After a few marvelous beachside days in Asturias, we made our way through the snaking mountain passes of the Picos down to the bordering province of Cantabria, where we were greeted by green mountains and friendly locals. During our three days in Fuente Dé we climbed mountains with a local Spanish guide, went canyoning and rappelled down waterfalls, and explored the historic pueblo of Potes.
The view of the Cantabrian mountains we trekked from our hotel room in Fuente Dé. Absolutely breathtaking.
The first night in Funte Dé we took the teleferico (funicular, or gondola) up to the peak of a nearby mountain, famous for its grand vistas and snowy peaks in the winter months. While the view was somewhat obscured by the fog, we all had fun exploring the top of the mountain and getting acquainted with our new terrain. And, luckily, we were able to see all the views the very next morning, as this is where we began our long trek through the Cantabrian mountains and then worked our way down through the hills. Here, our tour guide explained a question that we had all been asking: ¿Fuente Dé que? (“Fuente de” literally translates to “fountain of,” and we wanted to know: of what?) As we marched by the Rio Deva, our patient guide explained that the Dé is a shortened form for the name of the river that runs through the town.
During our stay in Fuente Dé, we also had the unique opportunity to partake in a local festival that happened to take place in a neighboring pueblito (small town). We all had a blast dancing to the beat of the Spanish music, partnering up for a merengue in the small crowded streets, and singing to La Bamba with the rest of the local revelers.
Afternoon fun on the playground between siesta and cena (dinner).
Our second day in the region was spent entirely in Potes, a charming medieval town located at the confluence of two rivers: the Deva and the Quiviesa. We arrived in town early, in time for the local morning market, and spent time wandering its cobbled streets. After a relaxing lunch on a terrace overlooking the river, we explored the town together and visited a museum dedicated to religious hispanic manuscripts.
The entire group gathered on a bridge in Potes (minus Camila, the photographer).
Some of the girls posed for a picture in the historic streets of Potes before dinner.
The third day began with an exciting session of barranquismo, or river canyoning. We started by donning heavy wetsuits to protect us from the cold river water, jumped into this adventure, and spent over two hours sliding down rock slides, plunging into deep pools of fresh water, and rappelling down waterfalls. Everyone who participated got soaking wet from head to toe, so there aren’t many photos of this activity but many memories were made!
The imposing Cathedral of Burgos, as seen through a stained-glass window.
After a highly enjoyable stay in Cantabria, we spent most of yesterday traveling down to Madrid by way of Burgos. We were lucky to maximize our travel time and spend a few hours exploring the famous Cathedral in Burgos, as well as enjoying some local Spanish tapas and stretching our legs before we arrived at our destination in the late afternoon. The long bus ride was also an opportunity to brush up on some Spanish language skills. Daniel and I focused on a few topics: reflexive verbs; the difference between saber and conocer; and yet another review of ser and estar.
Once in Madrid, some chose to take the opportunity to wash up (and wash their clothes) after dinner while others accompanied me for an evening stroll. Later, we watched a mid-summer storm roll in over our hotel. Everyone was impressed by the stunning lightning show, which mercifully brought the city temperature down by a few degrees.
Today was jam-packed full of learning and fun. A student will hopefully write more about the day’s adventures, but let me just mention that we were able to tour the Prado, cycle around the Retiro, and lunch on some tapas together into the late afternoon, whereupon some groups chose to take advantage of the many shops around town while others of us explored the busy city streets and contented ourselves with some ice cream and sight-seeing. Tomorrow we’re off to explore the historic city of Toledo, about an hour southwest of Madrid, where we’ll visit synagogues and churches, museums, and restaurants typical of the town.
Hasta pronto!
Camila y Daniel