Another stunning, hot weekend oop Leicester. Bill and I stayed at the Travelodge - he booked it well in advance and so we got a really cheap room. It was nice and quiet as well, although Other Val informed us that 'Vanessa and the Blacksmith' were also there (they sound like a folk song!)
Other Val kindly gave us a lift there which was very helpful. Stopped off at Gareth Turner's pub in Malton, the Telegraph, had a really nice meal and some good ale. Matt was poorly with a cold Friday morning and we were afraid he wouldn't be seeing him, but thankfully he rallied and was able to make his own way there by train. Met up with Sarah and Steve, with their lovely baby Georgia - great to meet Steve at last! Sarah was heavily pregnant at the last Big Session. Also met up with Camp Oyster again, the Oysterband yahoo group, albeit briefly as we helped put up the controversial Gazebo for them. Didn't see any OTF boardies but apparently they were about.
Bill being the organised one had acquired a map of all the good pubs in Leicester, and he and the Helliwells explored quite a few of them. I had a bit of (I think) sunstroke and had to duck out from the main pub crawl! However 'Out of the Vaults' and 'The Swan In The Rushes' are two I managed to get to - I can really recommend them to all you ale lovers out there!
The music line up was far better this year, as this is now the second year of the Sesh maybe the Oysterband found it easier to book people! On Friday night saw the Levellers - or at least the Levellers minus Simon Friend (on holiday, apparently) with Dan Donnely as substitute. He did an admirable job of singing 'Men An Tol' and playing mandolin, mouth organ etc. considering he'd only been given a week to learn the songs. Dan's own set on Sunday was well received, I joined a long queue for CDs! Missed out on Spiers and Boden as they clashed with the Levs, but I heard they were on good form - although they seemed a bit lost at the House Band session later on! They did bring out Mr Boden's new baby wearing cute ear-defenders though - aww!
On Saturday, Seth Lakeman was if anything more popular than the Levellers, with people pogoing away to Kitty Jay and Lady of the Sea - astounding! Is this the same person who played at little old Farnham Maltings just over a year or so ago? Amazing what being nominated for the Mercury Prize can do. Be good, be lucky!
Martha Tilston was on the second stage, played a really good set, accompanied by Tim and Matt - another band destined for greatness, I feel. But the Oysterband really made my day with their own set - how did they manage to persuade June Tabor to sing 'Wheels On Fire' - she seemd to love every minute and even had a bit of a dance! But that is the Oysterband for you - they really are the 'instruments of joy'!
Met up with my cousin Wayne in the morning - Brucianis was shut so we found a nice breakfast cafe in Silver Street and had very good fried breakfasts there as we caught up on all the news. Also managed to speak to my cousin Shaun who is a drummer in an 80s cover band. Still haven't seen them though, would like to, they play to packed venues so they must be good. Would love to see Shaun in his Goth makeup!
Back at the festival, listened to Dan's set, also Uisgedwr who were on marvellous form. No money for CD by then though! Gave Chumbawamba a miss, I'm not a fan, went to Ceilidh which was a bit less sweltering than last year - Random were the band, and were very good. Still can't strip the willow though!
Oysterband to finish off the festival - another good spot, and liked their new songs. Needed to recover from all that dancing and singing - we stopped at the Bell at Waltham St Lawrence on the way back to sup some ale, that helped!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Glastonwick 2006
Stayed at a b&b just across the tollbridge from the festie - very handy, although being run by a loud, clueless Eastern European woman. The countryside round Shoreham is stunning, and the sunsets over Lancing College were fab - took a few photos of those as well as the music.
The lineup was maybe not as good as previous years - although McDermott's 2 Hours and David Rovics were on on the Friday, and John Otway and Bob Grover's Dates were there on the Saturday - but the bar was definitely better, with 4 serving hatches instead of 1, preventing the long long queues of yesteryear.
Friday - met up with Gail, Dave, Mike and Rosie from the Ranters (McD2H's fan messageboard) also Glyn whom we knew from Cardiff beer festival. Nick Burbridge came over to chat to us about his new album, still untitled but he's very pleased with progress so far. David Rovics came to say hello, he had recognised me from my photo on Myspace, thought that was really nice of him. At least he reads the comments on his Myspace site, unlike most bands!
