bay of biscay and galicia ::: part II

cantabria & asturias


View Larger Map

after spending a few days in and around san sebastian, we headed west towards galicia. we had 3 days to hit nigran. also we had to make it to santander to have lunch with silvie (a good friend i met while living in manila), so we took the expressway from san sebastian. this takes around 2 hours on the A-8 and its actually not as boring since it goes through some very nice looking places.

lunch in santander was good thanks to the company, but food was absolutely horrible. this is where i need to make emphasis on how difficult it is to have a bad meal in the north. we were the most unlucky. we were looking for a place near the beach and at the same time, somewhere where we could sit while watching the bikes (we had luggage on them). we ended up at cafetería orsay, right outside artamentos las brisas. they charged us the ridiculous amount of 17 € for a "menu del día" which was worth absolutely nothing. paella was horrible, spaghetti was worse (how hard can it be to cook spaghetti???) and the fish was prehistoric... thank god we were with silvie and friends, they saved the day!!!

after lunch we continued our trip riding past comillas and san vicente de la barquera. these must have been some of the most beautiful sights we´ve seen on our trip. the coastline gets pretty rough and the cliffs make incredibly nice pictures. again, if you come here during the last days of july or during august, you will be sorounded by a constant sea of people. but still... worth seeing.

shortly after san vicente de la barquera we took a detour to continue through the mountains towards cangas de onis and oviedo instead of going along the coastline towards llanes and gijón.

i have driven through these roads several times before. always in a car. only now i realised how impressive the mountains are and really felt we were minuscule compared to the rock walls rising above our heads. we took part of the road that goes around the "parque nacional picos de europa" and decided to turn back and leave that road for another ocasion. i guess this will remain on my "to do list" a little longer.

the alternative route we chose to take was not bad at all. driving through the north side of the national park, through cabrales and very close to "lagos de covadonga" was just what we needed. sharp turns, steep slopes, and beautiful sights. i need to mention, if you like strong cheese, you need to visit the region of cabrales...

our day ended at cangas de onis. a cozy little town with extremely friendly people and really good and cheap food.

we stayed at a hotel called los robles, and to be honest, we did not have to go very far to find a restaurant for dinner or a bar to have a few drinks. they offer a lunch menu for 9,50€ and a dinner menu for 10€. we ordered extra bread and extra drinks including coffee and they did not charge any extra whatsoever... absolutely fantastic.

i need to make a special mention to maria jesus... the woman in charge of the tobacconist right next to the hotel. i went in to buy some rolling tobacco, filters and papers and ended up having this very interesting talk with her. aparently she lived in angola for 16 years before the war. i think i would love to pay her a little visit some time soon. maybe even send her a postcard!!!

bay of biscay and galicia ::: part I

biarritz


View Larger Map

the rocket queen headed north once again. this time, the plan was to ride along the northern coast of spain, from san sebastian and ending up in galicia for a very good friend´s birthday party. as usual, the start and finishing points were both madrid, so i will skip writting about the madrid - san sebastian and vigo - madrid parts of the trip since i have written about them before.

the initial idea for this tour, was to combine mountains and beach for the summer holidays, starting with baqueira in the pyrinees, near barcelona and riding to the basque country. Of course, reality ended up being nothing like what we had planned.

we started our trip in san sebastian where we spent a few days in the jazz festival combined with a little riding along the coast and across the no longer existing border, to france.

heineken 45 jazzaldia

while in san sebastian, most tourists end up in the old part and around the port. this is something you must do if you have never been in the most beautiful city in spain, but dont think there is not much out in other areas.

boneless wings @ narru

for me the great discovery this time was narru. fantastic pintxos for a quite reasonable price, which unfortunately is the downside to eating in the basque region (it gets quite pricey). you will see, once you go in, everyone orders the house specialty for a good reason. you cant leave without trying the boneless chicken wings. everything we tried was incredibly tasty, so if you see yourself in this city and would like to go somewhere out of the ordinary and stay away from tourists... check this place out.

hendaye on the north shore and hondarribia on the south shore

the riding started from guetaria, and headed to san sebastian, along igueldo. after riding past san sebastian, we headed to jaizkibel. a similar kind of road to the one in igueldo which brings you up along a road full of curves with breathtaking views of the bidasoa river and the bay of biscay. this is a very enjoyable ride, and even in the summer, you might want to bring a jumper or a jacket with you, just in case...

lunch was in hondarribia, where you will find a great selection of restaurants along the sea walk. i have to say, it is very hard to have a bad meal in the basque country.

after lunch, we headed across the river into hendaye and again along the coast all the way up to biarritz. unfortunately we must have chosen the day when absolutely everybody decided to go to the beach in the south of france. traffic was horrible in most towns so riding through them was everything but smooth. this is why i always believed, the best time to visit this area is september, when the weather is still nice and most vacationers are gone.

in biarritz, we avoided the grand plage and headed a little north, just in front of the hotel sofitel biarritz. this part of the beach was not too crowded and a little less rowdy than the main part of grand plage. if money is not a problem, do go to the hotel du palais for coffee, or a meal. the setting is quite interesting.

biarritz