Asturias and Cantabria (Day6)
Another late wakeup day led us to miss our planned trip to Covadonga lakes for sunrise. The plan was to drive there to photograph the mesmerizing lakes during sunrise. The thing is that you need to go there before 7.30 otherwise the roads are closed for private vehicles and you will have to get a shuttle to get to the lakes. It is very rare for us to miss so many sunrises in a single trip, probably caused by long days, a lot of good food and even more drinks. A rainy morning and missing the sunrise made us very sad that morning. Time does not turn back so we enjoyed the current situation with a laid back breakfast at the hotel’s cafe with cake and coffee while enjoying the rain, another rarity from our go-go trips.
When the rain ceased a little we went out to roam around the monastery of San Pedro de Villanueva that was originally built in the mid 8th c., by order of Alfonso I, the third king of Asturias, in memory of his predecessor, Favila, son of Don Pelayo, and soon became home to the first royal pantheons of the kings of Asturias. The well preserved monastery is an amazing place to explore on a rainy day, as it has a library with old and new books along with some really historic chapels and wall carvings.
From there we drove to Covadonga basilica & sanctuary and The Santa Cueva or ‘Holy Cave’ which sits above a waterfall that forms a pool below this sanctuary. The Covadonga basilica is located in the northern outskirts of the Picos de Europa National park and is surrounded by mountainous vista all around. This is a beautiful church with the rebuilt stone walls in the neo medieval design , after the original one was burnt down in a fire. It is also a historical location , as it was the beginning of the war to free spain from Arab invaders.Next to it is the Fuente de los Siete Caños (Fountain of Seven Spouts), also known as the ‘Marriage Fountain’ due to the traditional belief that any young girl who drinks its waters without stopping for breath will be married within a year. Well, the girl among us did not need to drink the water because she is already married and did not want a repeat.. It was cloudy and raining which makes this place look like you are in a water color painting.
As it was raining heavily, we decided to drive to the villages of Dumes and Gamoneu, which are famous for another blue cheese that's kind of smoky and absolutely delicious. We drove up and down through the narrow roads but unfortunately all cheese makers were closed, probably for their afternoon siesta. We stopped at a local cafe where one of us had a red vermouth while another had a cafe con leche con “Anís de la Asturiana '' (anise liqueur). Both of us agreed that it was absolutely divine.
Disappointed from not finding the cheeses and being able to taste them from the cheesemaker, we started to drive towards our next night stay location, the town of Santillana del Mar and making a side trip to the Bulnes funicular. The drive to the Funicular is absolutely gorgeous as you follow the river most of the time in a deep gorge with occasional open vistas.The funicular is the only way for tourists to access the village as it's up in the mountains. Our plan was to spend the evening there, but since it got kind of late and was raining off and on, we retraced our path and kept driving on until we got to the village of Cabrales, famous for its namesake blue cheese made from the milk of sheep or goat. Apparently all of the milk used in the production of Cabrales must come exclusively from herds raised in that small zone of production in Asturias, in the mountains of the Picos de Europa. There too, the cheese stores were closed but the saving grace was the gorgeous drive with the winding roads and the famous peaks playing hide and seek in the fog and cloud.
When we got to the main area of Cabrales - La Arenas, we stumbled upon a cheese store where we found that both Gamoneu and Cabrales cheeses were sold. The cheesemonger let us try some and we bought some to eat on another day in our trip. Finally a happy couple! We stopped for a coffee break at another small cafeteria in the town to charge our heart and soul for the rest of the drive.
We checked into the Parador de Santilana Gil Blas for the night where we stayed at a most spectacular suite (with a super big balcony overlooking the main plaza). It's located in the town of Santillana del Mar, one of the most historically and artistically rich towns in Spain. Everything in it is a monument, including the Parador de Santillana Gil Blas, that takes its name from the famous literary figure born in this town. It's the only hotel with a parking lot right inside the plaza mayor, so it takes time to locate it on the GPS. If you stay here you’ll feel like you’re experiencing history because it's what used to be the Barreda-Bracho family house, a late 17th century Baroque building, its architecture faithful to the style of the manor houses in the town, with a gabled roof and the family coat of arms on the façade.
After checking in, we had a couple of drinks at the bar and finally had another delicious asturian meal while it started raining heavily again . We went up to our rooms and enjoyed the rain from the big balcony with each other's company and finally calling it a night!