David Rovics was as gritty and left-wing as ever - he's a like a cross between Woody Guthrie and Michael Stipe. He played some fab songs, 'I'm a Better Anarchist Than You' went down a treat, as did 'The St Patrick's Battallion', a song about some Irish-Americans who joined up to fight the Mexicans - till they realised they were on the wrong side, and ended up fighting the US instead!
Then McDermotts 2 Hours were on, and they were FABULOUS! Ben Paley, the violinist, was in superb form, as was multi-instrumental Matt in his stylish hat! Ben really seemed to be enjoying himself, which made all the difference. Nick sang Dicey Riley, which is my Ranter's sign-on, so sort of my tune. I'm glad he didn't do the verses about how old and ugly she is though!! They also played All Souls Night, from the new album, a superb slow dance song. A small bald bloke insisted on dancing with me to this, much to Dave's amusement! Luckily he found requited love with a pink haired lady later on ;-D The famous Dirty Davey was played, which got everyone dancing (even Bill), as well as Darkness and Sail, Fox on the Run and Move On Molloy, the fan's favourite from the new album demo. Bone's Farewell, another one of my favourites, was sung as well, a very beautiful tribute, I'm sure Bone would be proud, if listening from above.
Lastly the rather drunk Attilla the Stockbroker performed some doggerel as we went to say thanks to the band.
Saturday - in the morning had a walk around Shoreham, found the beach with some difficulty - maybe as an SSSI they don't want many people visiting? Didn't see a Childing Pink but visited the fort and had a look at the Marlipins building, the oldest building in Sussex. Very nice too. Can reccommend the food and beer at the Red Lion, Shoreham.
The spirit of the punkfest seemed to return in the afternoon session, as various people with dodgy haircuts spat out their hatred of the System, and people spontaneously chatted with total strangers. Verbal Warning were good, but Tracey Curtis was a bit disappointing - she seemed to sing out of tune, and her songs only seemed OK, the usual left-wing vegan type stuff. The John Otway lecture was very amusing, with some interesting socio-political bits about Woolies, record companies and the media. Later he played in the Hall but Otway's act is very visual, only the front row could really see what was going on, so it was a bit wasted on me at the back. The best act of Saturday in my opinion were Bob Grover (ex Pirhanas) and the Dates, tuneful, dancey punk rock with meaningful, spiky lyrics - loved it. Looked around in vain for an album to buy.
Bloody good weekend - as ever! Thanks Attilla!!
The lineup was maybe not as good as previous years - although McDermott's 2 Hours and David Rovics were on on the Friday, and John Otway and Bob Grover's Dates were there on the Saturday - but the bar was definitely better, with 4 serving hatches instead of 1, preventing the long long queues of yesteryear.
Friday - met up with Gail, Dave, Mike and Rosie from the Ranters (McD2H's fan messageboard) also Glyn whom we knew from Cardiff beer festival. Nick Burbridge came over to chat to us about his new album, still untitled but he's very pleased with progress so far. David Rovics came to say hello, he had recognised me from my photo on Myspace, thought that was really nice of him. At least he reads the comments on his Myspace site, unlike most bands!
David Rovics was as gritty and left-wing as ever - he's a like a cross between Woody Guthrie and Michael Stipe. He played some fab songs, 'I'm a Better Anarchist Than You' went down a treat, as did 'The St Patrick's Battallion', a song about some Irish-Americans who joined up to fight the Mexicans - till they realised they were on the wrong side, and ended up fighting the US instead!
Then McDermotts 2 Hours were on, and they were FABULOUS! Ben Paley, the violinist, was in superb form, as was multi-instrumental Matt in his stylish hat! Ben really seemed to be enjoying himself, which made all the difference. Nick sang Dicey Riley, which is my Ranter's sign-on, so sort of my tune. I'm glad he didn't do the verses about how old and ugly she is though!! They also played All Souls Night, from the new album, a superb slow dance song. A small bald bloke insisted on dancing with me to this, much to Dave's amusement! Luckily he found requited love with a pink haired lady later on ;-D The famous Dirty Davey was played, which got everyone dancing (even Bill), as well as Darkness and Sail, Fox on the Run and Move On Molloy, the fan's favourite from the new album demo. Bone's Farewell, another one of my favourites, was sung as well, a very beautiful tribute, I'm sure Bone would be proud, if listening from above.
Lastly the rather drunk Attilla the Stockbroker performed some doggerel as we went to say thanks to the band.
