24 September
We left Bilbao on a gray but dry Tuesday morning in a rental car, a black low-end SEAT (the Spanish VW subsidiary) that is adequate but nothing special (I think Jerome is a bit disappointed that it isn't snazzier). We weren't going far, just crossing from the Basque provinces into the next region westward, Cantábria. The first leg of the trip was freeway, but after we passed Santander, we hooked onto secondary roads that led us past the caves at Altamira to the coast. Life immediately calmed down.
We are housed for these five nights in Pechón, a tiny town perched on a headland between two rivers that each have their own municipalities: San Vicente de la Barquera to the east, and Unquero to the west. Pechón has a year-round population of 200 that swells to 800 with summer vacationers from Madrid (Torrey residents will recognize the pattern). It is clearly already post-season, since three of the five restaurants in town are closed, as well as the only grocery store. We are in a lovely, modern hotel with semi-apartments, meaning that we have a mini-kitchen and don't have to depend on eating out. Both San Vicente and Unquera are provisioning centers, not only for the surrounding villages but also for pilgrims on the Camino and for hikers in the nearby national parks. There is a local pastry called a
corbata (necktie) that consists of an elongated rectangle of flaky pastry topped with meringue below the "knot" at one end. I'll try to get a photo.
Our activities here are fairly focused. Jerome is doing research into the phenomenon of nineteenth and twentieth century immigrants who left Spain for the "new world" (3 million between 1880 and 1930) and then returned when the depression hit the western hemisphere. Collectively, they are known as "Indianos" and the wealthiest of them came back to build distinctive houses that blend the architecture of the Americas with Iberian influences. These also are called
Indianos, or
casas Indianas. We first saw some last year when we were in this region, and Jerome has been investigating them ever since. Colombres, a town a few kilometers from Pechon, is home to the archives of the records and research into the people and their houses. Jerome spent this morning there. I stayed in Pechón, photographing and beginning to paint some of the textures and patterns around the village. We will repeat this pattern in the days to come.
In addition, there are caves of prehistoric art nearby, which interest both of us, and we plan some excursions there. Historic sites seem to skip from the prehistoric to the medieval (San Vicente has a lovely castle), with no sign of Romans or Visigoths, but we have not explored in depth, yet. I will report in the days to come.
West of Pechon, San Vicente de la Barqueira is a fishing port on the camino lebaniego, the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela that hugs the north coast (see the map in the photos via the link below). With its medieval castle topping its low hill, and medieval walls scattered around the pleasant contemporary small city, San Vicente had plenty to show us on three different visits (including a regional gin!), and as I have mentioned, delicious food to feed us.
Photos are at https://plus.google.com/u/0/113886039316216265781/posts/Zq5vSJJGfpD?pid=6063379710870501538&oid=113886039316216265781
West of Pechon, San Vicente de la Barqueira is a fishing port on the camino lebaniego, the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela that hugs the north coast (see the map in the photos via the link below). With its medieval castle topping its low hill, and medieval walls scattered around the pleasant contemporary small city, San Vicente had plenty to show us on three different visits (including a regional gin!), and as I have mentioned, delicious food to feed us. 