Getting Lost in the Spanish Mountains

May 7, 2018
hotel del oso cosgaya cantabria spain flores flowers restaurante
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!
hotel del oso cosgaya cantabria spain flores flowers restaurante
hotel del oso cosgaya cantabria spain flores flowers restaurante
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. mogrovejo cantabria spain mountain house
mogrovejo cantabria spain mountain house
mogrovejo cantabria spain mountain housePOTES
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.
mirador santo toribio liebana potes cantabria vistas
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. potes cantabria spain mountain
potes cantabria spain mountain
potes cantabria spain mountain flores tienda flowerFUENTE 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.
hotel parador fuente dé habitacion vistas room view
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.fuente dé cantabria picos europa españa montaña teleferico aerial cable car spain mountain hotel parador
fuente dé cantabria picos europa españa montaña teleferico aerial cable car spain mountain
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.fuente dé cantabria picos europa españa montaña percheron
fuente dé cantabria picos europa españa montaña mastin perro pastor
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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potes cantabria mountains spain picos europa flores tienda flower hotel del oso cosgayaDON'T GO TO THE MOUNTAINS WITHOUT...

64 comments

  1. This place looks absolutely incredible and I love all of your photos, particularly the ones with all of the flowers!

    Heather xoxo
    https://www.hefafa.me.uk

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  2. What a beautiful hotel and place to stay! The village seems also more than very nice! I'm sure you had a great stay!

    https://4highheelsfans.wordpress.com/2018/05/03/chantilly-day-4-apotheosis/

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  3. What a stunning and idyllic place - wow - I would love to visit there! xx

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  4. It's gorgeous! The peaks are breathtaking, and the town is so quaint.
    I can see the Pyrénées from where we live and they are still covered with snow.

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  5. It looks so pretty there!! I love how charming, and cute the town is too.
    http://sugarcoatedbears.blogspot.com/

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  6. Harmony at Momma To GoMay 7, 2018 at 6:32 PM

    wow, I've actually never been to Spain - this looks so beautiful and idyllic. the flowers are so pretty!

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  7. Milena Milani BarrettMay 8, 2018 at 12:39 AM

    I have never been to this part of Spain. It is gorgeous! I'd chose this over a beach any day!

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  8. Beautiful pics. Thanks for sharing.

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  9. Patricia @ Grab a PlateMay 8, 2018 at 4:01 AM

    What amazing photos! I could totally relax for a few days in that setting!

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  10. Now this is a place I would want to live. Seriously it's gorgeous and the village is so quaint. Sounds like you had an amazing time. Thanks for sharing the pics!

    http://www.mylittlenest.org

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  11. Kelleyn RothaermelMay 8, 2018 at 9:48 AM

    I too am a beach girl over mountain, but this place is lovely. I have actually heard of it before. Going to bookmark if for later adventures.
    http://travelingbugwiththreeboys-kelleyn.blogspot.ae/2018/05/tiptoeing-through-tulip.html

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  12. Wow the pictures are so nice !
    https://thefrenchiestblog.wordpress.com

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  13. Wow, amazing photos and what a lovely place! It sounds like you had a great time!

    Maureen | www.littlemisscasual.com

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  14. Thanks, Heather! Give me pretty houses and flowers and I'm happy!

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  15. Visit, if you ever have the chance. Totally worth it :)

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  16. You live in a beautiful place too :)

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  17. OMgosh no wonder you didn't want to leave here! It's STUNNING!!! Loveing all the florals, cute villages and amazing landscape! #CityTripping

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  18. That photo at the top of the mountain is incredible! Was it nerve wracking at all to take the aerial cable car up there?

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  19. Yes, it's definitely a place to unwind!

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  20. Me too! I'd love to spend long periods of time there. Kind of a retreat

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  21. We did, Maureen! Wait to see the rest of the pics from the trip :)

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  22. These photos are gorgeous!! I have yet to leave the U.S. but I very much hope to someday soon. I dream of vacations like this!

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  23. Wow! it's beautiful there! Look at those flowers and cute houses!