Saturday - in the morning had a walk around Shoreham, found the beach with some difficulty - maybe as an SSSI they don't want many people visiting? Didn't see a Childing Pink but visited the fort and had a look at the Marlipins building, the oldest building in Sussex. Very nice too. Can reccommend the food and beer at the Red Lion, Shoreham.
The spirit of the punkfest seemed to return in the afternoon session, as various people with dodgy haircuts spat out their hatred of the System, and people spontaneously chatted with total strangers. Verbal Warning were good, but Tracey Curtis was a bit disappointing - she seemed to sing out of tune, and her songs only seemed OK, the usual left-wing vegan type stuff. The John Otway lecture was very amusing, with some interesting socio-political bits about Woolies, record companies and the media. Later he played in the Hall but Otway's act is very visual, only the front row could really see what was going on, so it was a bit wasted on me at the back. The best act of Saturday in my opinion were Bob Grover (ex Pirhanas) and the Dates, tuneful, dancey punk rock with meaningful, spiky lyrics - loved it. Looked around in vain for an album to buy.
Bloody good weekend - as ever! Thanks Attilla!!
Spanish Holiday Part 3 - Galicia
Finisterre
We drove over the huge bridge at Ribadeo and into Galicia, then went down to look at Lugo, which Bill had thought was a small Roman town much like Silchester! However it's a very busy city with a small touristy area enclosed by Roman walls, making it very difficult to park. In the end we found a dodgy space on a yellow line - didn't get caught though ;-)
The walls were good to walk around, having a wide path on the top. THere was also a good museum in the town, Museo Provincial, displaying pieces on seemingly every aspect of Galician life and history.
The drive to Finisterre was fraught, as we ended up in A Coruna thanks to the awkward Spanish road-signing, but we made it to the End of the World in the end - a little drive from Finisterre town up the Cabo Fisterra brought us to our hotel, the pousada 'O Semaphoro', the old semaphore house of Finisterre, right next to the lighthouse. We watched the sun go down from the cliff edge, magnificent, and watched as various pilgrims reached their final point on the Camino de Santiago and celebrated. We had the restaurant to ourselves, but the menu del dia was excellent value and delicious, especially enjoyed the scallops and the cheesecake. We also sampled some of the local white wine, Albarino, Bill liked it even though he's not a white wine drinker!
The rooms were unfussy, pretty and full of character - ours was called Soto Vente and had gorgeous sea views, with shutter to keep the lighthouse light out. But to my dismay there was fog in the night and the foghorn from the lighthouse kept blasting out! Was completely shattered the next day!!
Finisterre town was a hardworking fishing port, much as I'd suspected, there were some posh restaurants for tourists, some down-to-earth cafe-bars for fishermen, but the food at the pousada was so good that we ate there both nights. We explored some of the towns along the Costa da Morte, most of them disappointingly over-developed but some nice things to see, like the Santuario de Nuestra Senora de la Barca in Muxia, where the Virgin Mary supposedly arrived in a stone boat. Inland, we found the medieval castle at Vimianzo, restored at the cost of millions of euros, with all the information boards in Galego - not even in Spanish!! There were also lots of local craftsmen inside - lacemakers, woodturners and leatherworkers to name but a few. Bill was tempted by a handwoven basket but how would we have got it home?
Later, we found a dolmen near Berdoyas, and took it in turns to sit on top for pictures.
Quick stop for souvenirs, Bill bought a Finisterre t-shirt with Celtic designs and I bought a necklace with a scallop-shell pendant, then we headed off on the road to Santiago!
Santiago de Compostela
Worst nightmare of hotel-finding as Bill did not have a map showing the hotel on, the name of the village it was in, or any directions! The hotel was Hotel Congreso , 3km along the Estrada road (the only address that we had, confusing as Estrada also means street in Spanish!). Hotel Congreso was a big modern hotel, catering mainly for coach parties, the food and service was fine but it was a pity the pool wasn't open till after we left. It was a fair way out of town, so Bill drove to the outskirts of Santiago and we walked into the centre.
The Cathedral of St James was everything I'd expected and more - queues of pilgrims filing behind the breathtaking golden, laquered Baroque altar to kiss the bejewelled St James (I did as well, yes I know I'm an atheist but I couldn't resisit!). The vaulted building was packed with important works of art, and deeply meaningful religious iconograpy, including (conspiracy theorists please note) a Masonic all-seeing eye in a triangle above the altar.
There were many other interesting buildings and plazas to see, all with interesting histories, so we nearly wore our shoes out around town. Cafe Casino in Rua Do Vilar did the best raciones, cakes and coffee.
