A Day at the Beach

---

Today we woke with the sun coming up over the Bay of Biscay. Doesn’t that sound romantic? It is until you head outside and find it is not as warm as you would like it to be. Before heading out for the day we enjoyed a very nice breakfast as part of the included price. The large cup of coffee was one of the nicest we have had in Spain so far. During breakfast we had a great chat with a German couple from Frankfurt who have been coming to this hotel every year for the past five years.
A short drive away is the historic village of Comillas. The beach looks fabulous and we can but wonder how crowded it must get in the summer. Not sure about the water temperature though. The Atlantic is not renowned for its warmth. We wandered through the tiny streets and joined the lunch time crowd (not that large) and had lunch in one of several plazas that dot the town. We read about some work by Gaudi, the famous architect, in the town but at a cost of 5 euro to view it we gave it a miss. A photo over a high fence was all we needed.
It was then time to drive a short distance to the next seaside town, San Vicente de la Barquera. What a surprise we got as we entered the town. Everyone was in party mode. The people were dressed for the “party of the year” and cafes and bars were doing a roaring trade. Many teenagers and children (boys and girls) were wearing a type of sailor suit. The “party” was in fact a fiesta, La Folia, which takes place on the first or second Sunday after Easter and involves a spectacular march starting on land and ending out at sea. We missed the procession but witnessed the partying afterwards. As part of the partying there were side show attractions to entertain the children. We had time for a quick exploration of the old town, saw more pilgrims, and headed back to the hotel before going out to dinner in the nearest historic town, Santillana del Mar.

---