July 16: Orbaneja del Castillo, Pesquera de Ebro, Playa de Arija…
From meeting Big B at the airport to the first stop on our trip.
In planning this trip, I had asked ChatGPT to find me some intermediate stops between Madrid and Potes, Cantabria. I asked for hidden gems, special places, things off that standard tourist trap trail. I was impressed with what we ended up with. Great recommendations, better memories. And great to travel with my bro.
Fiat Jellybean 2.0, our trusty steed. Automatic, to remove one element of driving complexity, because to be honest, driving on the right side of the road is enough. First stop: lunch! Área de servicio Boceguillas, a lovely oldy-worldy Spanish house with terracotta floor tiles and exposed beams. Naaaaaature. The blue well, a random stop based on a cursory glance at Google maps and the symbol of a small green tree. A natural, freshwater spring, which is is fact a 10km subterranean cave system… stunning. Just local Spanish tourists, a hidden gem. Perfect. Sunning by the waterfall, blue well. First look at the rocky skyline of Orbaneja del Castillo. The waterfall in the centre of town welcoming us. A hard-earned gin and tonic as the sun eases down over many hours. View of the town from above. Nestled into the valley with the sedimentary sentinels standing guard. Morning walk through the European trees along the rocky ridge of Orbaneja del Castillo. If you don’t like nature photos, you’ll hate this blog.Ben and some lavvy. Mountain spring. All the greens!Turquoise pools (no swimming, unfortunately). Thistles the size of your fist!Breathtaking view from Pesquera del Ebro. And the other side.
First day lunch menu? Salmorejo, ensaladilla rusa and… croquetas? And sangría, of course.
Then at our lodgings in Orbaneja del Castillo: lovely people, lovely wine, and at 1.70€ a glass, these are 2005 prices!
The next day, a morning walk with literally not a soul around, the whole world just for us, so still, so quiet. What a precious moment of slow-time in a world of such speed…
Breakfast? Typical Spanish in lots of ways…
The morning hotel staff member, one of multiple brothers born and raised in this little town (it´s a quiet village) and working in the family biz, gave us some recommendations for a lookout and a fluvial beach (!). So kind, so lovely. And so, on to our next destination – with a few pitstops – a casa rural nestled in the heart of the Picos de Europa!
Impromptu picnic: manchego cheese, jamón serrano, bread, aceitunas (olives) and a nice red, with some chocolates from Finland as dessert. Oh, and some Ruffles chips, jamón flavour, of course.
Captain’s log… Spanish hillside picnics are pretty great. Also, it’s quite hot! I wonder if there is a place for a swim on this next leg (he foreshadows…)
I wish there were a beach in the middle of this country… oh wait… literally, a beach… freshwater no less!
Windy ¨beach¨ side:
And the lagoon side:
Did I mention it was super hot, so a swim was amaaaazing?
Did you know that Cantabria has some of the world´s oldest cave paintings? This is obviously not one of them, but speaks to that significance.
Three-minute Spanish! 
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