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and the Cantabrian Sea offers spectacular landscapes and many maritime ports,
but also a very different Spain from the rest of the country. A humid climate
and an orographical boundary have kept its occupants, already feared in Latin
literature, safe from the larger Mediterranean cultures, allowing them to maintain
not only their pre-Roman names but the particular characteristics of each town.
The Basques preserve their millenarian language, different from all others, the
Galicians cater to their Celtic heritage, Asturians and Cantabrians their pastoral
culture and traditional architecture. In ancient times, only Christianity was
allowed to permeate their culture, making them, for better or worse, the cradle
and protagonists of the Reconquest, from the Covadonga Sanctuary, passing through
the gravesite of the Apostle James, to the birth home of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. |
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The first route of our journey takes us to the Bilbao Airport, designed by the
renown architect Calatrava, followed by another landmark of contemporary art,
Frank O. Gehry's Guggenheim Museum, the newest icon of the Basque Country's industrial
capital city. We will further explore this refurbished city with a scenic tour
that takes us from the newer suburbs to the historic old town and its Seven Streets.
Overnight in Bilbao |
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Today's visit has us crossing the mountainous Basque countryside
towards the Home-Museum of Eduardo Chillida in Hernani. We will again find one
of his sculptures, The Comb of the Winds, where we will begin our visit of the
San Sebastian's bay and beaches, such as La Concha and Ondarreta. Notable for
its spectacular coastal landscape, it is worthwhile to take a walk through the
streets of the port, the old district, and to sample its gastronomy. Possibility
of organizing a traditional lunch at a Basque Sidreria We will follow the road
along the Basque coast, Zarautz and Getaria, until arriving at Loyola, birthplace
of Saint Ignatius, with its Baroque sanctuary and his birth site known as the
Santa Casa. Return to Bilbao for overnight |
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In the morning, the large,
medieval Cantabrian ports await us: Castro Urdiales with its beach, the fisherman's
wharf, and the castle-lighthouse with the Santa Maria church, and Laredo, another
summer resort town that nicely preserves the Puebla Vieja, the noblemen palaces
and its church. We will arrive at the region's capital city, Santander, which
has added to its old district the splendor of the late 19th century, particularly
in the peninsula of La Magdalena. The afternoon will be dedicated to Santillana
del Mar, a town slightly inland, where, somewhat protected from enemies overseas,
the best preserved palaces of Cantabria are situated: the Merino and Don Borja
Towers, the Barreda Palace, as well as the Collegiate -the heart of this medieval-like
town in whose cloister we find one of the exemplary works of the peninsular Romanesque
style-. Overnight in Santillana del Mar |
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Today we will
finish our visit of the Federation of the Four Villas which we began in Castro
Urdiales, Laredo and Santander with a visit to San Vicente de la Barquera, the
most important medieval port that Castile had for Flanders. Located on the embankment
between two rivers, it has an attractive port. The Calle Alta takes us to the
pilgrimage Hospital, the Castle and the Gothic Church of Santa Maria. The famed
mountain range Picos de Europa and their striking views await us in Asturias.
We will lose ourselves in the very narrow valleys trying to arrive at the Cares
pass whose path cuts through the heart of the solid rock mass. Possibility of
enjoying a walk. Possibility of visiting a local cheese producer with tasting
Overnight in Cangas de Onis |
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Cangas de Onis, the town that became the first capital of the
still small Kingdom of Asturias in the 8th century holds several imposing estates
and a daring medieval bridge. A few kilometers away we find the Covadonga Sanctuary,
a cave brimming with history and mythology about the origins of medieval Spain.
A beautiful neo-Romanesque Basilica is the crowning monument of this Marian site.
Possibility of enjoying a mountain hike in the lake region Lagos de Enol and La
Ercina Overnight in Cangas de Onis |
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While driving towards the main
cities of Asturias -Oviedo and Gijon- we will stop at the viewing-point Mirador
del Fito that offers us a wonderful sight. On the coast we will find the important
maritime port of Gijon which has a small historical district around which we find
endless beaches. Possibility of organizing a regional lunch at a traditional Asturian
Sidreria Oviedo, however, has been the residential capital of the region since
the end of the 8th century. In the immediate surrounding area, we find two jewels
of that period: the pre-Romanesque churches of Santa Maria del Naranco and San
Miguel de Lillo. Vestiges of 9th century art in the historical district of Oviedo
still remain intact: the Foncalada, the apse of San Tirso, the Camara Santa. The
late-Gothic Cathedral looms over the city center that, with its palaces, University,
bourgeois homes, convents, and small town squares, reveals a prosperous past that
continues to this day. Overnight in Oviedo |
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We will continue along
the Asturian coast stopping at a lookout point to contemplate the slopes and the
beaches of the Cantabrian coast. The village of Luarca with its white houses,
the cemetery and the fishing port are a good example. In Ribadeo -the gate of
entry to Galicia- we will leave the coast behind, as during the early pilgrimages,
in search of the most direct route to Santiago by means of Lugo. This ancient
Roman settlement maintains its robust 3rd century walls intact. A stroll atop
the walls allows us to view its historical district where we will later visit
the Romanesque Cathedral and the Main Square. Continue to Santiago de Compostela
for overnight |
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A stroll through the narrow streets of the historical district will take us to
the Cathedral of Santiago, the ultimate goal, since its construction, of Christian
pilgrimages, as well as the monumental Plaza del Obradoiro, surrounded by granite
art. We will get to know the medieval old quarter, its traditional Market, squares,
churches and convents as well as its magnificent former Pilgrims' Hospital, nowadays
a luxurious Parador. Possibility of organizing a special farewell dinner Overnight
in Santiago de Compostela |
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Transfer to the Santiago de Compostela Airport.
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