Out and about in Cantabria part 3

Here's the final episode in the 'Out and about in Cantabria' series where I share the best pictures taken on our adventures along the coast and in the mountains.  These pictures are from the end of May and beginning of June, 2013.  They were taken in the Pas Valley, Santoña, Picos de Europa, and Galizano.

Valles Pasiegos:  On May 31, my friend Pepe took me to see his mountain cabin in the Valles Pasiegos (Pas Valley), about 40 km from Santander.


Background:  The Pas valley is an area of northern Spain that includes parts of Cantabria and neighboring Burgos.  In February, I watched a documentary film at the library called Pasiegos: Los Valles del Silencio.  Ever since then, I've been intrigued by the Pasiegos, the inhabitants of the Pas valley and mountains. 

The filmmakers, twin brothers Carlos and Higinio Sáinz Crespo, used oral testimony from the older generation to preserve a record of this traditional way of life. They describe it as a 'heritage of generations, an identity, and a lifestyle with its own special customs and traditions, but with an uncertain future'.  For more information, click on this link:  film trailer

First, we stopped in Selaya, and visited the shop where the famous quesadas and sobaos are made.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned quesadas and sobaos 

before in this blog, but just in case you missed it, quesadas are a typical Cantabrian cheesecake, and sobaos are a typical Cantabrian sponge cake.  Both are specialties of the Pas valley -- and are especially delicious because of the high quality of the milk and butter produced from the local cows. The links above will take you to pictures and recipes.

Pepe's cabin

next door neighbors

across the street neighbors

fields full of wildflowers

Santoña:  On June 1, Corin and I took a bus to the beautiful town of Santoña, southeast of Santander, and famous for it's anchovies and bonito.  We walked up and around Monte Buciero.  Having reached the top, we then went down 766 steps to a lighthouse.  And back up.  The steps were steep and scary, and getting back up was exhausting.  However, as you can see in the pictures, it was worth it!

Church in Santoña

scariest steps ever ...

Corin leads the way down the scary steps...

Faro de caballo

Picos de Europa:  On June 8, I went back to the Picos de Europa with my friend Santi and the teachers' hiking group.  This time,  Corin was able to come too!  The route was 'from the lakes of Covadonga to Poncebas' in the heart of the Picos, on the Asturias side (Asturias the province to the west of Cantabria).  Despite on and off rain all day, it was a great success.  Over 9 hours of breathtaking views and strenuous climbs and descents made for a day to remember!  Here is the itinerary:

ITINERARIO:   Aparcamiento de Buferrera → Mirador del Principe →  Campu la Tiese →  Majada la LLomba → Majada Belbín → Los Reguerones → Parres → Arnaedu → Collau Xerra Buena → Vega Maor → Ostón → Posadoriu → Culiembru → Los Callaos → Poncebos.

And here are some of the best pictures from the day.

Corin and me on the way up

“ ¡Picos de Europa, claros, dorados troncos vivos,                                                                  

en pie sobre su altura, más arriba del aire,

luchando en pie y venciendo; clamando en pie; soñando;                                           

quizás amando en pie… igual que los arcángeles!

(…)

Duros caminos, sendas que conquistan a pulso

los cielos de caliza donde el rebeco pace.

Roca sobre la roca, gargantas en silencio,

mortales jous, argayos, azulados glaciares.”

                                                                                                                                                

Juan MOLLÁ

the little buildings are cabins/sheds for the cows

the group, at the top

fun in the snow at the top!

Santi and Charo

Corin is about to start The Great Descent

The Great Descent begins .....

Galizano:  Time is just about up ...... for my final 'Out and about in Cantabria' entry, here are some pictures of my coastal walk with Pepe in Galizano.  Galizano is a small town in the area of Ribamontan del Mar, along the coast to the east of Santander.  I walked along the coast from Somo to Galizano in March, and you can see those pictures in Out and about in Cantabria part one.  Today's walk was a loop that starts at Galizano beach and goes up around the coast and through a forest.  It wasn't the best day weather-wise, but we had lots of fun.  Here are a couple of pictures:  

Playa La Canal, Galizano

out on the cliffs

My friend Pepe

oops, cut off by the tide and hat about to get blown away ...

That's it for now ... Goodbye Cantabria!  I'll miss you ....

In search of vegetarian tapas

Corin, Santi, Maria, Christine, and Pepe at our 
vegetarian tapas party, May 27, 2013

Going out for tapas and pinchos is part of everyday life in Spain.  These culinary delights are miniature works of art; colorful and creative with seemingly endless possibilities for food combinations in a small space.  They're also delicious. There is one disadvantage:  They tend not to be very vegetarian-friendly.  

First, some terminology:  Tapas are very small snacks, often  served on a toothpick.  Many bars give them away free with a drink.  Pinchos are like tapas, but a bit bigger and more elaborate.  They cost about 2 euros each.  

pinchos at Casa Lita

Vegetarian also requires some explanation because there are various types, and in my family we are all different:  Corin and I are pescatarian; that is, we eat fish and seafood but not meat.  Christine is a ovo-lacto vegetarian; she doesn't eat meat, fish, or seafood, but does eat eggs and milk-based products like cheese and yogurt.  Mike is a vegan.  He eats no animal products at all.

