Bikes and Boatrides in Santander

I am living proof that it is in fact possible to “forget how to ride a bike”. My friend Jessica and I made the 7-hour journey to Santander, this weekend to visit our friend Maddie - in the same program as us. We woke up early Friday morning, took a boat ride in the Bay of Biscay, and then rented bikes to ride around the city. You know the saying “it’s like riding a bike”, implying that whatever “it” is, you never forget? Not true. Our experience on the bikes was comical to say the least, but fun and a great way to see Santander. We rode them to a little mini-zoo where there were penguins and seals. Santander is the capital city of the province of Cantanbria and is located on the Bay of Biscay and Cantabrian Sea. The lush greenery and vast amounts of water put it in stark contrast to the barren, desert-like conditions of “La-Mancha”, where Jessica and I live. We were all too eager to take in the scenery - it reminded me of home. On the boat ride, we got to see great views of Alfonso XIII's palace where he spent his summers.

Santander fell victim to a great fire in 1941. Fanned by a strong south wind, the fire burned for two days. There was only one casualty, a firefighter killed in the line of duty, but thousands of families were left homeless and the city was plunged into chaos. When it was over, the historic part of Santander was almost completely destroyed. The fire destroyed the greater part of the medieval downtown and gutted the city’s Romanesque cathedral.

The "Camino de Santiago" (or "Saint James' Way") cuts through part of Santander - there are marks on the sidewalks that indicate when you are walking along its path. The Camino de Santiago has existed for over 1000 years and was considered one of the most important Christian pilgrimmages in medieval times. Santiago de Compostela is the ultimate destination of the route. Today, there are still an ambitious few who attempt to make the journey either on foot or bike. It usually takes several weeks to complete.

Later that night, we met up with a few other people who are in the Auxiliar program like us. I met a girl named Katie from North Carolina who liked the program so much last year, she decided to do it again this year. After a loooooong, active day we decided to call it a night around 3:00 am! We still had Bilbao to check off the list...

...pictures are coming, I promise!!

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