Getting Lost in the Spanish Mountains

I've always chosen beach over mountain and big city over small town, so I never thought I would feel so blissful in the mountain. The three days we spent in the northern Spanish region of Cantabria feel like a dream. The landscapes and stone houses seemed taken from the unforgettable cartoon we watched as kids, Heidi.

Just before arriving at our hotel we saw the magnificent Hotel del Oso from our car and we had to stop. We felt we had been bewitched by the sight of an impressive stone building with the most colorful flower pots and pretty garden. I had not seen a place this idyllic since we visited Switzerland. We would stop at this place again on our last day to have lunch before setting off to Madrid. My husband had to drag me away from this place. I didn't want to leave!

There's much more to see in Cantabria. This part of the region is in the National Park of Picos de Europa. It was the first National Park of Spain, and it was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 2003 by the UNESCO. 

We arrived on a rainy afternoon at Parador de Fuente Dé, our hotel. The place is famous for its magnificent views and for being right next to the aerial cable car that takes you to the top of the mountain. The bad weather didn't keep us from exploring the area. After a traditional (and hearty) Cantabrian lunch, we started by visiting the closest villages.

MOGROVEJO

A charming little village full of stone houses with wooden balconies most of which were built in the 16-18th centuries. The breathtaking backdrop of the Picos de Europa mountain range is the icing on the cake.

A real life movie version of Heidi starring Bill Nighy and Arthur Weasley was actually shot in this village a year ago. 

POTES

Right next to the charming town of Potes you'll find the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liebana and a vantage point with breathtaking views. The monastery was founded prior to the 6th century and it venerates that largest piece of the cross upon which Jesus was crucified discovered in Jerusalem by Saint Helena of Constantinople.

Potes is another small town in the heart of the Picos de Europa. A river runs through the town with a lovely small stone bridge crossing it. Potes is a good town stocking up on provisions since it's the biggest place around. 

FUENTE DÉ

Our favorite part of the hotel room was the window terrace. Every morning the cowbells woke us up and we opened the curtains to see cows and sheep grazing on the hillside, a bucolic landscape that we'll never forget.

We just had one thing left to do on our last day: take the aerial cable car to the top of the mountain. Fortunately, this was the day with the best weather. When we woke up there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Even though it was the 1st of May it had snowed the night before, the snow made the landscape even more beautiful.

After that we took our last walk around the meadow and spent some time with the horses and sheep that were peacefully grazing surveilled by the shepherd dog.

In the next few weeks I'm going take you to the capital city of Cantabria, Santander and more fairy tale places like Comillas and Santillana del Mar. Stay tuned.

xo Cristina

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