Comillas

28/07/13

We travelled across the top of Spain from Pantin, stopping briefly at some interesting places on the way. San Andres de Texiedo (spelling uncertain) was a beautiful series of cliffs giving a magnificent view of the sea. Some were 600 metres...highest coastal cliffs in Europe. We drove past the Picos de Europa...a stunning mountain range next to the sea popular with hikers.

We missed many beautiful coastal places as we are running out of time. Some of the places were pretty but we didn't stay...

We made it to Comillas (aw shucks no fiesta) last night and after excruciating deliberation, found a lovely camping area on the beach, finally. What sealed the deal was going to the toilet in the wild camping place..."no way" I said to Tony, "there is no way on earth I am staying here"...and I have put up with some pretty rough toilet situations thus far. The campsite was in a lovely place...the beach was idyllic and there was a cute little cafe/bar/restaurant but the ground was crowded with vans and soggy and smelly with the discharge of everyone's grey water. The portaloo dunny didn't lock or flush properly, and there was no tap for hand washing. The toilet seat was non existent and what was there was all wet. Trish would have had kittens. Say no more.  

We searched for the plaza mayor in Camillas last night and found somewhere to eat at the strike of midnight on the cathedral clock. 

Gotta say, we're getting a bit tired of the Spanish menu especially in the north. Every place has practically an identical menu. There is nothing remotely healthy, no fruit, little in the way of veges, the salads are a token gesture and bland and boring, and all meals contain meat of some sort. Vegetarian salad had tinned tuna! we have been subsisting on tomato salad as the tomatoes are plump and flavoursome. Having said that, if you find the right place, the version of dishes there will be outstanding. We have a rule of thumb...if they have photos of the food, a tv, or a chupa chup machine out the front, it's crap and the food will not resemble the photo. But the wine generally makes up for it!

The beach here is stunning, and early in the morning (any time before 1030 am) it is quiet and bare. The water is crystal clear and cold but not as cold as further west. At about 1030 Tony and I head to the cafe on the beach for a morning coffee and orange juice. As we sit there in the warm sun, the holiday makers start pouring in. Families and older couples make their way carrying umbrellas and beach chairs and within half an hour the beach is packed...and I mean packed. The car park, before abandoned, is now full with guards directing traffic and frustrated drivers having to turn away to find alternative parking...god knows where. It amuses us that no one seems to learn that if you come at 10 o'clock, you will get a park and a spot on the beach. It's like they are thinking that any time before twelve is obscenely early and that they are doing their best to get here at eleven.

29/7/13

Last night, after a thunderstorm...our first bit of real rain since being away from home, we found a restaurant that blew the above paragraph out of the water. We had an outstanding meal of tender pulpo in potato garlic sauce and a delicious bean and mussel dish and a baked cheese cake with a burnt toffee sauce that was gorgeous. This morning we got up early and had a swim at the beach before heading off eastward. You can lie in the sun for hours and not burn. Its heaven. As we drove out behind Camillas we saw the Picos in the distance snow capped...it must have snowed overnight. We marvelled at how we could swim and laze in the sun with snow on the mountains.