October 30, 2021 – Bilbao to Santander

We left Bilbao and headed toward Santander. Before our first stop we took an unusual car ferry to cross the river. The ferry was suspended over the water and attached to a very high pedestrian bridge. A motor on the top of the structure moved the ferry across the Inlet. We rode on the ferry in our bus. I
Next we stopped at a fishing village called Castro Urdiales. We spent an hour and a half there. We met a group of 14 year old boys who were getting ready to do some skulling. They said they practice 4 days a week.
Next we climbed up to a14th century church It had some beautiful stained glass windows.
We got back on the bus after a coffee break and arrived in Santander at 12:30pm. We took a walk around the immediate area, had an aperitif, and returned to our hotel for lunch. Lunch in Spain is their major meal. I started with mushroom risotto. The portion was enough for a meal. This was followed by pork tenderloin in Port sauce, scalloped potatoes, and asparagus. I could only eat half the serving was so big. Of course, this was followed by dessert.
After finishing, we got back on the bus for a guided tour of Santander. It is a beautiful beach town that is cool in the summer and has some rain most days. I guess when the rest of Spain is hot in the summer, this is the place to go.
We skipped dinner but went out at 8pm for churros and chocolate. We were disappointed in them so we stopped and got ice cream. Luckily we have been doing a lot of walking.
Tomorrow we go to the Alhambra caves.