SANTANDER (Day One)
Yesterday afternoon we arrived in Santander, on the Northern coast of Spain and the captain revealed his cunning plan to evade the encroaching storms. That being to leave early Friday morning and coast hop to Vigo.
A quiet night ensued. No-one was allowed ashore due to the short notice but this morning access was granted by the local authorities, and it was business as usual – all be it in a location that no-one quite expected.
After a leisurely breakfast in the grill we headed ashore, to see what Santander has to offer. After googling what to do here, the Magdalena Peninsula and palace kept coming to the top of the lists, so with the help of Maps.Me, that’s where we headed.
Our walk proved enjoyable and fulfilling. When we arrived at the peninsula, we stood for a long while watching the wild waves crash against the rocky headland pointing out to open sea. Just off the coast we could see a lighthouse on a small island, both of which were being engulfed from time to time by by giant waves. We also watched a couple of trawlers head out of the harbour, bouncing around on the rolling incoming waves, and mentally counted our blessings; the Spirit of Discovery could easily cope with those waves, but the passengers most certainly could not (not without injury, that’s for sure).
At the tip of the land, the palace was as impressive as advertised. The peninsula is clearly an area of recreation and relaxation for the locals, and a small café provided us with lunch. We ordered Spanish Omelette but when it came, it wasn’t anything like what we’d expected. Sure enough it was an omelette, but it was cold and stuffed into a crusty roll. Being Spanish Omelette meant there were potatoes in it, and the whole thing wasn’t small, which made it quite hard work. Not unpleasant… just not quite what we expected.
When we got back to the ship we enjoyed a cup of tea in the living room followed by a long nap in the cabin. At 6pm the captain updated us on the plan.
And the plan has changed…
Vigo is now off the table, and we’ll be spending two more days in Santander, leaving in the early hours of Sunday.
Unfortunately, there’s more…
The decision has been taken to drop the Cape Verde islands…
… The primary reason why many will have booked this cruise in the first place…
Oo er….
Watch this space….
It being formal night, we went to watch Phillip Browne in the Britannia Lounge after our dinner – a fine singer, with an outstanding voice and impressive back-catalogue of stage work including ‘The Lion King’.
