Bilbao and Santander.

---

After the long overnight journey from Cadiz, it was lovely to soak up the Christmas atmosphere for a few hours in Bilbao. I was tempted to stay the night, but decided to press on and get to Santander to try and avoid any last minute mishaps. The boat to Ireland sails from Bilbao for the summer season and from Santander in the winter.

For a while now, I've wanted to travel on the narrow gauge railway that links cities along the north coast of Spain. This was my opportunity to try it out.

In the tourist office I asked for information about the train to Santander. The lady behind the desk tried to persuade me that it was better and much faster to use the bus. She didn't really seem to grasp that I wanted to travel on the FEVE (Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha). Bilbao-Concordia Station was just around the corner. A beautiful old building. The station was opened in 1902 and is apparently considered a fine example of La Belle Epoque Architecture. (Looked it up on Wikipedia). The cafe to the right of the entrance looked long closed up. It must have been a fabulous place to sit and drink coffee in its day.

After buying my tickets, one for me, one for the bike, I went for a short walk in the old town and then took a seat under a tree in Areatzako Parkea (Arenal Park), a tree decorated public space on the opposite side of the river from Concordia. People wandered through the square enjoying the public holiday and some winter sunshine. A street entertainer was teaching children how to create huge shimmering bubbles by waving large circles of wire dipped in a washing-up liquid mixture in the air. There was a queue for the ice rink, and a tumbling gymnast was enthalling the crowd by the purple Christmas tree outside the theatre.

The train was only two carriages long, but was full for most of the journey. It clearly plays an important role linking little rural communities to each other and the cities.

If anything, Santander seemed even more Christmassy than Bilbao. Perhaps that was because I got to explore the city over the course of two evenings which showed off the decorations perfectly. I also discovered that Bar Bolero is a really cool wee place for a pint.

The crossing to Ireland on the Santoña started off relatively calm, but overnight it was obvious that there must be a huge swell outside. I was glad I couldn't actually see through the portholes what it was like. I found a comfy spot to stretch out and sleep in the main lounge. I was lying on a seat at right angles to our direction of travel, head to the port side, feet stretching toward the starboard side. A couple of times I woke up when I felt myself sliding along the cushion. To shift me like that, the ship must have been tilted over at a pretty steep angle. I could feel the ship shudder as the swell hit us.

I later found out that we seemed to catch the tail end of Storm Fergus. I have to add that, once settled down for the night, I was actually very comfortable and the trip was not as bad as it sounds. By morning the sea was much calmer.

Anyway, after my journey by bike, bus, train and boat, I was home for Christmas. Time to relax, repair and catch-u with family and friends.

---

Photos

The Santoña. Brittany Ferries.
My Lift to Rosslare.