Time to hand in the car, and take the plane back from Santiago to Stansted - the airport was quite big, compared with Santander, and there wer a few weary pilgrims also waiting around - a good flight with views of France, Jersey and the Isle of Wight back to Stanstead, then train journey home in the rain.
Never long enough, holidays...
We drove over the huge bridge at Ribadeo and into Galicia, then went down to look at Lugo, which Bill had thought was a small Roman town much like Silchester! However it's a very busy city with a small touristy area enclosed by Roman walls, making it very difficult to park. In the end we found a dodgy space on a yellow line - didn't get caught though ;-)
The walls were good to walk around, having a wide path on the top. THere was also a good museum in the town, Museo Provincial, displaying pieces on seemingly every aspect of Galician life and history.
The drive to Finisterre was fraught, as we ended up in A Coruna thanks to the awkward Spanish road-signing, but we made it to the End of the World in the end - a little drive from Finisterre town up the Cabo Fisterra brought us to our hotel, the pousada 'O Semaphoro', the old semaphore house of Finisterre, right next to the lighthouse. We watched the sun go down from the cliff edge, magnificent, and watched as various pilgrims reached their final point on the Camino de Santiago and celebrated. We had the restaurant to ourselves, but the menu del dia was excellent value and delicious, especially enjoyed the scallops and the cheesecake. We also sampled some of the local white wine, Albarino, Bill liked it even though he's not a white wine drinker!
The rooms were unfussy, pretty and full of character - ours was called Soto Vente and had gorgeous sea views, with shutter to keep the lighthouse light out. But to my dismay there was fog in the night and the foghorn from the lighthouse kept blasting out! Was completely shattered the next day!!
Finisterre town was a hardworking fishing port, much as I'd suspected, there were some posh restaurants for tourists, some down-to-earth cafe-bars for fishermen, but the food at the pousada was so good that we ate there both nights. We explored some of the towns along the Costa da Morte, most of them disappointingly over-developed but some nice things to see, like the Santuario de Nuestra Senora de la Barca in Muxia, where the Virgin Mary supposedly arrived in a stone boat. Inland, we found the medieval castle at Vimianzo, restored at the cost of millions of euros, with all the information boards in Galego - not even in Spanish!! There were also lots of local craftsmen inside - lacemakers, woodturners and leatherworkers to name but a few. Bill was tempted by a handwoven basket but how would we have got it home?
Later, we found a dolmen near Berdoyas, and took it in turns to sit on top for pictures.
Quick stop for souvenirs, Bill bought a Finisterre t-shirt with Celtic designs and I bought a necklace with a scallop-shell pendant, then we headed off on the road to Santiago!
Santiago de Compostela
Worst nightmare of hotel-finding as Bill did not have a map showing the hotel on, the name of the village it was in, or any directions! The hotel was Hotel Congreso , 3km along the Estrada road (the only address that we had, confusing as Estrada also means street in Spanish!). Hotel Congreso was a big modern hotel, catering mainly for coach parties, the food and service was fine but it was a pity the pool wasn't open till after we left. It was a fair way out of town, so Bill drove to the outskirts of Santiago and we walked into the centre.
The Cathedral of St James was everything I'd expected and more - queues of pilgrims filing behind the breathtaking golden, laquered Baroque altar to kiss the bejewelled St James (I did as well, yes I know I'm an atheist but I couldn't resisit!). The vaulted building was packed with important works of art, and deeply meaningful religious iconograpy, including (conspiracy theorists please note) a Masonic all-seeing eye in a triangle above the altar.
There were many other interesting buildings and plazas to see, all with interesting histories, so we nearly wore our shoes out around town. Cafe Casino in Rua Do Vilar did the best raciones, cakes and coffee.
Time to hand in the car, and take the plane back from Santiago to Stansted - the airport was quite big, compared with Santander, and there wer a few weary pilgrims also waiting around - a good flight with views of France, Jersey and the Isle of Wight back to Stanstead, then train journey home in the rain.
Never long enough, holidays...
