Park "Picos de Europa". I'll have a new blog on that coming soon.

Regards,

KnJ