Thousand miles, a thousand smiles

Personal Blog of a family reunion in the North of Spain

When I heard my sister was visiting Spain with mis sobrenos (nieces & nephews), I knew I had to try and visit them even if my car was off the road. My girlfriend Anna had yet to see my six month old niece Fiadh so we couldn't let the opportunity pass-by even if it was a thousand mile weekend drive.

Charlie checks out my motor.

My sister and brother-in-law had taken their camper to Cantabria but hopping down to Madrid was out of the question so we headed down to meet them at the Speed of Hertz.

Set your GPS on stun, we were off to Cantabria with stops at the Guggenheim Museum and Gernika to meet some of Anna´s friends from her time working in England.

The site of the infamous Civil War aerial bombing had been on my list of places to visit for a very long time and I was also hoping to see the Guernica tree.

Charlie checks out my rented motor.

QUEEN OF THE CASTLE: Anna relaxing at our rented accommodation

Based at a wonderful casa rural in Cantabria, Anna and I found ourselves at home in a colourful guesthouse near the coast and not far from the campsite.

Close to France, we were far from home but close to family.

Our Guest house, Posada Casa Rural Azaga

A long drive earned a quiet night's rest in this beautiful surrounding and we were lucky to get the last booking. In the morning Anna found a small snake at the door trying to get in. I've never seen a snake in my life and plan on keeping it that way but was surprised to learn that there are three different types of snakes in the area. Must be one of the snakes from Booking.com still trying to get our room.

My skin sheds at the thought of snakes.

Surrounded by nature and close to the coast we also got to enjoy the starry nights in Cantabria.

A quiet countryside scene.

Cyclists cycle by on the quiet country road.

There is much wildlife in Cantabria but only one I was concerned about.

Well three actually, here are two of them.

For the birds: Seagulls fly past our pathway.

Naturally we weren't there for sightseeing but we enjoyed our stay so much that I would return.

We travelled far to see family and it was worth every mile, when I saw my sobrinos´smiles.

Charlie with my godchild Tessa.

Young and old, Sean minds Fiadh

Fiadh and I.

Tessa and El Padrino, (The Godfather) funny how godfather in Spanish sounds like Al Pachino.

Seafood? all I do is see food.