Although today's trip from Oviedo to Santander was only about 200 klm, we started out early to accommodate multiple stops at some very scenic locations.
Travelling east from Oviedo, our first stop was in the region of Covadonga to visit the Holy Cave, a shrine to Our Lady of Covadonga. The history of this area says that early in the 8th century a Christian leader by the name of Pelayo, with his army sheltered in the caves of the area, defeated the moors armies and established the Kingdom of Asturias. Legend has it that the victory was aided by his prayers at the statue of the Virgin Mary hidden from the moors, in one of the caves.
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| Our Lady of Covadonga Church |
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| The cave and shrine to the Virgin Mary |
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| A view out from the cave |
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| A very scenic area |
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| Statue of Pelayo |
Our next stop was the pretty little town of Cangas de Onis.
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| Team Kopysh |
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| This Roman style bridge was actually built in the 13th century |
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| Two nice ladies crossing the cobblestone "Roman Bridge" |
We carried on further east to the village of Santillana del Mar. Some beautiful views along the way before we stop for lunch at a local eatery.
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| Distant snow capped mountains |
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| Cattle seemed to be curious about our arrival in the area |
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| Beautiful looking residence in town |
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| Cold Cerveza at lunch |
Our stay in Santander was at the Hotel Real, which opened in 1917 exclusively to host the guests of King Alfonso Xiii, whose summer residence was next door. The photo below is the view from the balcony of our room.
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| Relaxing in the lounge |
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| Views from our walk along the seaside promenade |
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This site is dedicated to local artist, Enrique Gran
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| Apparently this is a private residence
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Our next stop is Bilbao for a visit to the Guggenheim museum, then on to San Sebastian
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