Epilogue (del Norte)

I am grateful - and relieved - that despite some temporary setbacks (a bout of gastroenteritis, a kidney stone attack, and the wife's close call with an eye infection), we finished what we set out to do.

We have only walked less than a third of Camino del Norte but got a good taste of what it offers. The route is as scenic as expected. The terrain is as varied and difficult as rumored - only a very generous itinerary made it possible for us to stick to the schedule. I think it takes a hardy soul and well-prepared body to follow the official stages day after day. A veteran of the Camino Frances will find this route an optimal challenge. But people here including the first time Camino walkers seemed in general well prepared for a long walk. Overall, we ran into even a smaller number of pilgrims than we anticipated, and maybe because of the lack of a critical mass, we did not witness on this route the camaraderie that instantly develops on the Camino Frances. Maybe it is different inside the albergues and in the peak season.

On the culinary part of this pilgrimage, it was an immense privilege to visit the gastronomic temples of the region in a short period: Mugaritz, Arzak, Azurmendi and Martin Berasategui. Including the fine Nerua, it is a group currently ranked No. 6, 17, 19, 61 and 68 in the world. Add a memorable meal at the seafood grill heaven of Elkano. And to think that we almost went to Asador Etxebarri and Akelarre if we had more time. This is a testament to the amazingly high density of top restaurants in Basque Country.

Fittingly, on the flight back to the States, I find two documentaries to watch: one following six pilgrims on the Camino Frances and the other featuring five jet-setting food bloggers.

With any luck, I shall return!

Here are snapshots of people with whom we have had some level of interactions on this trip. Interestingly, they are not predominantly pilgrims like it was on the Camino Frances.

Day 26 (del Norte): Santander

The walk is over but the trip isn't.

Cantabria has a number of caves with paleolithic-age paintings. So we are devoting a day to exploring these pre-historic sites. (By exploring, I mean just showing up at the door and paying the admisson!) Altamira is the grand-daddy of them all, well-known around the world, but the real thing has been closed to the public for years and what you get is a replica there. So before leaving home I reserved guided tours at a couple of caves where you can see the actual paintings. I am still very interested in visiting the Altamira on a later trip. Some people say the museum there is a good introduction to cave art so it might have made sense to see that first. But there is another reason I am putting it off.  Altamira is actually very close to the town of Santillana del Mar, which is directly on Camino de Santiago and usually the next stop after Santander. So it is my hope that we will return to the Camino del Norte to resume the walk and the Altamira will be in the early part of our itinerary.

The Monte Castillo group of caves are located in Puente Viesgo, a small town about 30 km southwest of Santander. We board a bus at a station next to our hotel, which has a superb location right within the Bermuda triangle of the main bus station, the train station (where we will leave from for Madrid tomorrow) and the pier (where we landed from Somo). There is a couple from Australia on the bus visiting the same caves. We are all hoping that we will get something out of these tours that are conducted in Spanish only. Once we get off in Puente Viesgo, it is a leisurely 30 minute uphill walk to the caves. Wait, I thought the Camino walk was over! Actually it is a very pleasant stroll through the peaceful countryside.

Arriving in Puente Viesgo by bus: one clear sign toward the caves straight uphill from here.

Puente Viesgo: fertile grounds in more ways than one

Puente Viesgo seen from near the entrance to caves

At the modest visitor center right at the first cave, El Castillo, we get our tickets and actually are moved up to an earlier tour, which is just fine since that gives us more time to walk back down to catch the return bus. But there are small children on this tour and I am thinking "What could they possibly learn? Hope they keep quiet." How wrong I was. It turns out to be a great place for kids to learn a little bit of ancient history and these simple ancient drawings seem to delight them. Plus the guide obviously tries to speak slowly so even we understand a lot of the words: "Cro-Magnon... posible... pintar... Neanderthal... no." It also helps that he is using a lot of scientific or anatomic terms: dorso, anterior, posterior...

El Castillo Cave: a small exhibit at the entrance

El Castillo: Thirteen in our group, the maximum size allowed,  now enter the cave.

El Castillo: photos are not allowed inside and rightly so. This is part of the exhibit outside the cave. Paintings are simpler than at Altamira but the series of dots found here are now considered to be the earliest cave paintings in the world at over 40,000 years of age, according to Uranium-Thorium dating.

El Castillo: one of the intriguing finds in the cave is a bunch of hand prints.

About 600 meters away is the second cave we are visiting: Las Monedas, so named since coins from the Royal Catholic era have been found, a sign that these caves have served as human shelter throughout history. This cave has an even more limited set of pre-historic drawings but features nice limestone formations inside.

The next cave, La Monedas, is reached by a straight paved path.

La Monedas: waiting for the guide at the entrance

La Monedas: locking up the gate as we finish the tour

This visit was definitely worthwhile. We stroll down to the center of Puente Viesgo with plenty of time to catch the 1:25pm bus back to Santander. However, the driver of the nearly empty bus insists that we should have had an advance reservation. I blame the people at the information desk at the Santander bus stop for this mishap. The Australians who just came down huffing and puffing and almost missed the bus are actually getting on and we are not! So we go to the nearby resort, a dominant presence in town, to grab a taxi and proceed directly to a restaurant in Santander where we have a lunch reservation for 3pm (now acting like real Spaniards). We do need a special meal to celebrate the successful completion of our walk, don't we? 

Walking back down to Puente Viesgo to catch the bus, we have time to stop and smell the crocuses. Or so we thought.

Puente Viesgo: after missing the bus, we take a taxi with the help from this hotel. Just grand.

So let's see what the best Santander has to offer in terms of fine dining. El Serbal is in a non-descript neighborhood and has minimal decor. It is all Spanish clientele and not touristy. It is welcoming and our server is superb. This place is certainly no Mugaritz or Azurmendi but it has fine food and I am definitely happy with the choice.

Santander: the mobile bread station at El Serbal, the location of our lunch celebrating the end of our trip.

El Serbal: their signature salmon dish

El Serbal: today this monkfish dish is what they serve to showcase the fishing tradition Santander has.

El Serbal: it's rare that I get to have pork done rare. Glad neurocysticercosis is not endemic in Spain.

El Serbal: not surprisingly the petit fours include quesada pasiego (the square ones), a ubiquitous dessert in Cantabria

Within 5 minutes we are at the boulevard along the harbor. We stroll toward probably the most popular area for locals and tourists alike - Peninsula de la Magdalena.

Santander: a post-prandial walk along the water on a beautiful day

Santander: Festival Hall, not exactly Santander's answer to Bilbao's Guggenheim but nonetheless an interesting structure

Across the water is Pedrena, where we stopped on a ferry ride from Somo yesterday. That towns boasts the renowned golfer Seve Ballesteros, who died of an oligoastrocytoma at age 54 several years ago.

Santander: entering the Magdalena Peninsula. It seems a lot of  families are out to enjoy a Saturday evening here.

Santander: Magdalena Peninsula

Santander: Magdalena Peninsula

Santander: the coast line here is extensive, varied and well-integrated into the city. Walking around Magdalena Penisula, you realize how much the sea means to this city. 

Santander: La Balsa (right) set the world record for the longest raft trip in 1970, during an expedition from South America to Australia led by the charismatic native son Vital Alsar, who reminds me of the Dos Equis beer guy. To its left are three model ships commemorating de la Cosa who we met back in Santona.

Santander: La Balsa seen from the front. The adventure continues for the octogenarian Vital Alsar. And for others, too...