Spanish Holiday Part 2 - Asturias
Arenas de Cabrales
The Cabrales mountains were gentler than the snow-capped Picos near Potes but still very beautiful. We found a short walk which Bill had copied out of the guidebook, along a river to a bathing pool by an ancient bridge, wonderfully cooling after the hot drive in the car. The hotel in Arenas was easy to find and very friendly, although we had to laugh at the piped 'easy listening' music in our room! The restaurant in town was very good, we sampled local veal and Cabrales cheese (Bill loved it). At a local bar we bought delicious local scrumpy (sidra) for one euro a bottle, and witnessed the Asturian pouring phenomenon. The waiter holds the bottle above his/her head and pours a little into a wide glass as far as possible below (without looking!). The customer is then expected to knock back the cider within 10 seconds, whilst the cider remains fizzy. You'd think that at 6% we'd get piised quite quickly, but attempts to pour it ourselves limited intake!
Next day we attempted the famous Ruta de Cares, from Puente Poncebos to Cain through the Cares Gorge. The path exists because of a water channel tunnelled through the mountains, and I often had to stop to splash myself with cool water from there as it was a blisteringly hot day. The path climbs up and up till there's a sheer drop of hundreds of feet down the side to the river below, but the path, by then carved into the mountainside, is so wide that you don't feel scared - unless you deliberately look over the edge. We saw that the local goats manage the steep mountainsides effortlessly. A few scary bridges across as well, not the wobbly type though, thank goodness! We made it to Cain for a well earned ice-cold lager at a bar with a shady terrace, then we went back the same way, experienceing different views.
After a good shower and night's sleep we loaded the car with cider, cheese and chorizo then set off for Oviedo and the contrasting City life...
Oviedo
Finding the Gran Hotel Espana was relatively easy but parking was a problem - we parked across the road in a public carpark whilst we checked in and ended up being charged 3 euros! Spanish lesson No. 1 - libre does not mean free!!! Ended up paying 9 euros a night to park in the hotel carpark.
We wandered around Oviedo in the evening, admiring the beautiful cathedral and the medieval palaces around it, now mostly Government buildings. Had some lovely food at El Raitan - baby squid in black bean sauce was, err, interesting! Then it was off to the sidrerias in the nearby Cider Quarter for some more tutellage on pouring technique! Great fun.
Next day we visited the Cathedral, where allegedly some of Jesus' nappies are kept. 2000 year old nappies?!!? The inside was beautifully restored, with a magnificent Baroque altar and the remains of many of the kings of Asturias in the impressive Camara Santa. The park and shops were next on the list, but try as we might we couldn't find a CD shop! Apparently they are only to be found in malls on the outskirts of town. Luckily we visited a sidreria noted for its support of Celtic folk music, and asked where we might purchase some Asturian folk music - the barman had good English and pointed us in the direction of a good souvenir shop! No Celtas Cortos but bought some Llan de Cubel and various others, all good.
Most annoying thing - long, boring walk to Los Monumentos on a hot day only to find that the visitor centre was closed! The palace is more of a folly, being built in the mid 1800s, and the ancient church heavily restored. The church, which we visited last, was open but this was unexpected, leading us to miss the bus back into town. Another long walk - bah! Still, more delicious food and cider down town soon restored my mood.
Had a walk around Aviles on the way to Luarca, well worth a look, beautiful medieval buildings and peaceful atmosphere (away from the industrial bits!).
Luarca
This was my choice to stay, as I fancied a few days by the beach. A cute little fishing town, it reminded me of Looe in Cornwall. We stayed at the Hotel Gayoso, reputedly the oldest hotel in Spain but heavily refurbished in 70s style, never mind. Bill panicked as the man on the desk took his passport - but this was returned later in the evening. Unfortunately this was when the weather started to break, so I didn't get much of a tan. Spent the morning driving around trying to find the Playa del Tauran, as reccommended in Footprints, but there's no public access from Luarca or from the campsite - update your guidebook, please!! Had to settle for the rather smelly, grey beach in Luarca. Next day we fared better, discovering the beaches to the west of Luarca towards Tapia de Casariego, but it was too cold to wear a bikini, we just settled for romantic walks by the sea.
Meal of the holiday at the Meson de Mar - a black paella (Arroz Negra) - monkfisk, prawns, calamares, crab, rice and red wine with the addition of squid ink, creating a delicious meal that looked like a pool of tar!! More cider at the Govara(?) de Po
and Galician beer at the pretty El Cambaral. A good cafe in the plaza as well, with delicious cakes!
