Santillana Del Mar to Comillas. 12.1 miles
Hotel el Tejo Comillas, clean, nice rooms, seems to do a really good job with quiet between rooms – a first! Super nice front desk person who sent us to a great lunch.
I got up early and explored the town while it was quiet. Just the streets alone are incredibly beautiful – and the walls – all of it. The whole town looks like this an it goes on much more than you’d expect.
Wow, don’t know why but I hit such a wall today. Had a really hard time keeping going, ate all my strategy protein, energy, drinks, etc. Rick hit a wall yesterday, glad we didn’t have it the same day!
Today was a wonderful hike (aesthetically). We copied yesterday and took a taxi for the first 2-3 miles and the taxi drive again said, no, I should drop you here, it’s a better place. And he was right. We got off the main roadway onto a country lane and that was the main walking, plus some dirt roads, a bit of beach, a bit of trail above the beach. Just really pretty. Rick said it reminded him of the Camino Frances – with the variety of rural backroads.
As I’m walking, just looking and exploring, I see things and stories just start. Like this one. Why the brick? Why there? Why stone after? And I can come up with whole stories of relationships, left overs made useful, so many possibilities because of an odd wall.
Different views:
Out of the blue, this little scene – looking toward the water, the sign said: Bank of Equality In Ruiloba, there is no place for violence. Healthy and respectful relationships.
Then, total surprise, we came into the town Comillas and it was full of life. A bunch of stalls set up in the main plaza, a lot of people walking and talking throughout, a small tight town up and down the hills, but so much more active and lived in than a lot of the other towns we’ve gone through. And the buildings! My goodness, one gorgeous building after another. Evidently this became quite a heyday in the late 1880’s and people brought their architects with them to build summer houses and palaces. Mountains to hike in, beach just below on the other side of town.
Here’s just one of the many interesting pretty places, the old blended into the new.
All I wanted to do was lie down, but I knew I wanted to explore a bit. I took a quick shower to try to revive and then we went out for a great lunch. I’m clearly becoming inured to the quantity of animals I’m eating over here. This fish didn’t even faze me. Rick and I both are aiming for pure veggies when we get back.
We then walked up to and toured the Capricho de Gaudi (Gaudi’s whim)- one of his first buildings where he was given free reign and it showed a lot of what was to come from his designs.
It was lovely, small, but so clever with space use and design. It was the summer house of the local Marquis, who was his main patron.
We also walked by the main house of the Marquis. He was 14 when his father died and went to Cuba to build a life and started a shipping business with one ship. What it didn’t say and I was assuming after our Black history tour in Madrid, was that his main business to start was probably the slave trade. No signs anywhere said this around his property buildings, but our guidebook said the slave trade was the main source of his money. Later it was steam ships and banking.
He did have style – both with enjoying Gaudi’s creativity for his summer house and then building the gorgeous Sobrellano palace and an accompanying chapel (looked like a full size church to us) for his family. He also wanted to build a seminary to train priests and to support the poor in getting an education, per the notes near his building. Wikipedia said he was pressured by a Jesuit and agreed to finance the building of the Seminario Pontificio. So interesting how history is written. He died before the official ground breaking, but his son completed the project.
This is the chapel
We couldn’t get over to these buildings, but they were spectacular from a distance. Again, our guide book said that the school was acclaimed for its seminary, focus on cannon law, music school and choir. But the school was moved to Madrid in 1964 and it’s been empty since. Really? It’s so gorgeous, hard to believe. Nope – that was an old note. The updated history reflects what the woman at the front desk told us. But it was all in Spanish and I thought maybe I misunderstood. Happily, no, got almost all of it!.
The academic activities of Comillas Foundation are an University Degree in Hispanic Studies and Master in Teaching Spanish as Foreign Language. Besides that, the foundation provides forums and seminars related with Spanish language and culture. Comillas Foundation headquarters is situated at the former Comillas Pontifical University building. Until now, the activities of the foundation were held at the Sobrellano Palace, a few hundred yards from the future location, until the restoration of the buildings are concluded. From May 2010, Comillas’ Foundation activities take place in an historical building entirely renovated.
In addition, there is a food bank and supports for the local people who are struggling. So – yay – happy buildings with a purpose again.
We came back to the room and I went into cocoon mode.
Reb's Walks! 