Path of the Pilgrims. part 2
Day 4
In the morning we went to Santander, the center of Cantabria autonomy.
This is a large port city, stretching along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean with numerous parks and beaches, passenger ferries depart from here to the UK.
Of the sights we visited the Royal Palace of La Magdalena (they are not allowed inside) and the park around.
Royal Palace
The beaches of Santander
In the old town, I will highlight the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin (12-14 centuries)
Cathedral inside
On the streets of Santander
On the streets of Santander
Then we were brought to the town of Santillana del Mar,
the Spaniards joke that this is the city of "three lies" (by name): there are no saints, the sea and it is not on the plain). However, this is an obligatory place for visiting pilgrims, here on the pavements and walls there is often a sign of Jacob - a shell. the town itself is small, practically retaining its ancient appearance. There I bought a souvenir as a keepsake - a Spanish black bull (during the reign of Franco, metal silhouettes of bulls were placed on the hills throughout Spain, but the Catalans hate everything Spanish and it is considered a special chic for them to somehow get close to a bull and saw off his personal belongings).
Then we were taken to the cave of Altamira. There they found rock carvings of people and animals, which are 14 centuries old. The caves themselves are closed, the Spaniards built an exact copy of the cave and lead tours there. I consider it a form of swindle - to take money for copies. So I didn't take any photos.
The whole group was disappointed.
Our itinerary of the day ended in Comillas, a small coastal town. However, there are many remarkable buildings, the main of which is "El Caprichio" by the great Gaudi.
Entrance is paid, but it's worth it, not many buildings Gaudí built.
Original balcony
Sunflowers are the main decor theme
Fence
In the garden
View from the garden
And here is the great Gaudi sitting on a bench and looking at his masterpiece
There is a large Pontifical University in the town.
We did not reach it, due to lack of time
The next day of the trip ended on a good note.
Day 5
We spent two nights in Gijon (according to the local Gijon), a rather large Asturian city and port. But it was impossible to inspect it, because they left early, and returned already dark.
Here are some morning photos that I managed to take before the bus left
On this day the weather was sunny and the first city of the trip was the ancient city of Oviedo, the capital of Asturias.
First, the local guide took us to the mountain, where the UNESCO monument church - St. Maria Naranco (before that the building was the palace of the king of Asturias) of the 9th century.
The entrance to the inside is paid - 2 euros,
but there is absolutely nothing to see, everything is empty
The mountain offers a wonderful view of Oviedo. The white wing stands out for another masterpiece of Calatrava - the Palace of Congresses, although he made mistakes in the design and the construction company rebuilt some elements and filed a lawsuit against the architect for exceeding the estimate. The court awarded the architect to pay the construction company as much as 3 million euros.
Here is the Palace itself
Then we visited the main cathedral of Asturias - the Gothic Cathedral of the Savior (San Salvador) of the 14-16th centuries. Christ.
It is kept in a casket and is only opened three times a year. In addition, sacred Spanish relics are also stored there: two crosses, the Cross of Victory - the symbol of Asturias, with which the Spaniards defeated the Arabs at Covadonga and the Cross of Angels - the symbol of Oviedo
Victory Cross
Cask with Sudar
Cross of Angels
The Cathedral from the inside
The Cathedral from the inside
Cathedral. Appearance
The city left the most joyful impressions. Clean, bright, lots of good shops.
Next to the old buildings there are many modernist monuments where tourists like to take pictures:
It's a sin not to steal a suitcase from such an open guy!
And here is Woody Allen walking around the city, which he loves very much and shoots in his films
Where did this group of naked people go?
Streets of Oviedo
And here is the neo-Romanesque church of San Juan El Rial, early 20th century:
Unfortunately, our acquaintance with Oviedo ended there, because we were taken away for lunch. The dinner turned out to be very rich and, in pursuit, we were treated to cider from a special device: the bottle was fixed on a rack about 2 m high, and from there the cider was poured into a glass. Locals believe that this is the only way to drink cider, because it is saturated with air bubbles and gives the best taste. For me, wine is better.
After lunch we were taken to a sacred place for all Spaniards - Cavadonga. This is like the Borodino field or the Kulikovo field for Russia. For a long time, Spain was conquered by the Arabs (I note that the Arabs did not prevent the Spaniards from observing religious rites, unlike the Spanish Inquisition, which severely punished the infidels until the 19th century). At Cavadonga, the Spaniards won a historic victory, which marked the beginning of the Reconquista (liberation of Spain from the Arabs). The troops were commanded by the Asturian king Pelayo, who is buried in a cave in the mountains.
Chapel with Pelayo's grave
View of the cave from the foot
At the foot of the mountain
There is a Pelayo statue and the 19th century St. Mary's Basilica nearby.
The day ended with a visit to the nearby town of Cangas de Onis, founded after the Battle of Cavadonga by King Pilayo. We can say that it was the first capital of Spain (50 years until 774). The town is very picturesque with a wonderful bridge of the 14th century, which adorns the Victory Cross
Church of the 60s of the 20th century
And this is an example of a colonial-style house. Many Spaniards returning home from the "New World" built such houses