The Cabrales mountains were gentler than the snow-capped Picos near Potes but still very beautiful. We found a short walk which Bill had copied out of the guidebook, along a river to a bathing pool by an ancient bridge, wonderfully cooling after the hot drive in the car. The hotel in Arenas was easy to find and very friendly, although we had to laugh at the piped 'easy listening' music in our room! The restaurant in town was very good, we sampled local veal and Cabrales cheese (Bill loved it). At a local bar we bought delicious local scrumpy (sidra) for one euro a bottle, and witnessed the Asturian pouring phenomenon. The waiter holds the bottle above his/her head and pours a little into a wide glass as far as possible below (without looking!). The customer is then expected to knock back the cider within 10 seconds, whilst the cider remains fizzy. You'd think that at 6% we'd get piised quite quickly, but attempts to pour it ourselves limited intake!
Next day we attempted the famous Ruta de Cares, from Puente Poncebos to Cain through the Cares Gorge. The path exists because of a water channel tunnelled through the mountains, and I often had to stop to splash myself with cool water from there as it was a blisteringly hot day. The path climbs up and up till there's a sheer drop of hundreds of feet down the side to the river below, but the path, by then carved into the mountainside, is so wide that you don't feel scared - unless you deliberately look over the edge. We saw that the local goats manage the steep mountainsides effortlessly. A few scary bridges across as well, not the wobbly type though, thank goodness! We made it to Cain for a well earned ice-cold lager at a bar with a shady terrace, then we went back the same way, experienceing different views.
After a good shower and night's sleep we loaded the car with cider, cheese and chorizo then set off for Oviedo and the contrasting City life...
Oviedo
Finding the Gran Hotel Espana was relatively easy but parking was a problem - we parked across the road in a public carpark whilst we checked in and ended up being charged 3 euros! Spanish lesson No. 1 - libre does not mean free!!! Ended up paying 9 euros a night to park in the hotel carpark.
We wandered around Oviedo in the evening, admiring the beautiful cathedral and the medieval palaces around it, now mostly Government buildings. Had some lovely food at El Raitan - baby squid in black bean sauce was, err, interesting! Then it was off to the sidrerias in the nearby Cider Quarter for some more tutellage on pouring technique! Great fun.
Next day we visited the Cathedral, where allegedly some of Jesus' nappies are kept. 2000 year old nappies?!!? The inside was beautifully restored, with a magnificent Baroque altar and the remains of many of the kings of Asturias in the impressive Camara Santa. The park and shops were next on the list, but try as we might we couldn't find a CD shop! Apparently they are only to be found in malls on the outskirts of town. Luckily we visited a sidreria noted for its support of Celtic folk music, and asked where we might purchase some Asturian folk music - the barman had good English and pointed us in the direction of a good souvenir shop! No Celtas Cortos but bought some Llan de Cubel and various others, all good.
Most annoying thing - long, boring walk to Los Monumentos on a hot day only to find that the visitor centre was closed! The palace is more of a folly, being built in the mid 1800s, and the ancient church heavily restored. The church, which we visited last, was open but this was unexpected, leading us to miss the bus back into town. Another long walk - bah! Still, more delicious food and cider down town soon restored my mood.
Had a walk around Aviles on the way to Luarca, well worth a look, beautiful medieval buildings and peaceful atmosphere (away from the industrial bits!).
Luarca
This was my choice to stay, as I fancied a few days by the beach. A cute little fishing town, it reminded me of Looe in Cornwall. We stayed at the Hotel Gayoso, reputedly the oldest hotel in Spain but heavily refurbished in 70s style, never mind. Bill panicked as the man on the desk took his passport - but this was returned later in the evening. Unfortunately this was when the weather started to break, so I didn't get much of a tan. Spent the morning driving around trying to find the Playa del Tauran, as reccommended in Footprints, but there's no public access from Luarca or from the campsite - update your guidebook, please!! Had to settle for the rather smelly, grey beach in Luarca. Next day we fared better, discovering the beaches to the west of Luarca towards Tapia de Casariego, but it was too cold to wear a bikini, we just settled for romantic walks by the sea.
Meal of the holiday at the Meson de Mar - a black paella (Arroz Negra) - monkfisk, prawns, calamares, crab, rice and red wine with the addition of squid ink, creating a delicious meal that looked like a pool of tar!! More cider at the Govara(?) de Po
and Galician beer at the pretty El Cambaral. A good cafe in the plaza as well, with delicious cakes!
Spanish Holiday Part 1 - Cantabria
Came back from hols last week, driving and walking around Northern Spain. Here's what I've been up to...
