Foillsichte: 20.09.2023
Man, man, where did we end up here? You can't imagine what a divine place I'm in to write my blog entry. Not everyone can claim that they have such a view from their bedroom. I hope I don't make you too jealous with this picture. No seriously, it's really a dream here. We open the rear doors and have the sea right in front of our noses. A small bay on the north coast, specifically on the Cantabrian Sea, which borders the Bay of Biscay. We actually discovered this place by chance. To be honest, I didn't know anything about the Cantabria area in Spain before. More than 220 kilometers of coastline, fantastic beaches, surrounded by amazing nature. What a luxury to have the gentle wind in your face while writing, to have the sound of the waves in the background and to hear when the wave breaks on the rock. Great, I don't want to leave here anymore.
The region and the weather make you want to go hiking. So this morning I went on a little discovery tour. A beautiful hiking trail directly on the coast gives even more impression of the Costa de Cantabria. Wonderful views over the rocks and the wide sea. The waves crash against the rock, steep cliffs, a green meadow. After the hike, head into the sea and take a short power nap on the beach. What a life, right?
Well, of course others also know that it is beautiful here and so we got some neighbors today. But we were able to get the best view with a few others. Fall asleep to the sound of the waves, wake up, open the door and where the sky and sea seem to touch, the sun rises right in front of your nose. Who needs television anymore? To our advantage, the sun now only rises at 8 in the morning. The spectacle is not to be missed.
We have now been in Spain again for over a week. Until then, I didn't know that Spain was semi-desert. So it's practical if you pay another visit to Google before you leave. So head to Navarra or Bardenas Reales, we can't miss it. In addition, it was on our route so far. Suddenly we are driving through the semi-desert, everything is dry and bare, the sun is shining and we are mostly driving on a gravel road.
There was a bit of an Arizona or Monument Valley feeling. The Cuevas de Arguedas were also exciting. In 1969, people lived here in self-built caves in the middle of the rock. The caves can still be visited today. So if I can no longer afford the rent in Germany, I know where to go. By the way, our sleeping place for the night was right in front of it.
In general, wild camping is not allowed in Spain, but somehow it is allowed a little. This is a bit complicated, don't ask me. Well, so far we have spent our nights at campsites, but also in wild places. We are not the only ones. In addition, more and more campsites are now closing their doors, which gives the feeling that in the off-season it is less and less important where you stay as a camper. Nevertheless, we act roughly according to the principle in Sweden and use campsites when possible. But so far no place can top where we were yesterday. Let's see how long we stay :)
After Navarra (sounds a bit like Nirvana), we drove to Sant Sebastian. Finally back at the sea, because we weren't in France and only very limited in the north of Europe. The first time for me on the Atlantic. Great ! On this trip I really get to know a lot of water. That means, for us, we're first going to the beach in Sant Sebastian. In the evening we took a look at the beautiful old town and enjoyed a few tapas and wine.
A pod of dolphins visited us in a bay a few kilometers away from San Sebastian. Dolphins simply never get boring.
And so we will continue chugging along the northern coast of Spain, staying wherever we like until we cross the border into Portugal. By the way, the weather in Spain is a little cooler than in France so far, but it is very pleasant and the temperature is definitely sufficient. With 25 degrees and sunshine it's easy to bear. The nights are also very mild, but still invite you to snuggle up under the covers.
See you then