For more on the different categories of vegetarianism, here's a good website.

Corin and I usually start by asking which tapas are made with seafood, but this approach can be problematic because many fish-based pinchos also include ham or bacon.  Since it's often hidden under the fish, we always have to ask for a detailed ingredient list.  This presents a challenge in noisy tapas bars, especially when the ingredients include words we don't know.  Adding another layer of complication is the issue of what 'counts' as meat, which seems to be a bit different here.  I've had friends and bartenders earnestly explain to me that morcilla (blood sausage) is vegetarian because 'there's no meat in it, only fat.' 

pinchos at Casa Lita

Despite these minor difficulties, I love pinchos.  They are a wonderful idea with unlimited creative potential.  They are also just the right size for a snack, with two or three of them being a perfect meal that blends a mixture of many textures and tastes.  

Casa Lita

When Christine came to Spain, it was a challenge to find pinchos for her. There is only so much tortilla de patata and bread/cheese combinations a person can eat!  But, like me, she loved the idea of pinchos and the possibilities they presented.  

Because of the appeal of pinchos combined with the difficulty of finding many that met our dietary requirements, we decided to go out to a few tapas bars, study the various designs, and then create our own vegetarian versions at home.  

the research continues at Machichaco el Machi

So, strictly for research purposes, we visited several tapas bars including Machichacho el Machi (left) and Casa Lita on the bay, both favorites with the locals. We then came up with some ideas and went to Corin's favorite shop, El Corte Ingles, to get supplies.  

We started with crackers and small pieces of bread, then added a variety of toppings.  Christine took these wonderful pictures of the final results:  our special pinchos, inspired by the tapas bars of Santander but adapted for vegetarians.

The only thing left to do was invite some friends; luckily, I have three who live on the very next street.  They brought wine, and, alors!  A vegetarian pincho party!  

OK for pescatarians:  red peppers, bonito, and caramelized onions

Caprese tapas:  Toast, pesto, mozzarella, and tomatoes

An English favorite:  Jacobs cream crackers, cheddar cheese, and Branston pickle

Goat's cheese with red peppers, caramelized onions, and chives

Avocado, tomato, and chives

Eggs with alioli, chives, and spears of asparagus

Selection of pinchos with a glass of Lambrusco

Thanks to Christine and Corin for all the creative input and helping with the preparations!  And thanks to our Spanish friends Maria, Pepe, and Santi, experienced tapas eaters and non-vegetarians, for coming to share them with us.  

If this inspires you to try other vegetarian cooking, here's a link to Christine's highly recommended vegetarian cooking blog, ciao veggie

Guests have just arrived...9 p.m., the eating time in Spain!

Taking pinchos home:  Santi and Maria

Out and about in Cantabria, Part 2

As a follow up to Out and about in Cantabria, in pictures, here are some more of my favorite photos taken on our adventures in Cantabria during April and May, 2013.

First, for a short hike close to home, we decided to walk up Peña Castillo, a small hill near the Carrefour (the only place we've found to get Branston pickle!)  It's just outside Santander, two stops on the FEVE train, and has views over the mountains, Cantabrian sea, and Bay of Santander.  

Corin on the top of Peña Castillo, view south west.

the trail along the top, looking to the west

you can just see where the Cantabrian sea meets the
bay of Santander, looking east

plane coming in to land at Santander airport, looking south

Our next adventure was to walk up Peña Cabarga, a hill on the other side of the bay.  You can see the hill looking across the Bay of Santander, as in the picture below.  

To get there, first we took a FEVE train to Santa Cruz, and walked up the mountain through the Medio Cuyana area.  As we walked through the village of Santiago, we found some friends.....

The trail took us further up the mountain through areas of gorse, bracken, and eucalyptus trees.  There were views of mountains to the south and west, the Bay to the east, and the Cantabrian sea to the north.

view of Santiago

view to the west

The animals closer to the top of the mountain were not as friendly as those at the bottom .....

these goats didn't like us

The views from the top were worth the climb:

We got a bit lost on the way down and ended up with a long walk along the road to Solares, just reaching it in time to catch the last FEVE train back to Santander.

On May 11, I was lucky enough to be invited to hike Pico Jano in the Picos de Europa with a teachers hiking group.  I've written a separate blog post about that adventure.  

Around the middle of May we explored an area south of Santander, in the mountains, near Reinosa. We got off the train at Santiurde de Reinosa and from there, walked along a mountain trail towards Reinosa and ended up in Aradillos.  We had several adventures along the way including running of the bulls, a stampede of horses, getting lost, getting caught in the rain, finding a huge pile of snow, and walking through a cloud.  

running of the bulls, Cantabrian style

almost the top

there is still snow in May up on the top of the mountain 

tired baby

beautiful mountain trail

Stampede!

we are about to walk through a cloud

The last week in May, Christine came to visit us in Santander.  On May 25, my friend Pepe took Christine and me to Santillana del Mar.  We visited the caves, the town, and the zoo.  

Colegiata Santa Juliana, Santillana del Mar

Santillana del Mar

Zoo, Santillana del Mar:  Interesting bird from South Africa with snake shaped head.