Santander
Arrived at Santander, stepped out of the little Ryanair 747 to warmth and susnshine, great!! Hubby was very stressed, we went to get the car from Hertz and they kept trying to get him to upgrade - but he insisted on the little Kia which he'd booked originally. Just as well, as it turned out later. After only a short time to get the hang of the Kia and driving on the other side of the road, we had to try and find the hotel, only a short distance from the airport but easier said than done, as it was in a side street. We found it by fluke, after getting lost, but it was a relief! After Bill had had time to chill, we headed into Santander and walked along the cliffs to the beach, which was beautiful despite development, and almost empty. Nice little park nearby as well with traditional boats diplayed, also a small zoo with seals and penguins.
In the evening we found a friendly bodega for a meal - the only tapas we had whilst in Spain! The waitress brought over free liqueurs and a map of Santander, even though she spoke no English and we spoke no Spanish - what a lovely lady.
Potes
It was a stunningly beautiful drive from Santander to Potes, up into the mountains along a breathtakingly sheer gorge. We arrived at Tama and headed up a little concrete track, much to Bill's skepticism, and arrived at Casa Gustavo, a very special guesthouse. The building is owned by an English couple, Mike and Lisa, who restored it from a wreck - it's medieval or maybe even earlier, with lots of wooden beams, wood floors and doors, and stunning views up the valley to the Picos di Eupropa mountains. The food was excellent, served at 9pm Spanish-style. It was all locally sourced and imaginitively prepared - we were on full board and ate arond the table, chatting to Mike and Lisa and the other guests. Jugs of local wine were on the table, and liqueurs to finish, ensuring we never got to bed early!
We found some really good walks, thanks to a guide book that we borrowed from another guest. The first was a cable-ride up to Fuente De, then a walk back down - as it was all downhill it really took it's toll on our legs. Fantastic views though, spotted some mountain choughs and a Chamois deer, as well as the infamous 'Blue Daffodil' ;-) The second was a walk around the Berdoya Valley - Bill was annoyed that we were accompanied most of the way by a dog from a village, but I thought it was rather sweet! I bet he does it with lots of hikers!
The only disappointing thing was the trip down to the local bar in Tama to watch the UEFA cup - Middlesborough lost 4-0 to Seville. Pants!
Santander
Arrived at Santander, stepped out of the little Ryanair 747 to warmth and susnshine, great!! Hubby was very stressed, we went to get the car from Hertz and they kept trying to get him to upgrade - but he insisted on the little Kia which he'd booked originally. Just as well, as it turned out later. After only a short time to get the hang of the Kia and driving on the other side of the road, we had to try and find the hotel, only a short distance from the airport but easier said than done, as it was in a side street. We found it by fluke, after getting lost, but it was a relief! After Bill had had time to chill, we headed into Santander and walked along the cliffs to the beach, which was beautiful despite development, and almost empty. Nice little park nearby as well with traditional boats diplayed, also a small zoo with seals and penguins.
In the evening we found a friendly bodega for a meal - the only tapas we had whilst in Spain! The waitress brought over free liqueurs and a map of Santander, even though she spoke no English and we spoke no Spanish - what a lovely lady.
Potes
It was a stunningly beautiful drive from Santander to Potes, up into the mountains along a breathtakingly sheer gorge. We arrived at Tama and headed up a little concrete track, much to Bill's skepticism, and arrived at Casa Gustavo, a very special guesthouse. The building is owned by an English couple, Mike and Lisa, who restored it from a wreck - it's medieval or maybe even earlier, with lots of wooden beams, wood floors and doors, and stunning views up the valley to the Picos di Eupropa mountains. The food was excellent, served at 9pm Spanish-style. It was all locally sourced and imaginitively prepared - we were on full board and ate arond the table, chatting to Mike and Lisa and the other guests. Jugs of local wine were on the table, and liqueurs to finish, ensuring we never got to bed early!
We found some really good walks, thanks to a guide book that we borrowed from another guest. The first was a cable-ride up to Fuente De, then a walk back down - as it was all downhill it really took it's toll on our legs. Fantastic views though, spotted some mountain choughs and a Chamois deer, as well as the infamous 'Blue Daffodil' ;-) The second was a walk around the Berdoya Valley - Bill was annoyed that we were accompanied most of the way by a dog from a village, but I thought it was rather sweet! I bet he does it with lots of hikers!
The only disappointing thing was the trip down to the local bar in Tama to watch the UEFA cup - Middlesborough lost 4-0 to Seville. Pants!
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