While I suspect there wouldn’t be many who’ll go to Santander as visiting tourists, I’ll still post about a great meal I had after another lengthy Northern Spain hike last month, for posterity.
We stopped for a couple of nights at Santander to be able to catch a flight out to our next destination.
Bodega Cigaleña is an old-world-wine-enthusiast destination. A big plus are the delicious French-inspired dishes that are so very wine-friendly. Highly recommended.
Very nice. Were you on the Camino?
Yes, I was.
Cool! My son was on the Camino from May 12-23. I met up with him afterward and we visited Northern Spain.
I WANT TO DO THE CAMINO 
My 2nd time in 8 months. Terrific foods and wines at locals prices. A great way to pass time for those that are bored and in-between jobs. I’ll probably do again sometime soon.
I did the trek-and-bike combo the first time last year for 500+ miles. I hiked just the 120 Km northern route last month and my wife flew in to meet up at Santiago de Compostela.
My son did ~165 Km of the Camino Frances with 15 fellow college students as part of a Camino-centric Spanish class. I met him in Madrid the day his cohort was flew back to the states. We then went to Burgos, San Sebastian, and Logrono.
That smile!
Santander is a beautiful city. When I was in between my sophomore and junior years in college, I had the opportunity to do a summer abroad in Spain and live with a family immersed in the Spanish culture…or…take Spanish 3 in class. I was lucky enough that my folks sprung for the summer abroad option and I got to live with a beautiful young family for 5 weeks in Santander. I thoroughly enjoyed the city and the easy access to other nearby beautiful areas (and some that were further away). I have so many fond memories of the area and haven’t been back since then, so this story made me smile…and want to get back there soon and eat here! Cheers!
Do it!
I did it for the food-and-wine vacations while getting some exercise. Expected hiking-cycling fun and the experiences were over and above expectations. Done it twice just in 7 months and will likely go back sooner rather than later.
I would love to do it w Nolita. Maybe when she’s graduates from college next year.
I don’t have the guts to do it alone.
Nolita is a nice name. You may already know it, but in NYC, it’s the official name of a neighborhood that’s short for North of Little Italy. 
Yes, 
but her real name is Nola Teresa. As a Spaniard, the tradition follows naming the son after the father and the daughter after the mother. Her nickname is Nolita after me, but with the diminutive “ita” indicating, Little Nola. In reality though, she is much more like her father in character, thinking, looks and so many other ways. 
