¿Espana?

So we have spent the summer at Camp Beaumont (round 2!) and it's been brilliant, met some seriously incredible people who we will never never forget!

Met a really cool Spanish guy called Alejandro who offered to show us around his university town in Spain....how could we resist?!

So we packed up our backpacks and headed for Spain with JJ our brilliant Canadian friend :) 

We stayed in London in a really dodgy hostel the night before we flew out to Bilbao. 
It was seriously weird, like 3 tiered bunk beds, one very small steamed up window and a ceiling fan on the brink of collapse!...Thank goodness we only had to endure a couple of hours sleep before making the trek to Stansted airport!

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So we arrived at Bilbao! - WOW, what a city!....stayed in the Boxto Gallery - very funky and far more comfortable than the night before!

We set off to explore the City, change our money and of course grab an ice cream! The sun; shining! Smiles on our faces!

We had a meal at a random little pub, ate ice cream as we walked through the pretty gardens and took photos of the fountains, 

We then decided it was about time to sort our schedule out, sort out a bus to take us to Alejandro in Santander!...

We shopped about a bit for the rest of the afternoon, grabbed some fruit from a local supermarket and headed back for an early night. 

That's where we met a super cool guy, called GUY! from Israel. He showed us a really cool ride up the Furnicular to the top of the Artxanda Mountain in Bilbao. The view was....STUNNING! 

Guy was fun, and interested in Camera's too, so we chatted about that. 
It was beautiful, watching the sunset over the city. 

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We woke up early, packed our bags and walked to the buses...we waited for aggess....got some pick n mix for the journey and we were on our way to San Sebastian...

WOW!! It is one of the most beautiful places i have ever seen! We dumped our bags in a small hostel and walked along the hot sandy beaches...so far until we could walk no further, the sea lapped up at the cliff and we took photos of the Eduardo Sculptures. 

Like mini-Rio, there is a big Jesus standing on top of a mountain, watching over the city. We trekked to the top and watched the sunset over another beautiful city!

Dinner was ok...pasta tasting...we had trouble choosing a place that didn't have photographic evidence of the food it served plastered all over the entrance!...but it served us well, just for tonight!

Tomorrow we will find a new hostel and a maybe another bus to Santander!

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We found a gorgeous little tapas bar today! They had the best drinks!! JJ loved the espresso, i loved the apple juice, Matt loved the sandwiches!!

They put an olive and a slice of orange in my drink....strange!! but i did like it!

We walked over to a little surf beach, grabbed a new hostel for the night and changed into our swimwear. 

Hopped on a small boat to the island today, was amazing!
Only 10 mins away from the mainland, but it was practically Jurassic! We thought we had lost touch with civilization!...Just us, on a tiny remote island. 
I felt like an explorer - completely in my element!

We chased the sun around the island and settled on a secluded rocky spot to soak up the last rays. We climbed down until the rocks met the sea and came face to face with a tiny and surprisingly tame lizard!

When the sun became shade we walked around to the other side and swam in the shallow sea before catching the boat back to the mainland. 

Back to the hostel now for a quick change and out again to grab some tea. 
I wore my favourite blue dress and went for Pintxos (tapas) outside San Sebastian Church. 

We ate: Tosta de foice (Duck's liver butter) and Croquetas (Ham balls) and Carriuera (Cow cheek!) Was mostly lovely!!


We walked along the shop fronts, back to the Cathedral which looked stunning in the black night sky. 

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Up early today, got up and walked to the bus station ready to go to Santander. Had a quick sandwhich at our favourite tapas bar from yesterday, met a cool Aussie guy on the bus, Chris...headed to Santander. 

The bus ride was magical, the scenery was epic: 

'Homes-grouped in small conolies of orange and terracotta roofs,
Rocky mountains, tall with patches of emerald green.
Large open bays, stretches of hot, golden sand and sparkling green seas, 
Surrounding grassy islands lapped up by wind whipped waves. 
Ferrell horses and beige coloured cattle,
Lush green forests and steep green hills,
Terracotta houses perched precariously, 
Valleys vast, open and wide, thick with the tall and green.
It dips and rises as we wind around the corners, mountains, crops, vineyards and farms.' 

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Why i love Spain: 

* Eating is a social activity, not purely to refuel! - Tapas and Pintxos! wow!
* Travel around a region is great via bus! - Alsa and Renfe are fab!
* The weather! It's warm but also fresh and healthy - the sea is cold but refreshing. 
* Siesta time - don't expect the shops to be open! It's like a ghost town!
* Basque is the ancient language. It's a mystical place
* Lush and green - a contrast to the sun-dried south.
* Basque, it's not as 'touristy' as i had imagined, not many paintings being sold or caricaturists on the street. Not many postcards or seaside souvenirs.  * More locals than tourists - they speak Spanish/basque. Levels of English are poor to non-existent! They are friendly and welcoming to travelers, helpful too. Great opportunity for us to learn the language. More of a cultural experience for us. 
* Very safe and family friendly, lots to do and see 


Food: 
*Tapas
*Pintxos
*Chorizo
*Jamon serrano (ham and tomato)
*Cecina (strong ham)
*Salchichon (LOVE THIS!)
*Sobaos (cakey treat)

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SANTANDER:

Met Alejandro in a patisserie, grabbed a little hotel room for the 4 of us and popped out for lemon sorbet from the geletaria :) YUM!

Beer was only 1Euro! so cheap!

We walked to Playa del Sarblinero (beach) and along the harbour. We swam and chatted on the beach. 
Ice cream again at Regma. (Helados Aresanos) - homemade ice cream!
Some really special stuff!

We grabbed some supplies from the supermarket (Luppo)
We grabbed bread and tomatoes, all sorts of spanish meat. We walked to the furnicluar and took it down to the town and walked to the hotel. 

Quick change and out again to make and eat our sandwhiches whilst the sun goes down over the harbour. 

The BEST sandwhiches we had EVER tasted!! Never forget!

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