June 5th ~ Matriku

Another dull overcast day , and we planned a longish leg tp about 50km West of San Sebastian in the Basque country. We passed through one of our favourite places to Camp and visit – San Vincente de la Barquera, with its bridges, lagoons and attractive old city.First stop for coffee was the village of Comillas, with its medieval centre, featuring the Iglesia de San Cristobal and a number of old sandstone houses with flower decked timber balconies. The village was really busy, and there appeared to be a major event in the main square, with a stage and an array of chairs, and National TV cameras, for what appeared to be a live draw of the National Lottery “El Gordo”. After having coffee, we wandered around the village and its many sights, culminating in Antoni Gaudi’s “Capricho, a flamboyant folly of a huge mansion covered in sunflower motifs on a green background. (Gaudi was the architect of the great unfinished cathedral in Barcelona).

We stopped off for lunch at Santillana del Mar in an unattractive lay-by, scarred by a recent fire. Afterwards , we read in the Rough Guide : This medieval jewel has been casting its spell over visitors since it was declared a National monument in 1889” “You could easily drive through Santillana del Mar and never know what exists off the main road. Don’t make that mistake..........oh well, how sad, never mind....next time a must !!

On to Castro Urdiales, a “ typical Spanish fishing village” we had planned to visit on our mini cruise to Bilbao in November 2009 (cancelled due to bad weather). We eventually found the old town and the Iglesia de Santa Maria, a huge 13th Century church of Cathedral-like proportions, also linked to a small Castello, which formed a barrier against sieges, but allowed escape via the sea.

The sun finally came out on the last leg to Matriku, a small picturesque Basque fishing village, with the campsite is high above the village. Its street wind tortuously down to a small harbour – how do we know this ? – we walked down after dinner (in the van) , and walked back after an hour , and yes, it was torture! Like many places in this part of the Basque country, Matriku had an “edge” to it, mainly due to the locals being quite unfriendly. Spent rest of evening trying to find where to go and what to do tomorrow!