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  24. I'm a big city and beach person as well, but I would love to visit this place.
    #MondayEscapes

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  25. A beautiful place to get lost! Lovely photos. Thanks for sharing with us at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2018/05/strange-sights.html

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  26. This is so gorgeous!! And what a charming little town! Always love your travel pictures :)

    Katherine | www.oneswainkycouple.com

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  27. Such stunning views and the blooms - everything looks so picturesque there!! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  28. OK, adding this place to my bucket list (pinning too!) So beautiful!!

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  29. The flowers! The shepherd dog! The cute towns! Love it all. Glad you had a great time in the mountains. The scenery really is breathtaking.
    -Kristin
    countdowntofridayblog.com

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  30. Everything looks absolutely breathtaking, I would love to visit!

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  31. Thanks a lot! I wish I had a house around there for a retreat every now and then.

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  32. It's not the first time I take one, so I wasn't nervous. But I was glad the trip was only 3 minutes long ;)

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  33. You must come to Spain, I'm sure you'd love it

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  34. I'm so in love with the place too!

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  35. This looks like such a beautiful place. I am so in love with all the architecture and those brilliantly colored flowers!

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  36. This looks beautiful! Every now and then it's so nice to have a quiet small town vacation.

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  37. Beautiful!! I love how peaceful and beautiful it looks there.

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  38. This looks absolutely amazing! i wish i could visit one day

    Lesley Kim

    New post: Maximizing Space

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  39. Oh my gosh, this is beautiful! I've never been to Europe, but would love to go one day.

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  40. Omg sounds like a nice and relaxing time! Gorgeous photos.

    http://myclusterofthoughts.com/

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  41. A gorgeous place! Thanks for sharing this beautiful town with us!

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  42. Wow, those flowers look so beautiful!
    www.thesweetestclementine.com

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  43. Lovely photos, I’d love to explore more of north west Spain.

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  44. What a gorgeous place!!!

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  45. I've been living in Spain for two years, but still have not explored this region much. It really does look like an absolute dream! Thanks for linking up with Ada and I for the Thursday Moda linkup!

    Nina
    aworldofdresses.com

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  46. Oh my gosh I want to go there so bad! Beautiful pictures! Thanks for joining us at our style wise link up this week!
    Cheryl
    www.northwestmountainliving.com

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  47. It's so beautiful! The flowers, the foggy views, the water, and that awesome dog! You would have had to drag me away as well! #CityTripping

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  48. I my goodness! What a stunning place! So dreamy! So beautiful! I would love to go there someday!

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  49. These pictures are beautiful! I am more of a mountain girl than a beach girl and would love to visit these mountains!

    http://www.mylittlenest.org

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  50. Oh my goodness! This town looks like something from a fairytale. Those mountains are stunning. Would love to visit this charming place!

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  51. http://ladyfi.wordpress.comMay 13, 2018 at 2:03 PM

    Wow - gorgeous shots. Love those stone houses.

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  52. I wouldn't mind getting lost in that place too, such a gorgeous place! It has the most amazingly relaxing view.

    Jessica | notjessfashion.com

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  53. These pictures are stunning Christina! I love stone houses. The landscape looks amazing as well. sounds like your stay was heavenly! i am more of a mountain girl than a beach girl. Not that i would turn down either one!
    Thanks for linking!
    jess xx
    www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com

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  54. This looks like the perfect place to get lost!

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  55. Looks so idyllic. I used to watch Heidi when I was a child too. I didn’t realise a movie version had been filmed!

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  56. This looks just beautiful and idylic. I too loved Heidi as a child and quite fancy showing the movie version to the girls this weekend and then taking them to see the villages. Your photography is beautiful. Thanks for linking up to Monday Escapes.

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  57. Such a charming little town! I love the photos and beautiful scenery. It is fun to sometimes visit a place outside our norm. Thanks for linking up with Fabulous Friday!

    Jennie - A Pocketful of Polka Dots

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  58. Wow, just wow, this place looks absolutely incredible and so picturesque! The mountains in the background are so beautiful as well.

    Julia // The Sunday Mode

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