Hello everyone!
We continue one more day walking through the northern Spanish city, Santander. We have enjoyed many emblematic places and points that we cannot miss if we come to visit this charming and elegant city bathed by the Cantabrian Sea.
In particular we have focused on the most important attractions, and also more special during the Christmas days. Although we have also enjoyed the views of the sea from different areas and beaches. There is some place missing, at least in the urban area, this is the last walk in the city, but no less spectacular.
Because now we still have to go through some streets that are already familiar to us, it usually happens... and we start with a neuralgic point, Plaza Porticada, where the children have been able to skate these vacation days, there the monument to Velarde in an imposing way , a historical hero in Spain in the uprising against the French troops on May 2, 1808 and in this city that deserves a memory and homage every time you pass through this highly frequented place.
Then we just wander around, we like that too, once we can forget about the maps and the tourist spots we walk and discover small details, like cute businesses with beautiful decorations or shops from another time that still exist (like this umbrella shop in Spanish "paragüería", even the word is curious, because it is the store where umbrellas are sold "paragüas").
Then I look up at a wall with an even older sign, from the old commercial maritime routes that were managed from this city with a commercial heart and always attached to the sea.
As it is festive, the children also have fun on their little merry-go-round on a beautiful sunny day.
As I approached the house where I enjoyed my Christmas meal under that warm light, we came across a statue that says a lot about this green and lively region, Cantabria, which we will soon discover outside the capital. The bears, a symbol that we can still find near here.
Hours go by, the sun goes down and the day gets darker and we can think of one last attraction that is worth it. We will enjoy the views of the city towards the bay from the top, from a funicular in the heart of the city, and it is free.
Funicular Río de la Pila
We arrive at the well-known “Río de la Pila” street, a fairly steep sloping street as we usually find in this city. But to help everyone, especially older people or people with health problems, some of them have installed escalators or teleportation belts like in airports. And there we go straight to the funicular, which from above tells us "A-NI-MO" (cheer up!/let's go!) because we are closer...
And finally inside, there are only two or three floors where people from the city go up and down depending on the area they go to, but some of us just want to go up to contemplate the magnificent and magical views of the historic center and the bay of the Cantabrian Sea that can be seen in the background. While every second we go up the sky darkens. We go at the same pace, and immediately we look from the top, more views, more panoramic views. But it gets dark.
We go back down, it's time to start thinking about finishing the route, but we have to eat something. I have not been able to make much reference to the restaurants, but many are magnificent, with good quality, especially in fish and shellfish dishes, as I already mentioned in my post about the city's fish market. But many have that strong and very Spanish aesthetic from another time but with all the innovation of today, without forgetting the best-known dishes. And of course with good Spanish wine. Cheers!
So after eating and celebrating, I'm thinking about the last post about Santander (outskirts this last time) and some others about the most beautiful towns in the Spanish region of Cantabria.
More about Santander and its surroundings soon!
More tours and more about these days in Santander, Spain, here:
- Santander: the charm in the Cantabrian Sea (I)
- A magical tour around Christmas lights in Santander (II)
- Santander: the peninsula of the Magdalena (III)
- Santander: houses facing the sea and underground tunnels (IV)
- Santander: Esperanza’s Market, the fish market (V)
- Santander: visiting the churches and looking up (VI)
Thanks so much for reading! Have a charming and nice day!
The text is totally mine by ©Duvinca and the photos are mine too