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Published: October 20th 2007
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May 2005
Santander is not exactly your archetypal weekend visit to Spain, but with the only real criteria being that it was cheap to get here and we had previously been, it got the vote. Santander is in Green Spain, which seems more than sufficient to put off most others … it could rain for a starter. Santander plays very much the second fiddle in the tourist stakes to Bilbao of those that head in this direction these days. This was reinforced as we left the plane and 90% of those on board got straight on an express bus to the aforementioned - it seems as with Newcastle, if you put a museum in a place and tell a few people south of Watford it’s trendy …… hey presto! Athletic Bilbao weren’t at home anyway and Racing Santander were playing on the Sunday, so there was only one choice.
Santander isn’t exactly a big night out like somewhere like Barcelona - in fact it has a bit of a Bournmouth feel to it. It’s a safe choice - wide expanses of golden sands, brisk walks along the cliffs and a none too brash feel about the place. We decided
to stay in Sardinero, which is effectively Santander on Sea and is also very handy for the Estadio Municipal El Sardinero. The nightlife in summer is apparently concentrated in this area. I suppose we were very much between seasons, which explained why the nightlife hadn’t quite gravitated from the city centre just yet. However, there were quite a few bars and restaurants down by the beach. The Sardinero area is dominated by the Casino - apparently closed during the Franco years, but since 1978 refurbished and back up and running. The other landmark clearly visible to all in this area of town is the Palacio Real - the Royal Palace - on the Peninsula Magdalena. Santander was a summer royal retreat for King Alfonso X111 and the palace was constructed in 1912 as a gift from the people of Santander. It seemed to be the centre of the Santander wedding reception universe on our visit, but you can wander the grounds. Alfonso’s mini zoo still remains, complete with a few out of place exhibits - penguins!
I suppose the centre of Santander is nothing much to write home about, but it has an unhurried charm about it that you
would achieve in a similar provincial town at home. There are a few buildings of note - most notably the Cathedral and what is presumably the original Banco de Santander for those of you looking for the new spiritual home of the Abbey! The shops are mostly small unique one off establishments and such as El Corte Ingles - home of the bargain Lacoste supplies was an easy bus ride away in the Neuva Montana district.
The nightlife in town seemed centred around the Plaza de Canadio, where there are plenty of refreshment spots. We found a really nice tapas restaurant just along the way from there and spent a couple of hours in the company of some young Spaniards on a weekend “home” from their big city jobs in Madrid. They explained the lack of decent jobs and the need to leave for Madrid to increase your prospects - just like the North East used to be then (except only Jonathan Woodgate got to Madrid)!
The sporting diversion was Real Racing Santander versus Real Betis - a battle of the greens. The Estadio Municipal El Sardinero was a compact modern ground just behind the promenade - quite
pleasant on a May night, but with the wrong wind in December, it could presumably be a bit on the cold side. Racing were trying to avoid relegation and Betis were challenging for a place in Europe. You really needed to know that in advance, because the performance of the teams suggested it was the other way around. The 1-1 draw was probably a reflection on just how ineffectual both sides were - a more youthful Yossi Benayoun pulling most of the strings for Racing and Joaquin leading the disinterested approach from Betis. The match was generally a world away from La Liga on Sky and the fantasy football played by Becks and his Galatico mates! The Racing Santander website subsequently described the outcome… “the tie leaves the Racing a passage of mathematical permanence”, which in other words meant the draw ended their relegation fears and most of the 15,000 could go home or to the pub happy.
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