Impulsive Christmas Trip

[LadyC]

Both rooms had balconies.... I guess this is why they labelled the rooms Panoramica.

What a spectacular vista - just gorgeous. Looks like a lovely place to stay. Were there many other activities to do - hiking or bike trails?

 

[amaroo]

The resort’s location is excellent for exploring by horse, bike, hiking, and car. It’s on the doorstep of Picos de Europa .... an outdoor enthusiasts paradise.

For our day in the park we drive to Covadonga (blue circle ... black circle is the resort), next was a drive up to see the lakes of Covadonga (green circle), then we drive to the coast for a stickybeak and finally back to the resort for drinks and dinner.



It was a chilly, but beautiful day to be out and about.





Basílica de Santa Maria la Real de Covadonga



Our lady of Covadonga ... Shrine to the Virgin Mary.

Covadonga was the spot back in 720AD where the Moorish invasion of Spain was first resisted .... a statue of the Virgin Mary was hidden in a cave, and was believed to be the reason they were successful in this particular battle.







This place must get super busy in the high season. We passed many empty parking lots miles and miles away from where we parked in town. There are some benefits coming in the low season.

 

[Jim Walsh]

Interesting presentation

 

[amaroo]

Interesting presentation

Thought the same. BTW it was delivered to the table with all that salt .... bit OTT for me. A quick scrape solved that issue.

 

[amaroo]

Driving up to the lakes of Covadonga. Reading the signs I’d say driving is restricted in the high seasons and you would need to park and catch a bus. The road is pretty narrow in places with most turns having no barriers - stunning drive with awesome views!

The lakes of Covadongo are two glacial lakes at just over 3500 ft above sea level.





Our hire car. Large enough for the four of us to be comfortable .... including the few hundred kilos of luggage we drag around with us.

 

[amaroo]

Beautiful place on a gorgeous day.

 

[ellen10]

Great photos and great weather you had!

 

[amaroo]

We then drove to the coast and the seaside town of Llanes. A very picturesque fishing village.





They must cop a real hiding in the storm season .... these concrete blocks were huge.



Saw these in a deli .... it’s a local favourite, beans and different types of meat.





Back at the resort it was on the menu, so I thought I’d give it a go ... not bad!



That wrapped up our day in the park. This area is beautiful and well worth taking the time to stop for a few days and take it all in.

 

[amaroo]

Salamanca is next on list. A 4 hr drive south ... the road infrastructure on this drive is spectacular. Tunnel after tunnel, massive bridges - absolute bargain at just under €14 toll .... but bugger all traffic using it. I think the locals avoid toll roads, and governments are addicted to building them.





Our hotel in Salamanca - Hotel Rector

Our room - Suite Deluxe

 

[amaroo]

The kids room - Deluxe Room







Breakfast was a nice selection with eggs cooked anyway you liked.



Very nice hotel in a great location. They were very helpful with recommendations and local knowledge.

 

[amaroo]

We arrived late in the afternoon, after checking in we took off for our first look around town.

Salamanca is a very pretty town.

 

[Daver6]

I need to stop reading this thread just before meal time.

 

[ellen10]

Oh my Salamanca does look impressive. I can't fit all these places into my visit in October. Too many choices.

 

[amaroo]

We stayed out and had to fill in time until the restaurants opened at 8:30pm ... even at 8:30 this place was reluctant to start trade.

A few G&Ts at a bar up the road filled the time in perfectly.

iPan iVino - fantastic meal. No hesitation recommending this one.

 

[amaroo]

Salamanca is a uni town and has the third oldest university in the world. University of Salamanca was founded in 1134 as a Cathedral School and was given the Royal Charter of foundation In 1218.

We attempted to do the tour, however they only conducted tours in Spanish and despite my best efforts they just wouldn’t budge in letting us pay and do the tour...

We were however allowed to pay and walk up the bell tower....

 

[amaroo]

Convento de San Esteban

Founded 1256, but this building dates from around 1524... stunning property.

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks for more great photos. I personally think that Salamanca had the most attractive collection of buildings in such a small area of any of the Spanish towns we visited.

I hope you visited the Art Deco & Art Nouveau Museum just across the road from your hotel.

 

[amaroo]

Salamanca Cathedral..... actually two of them. The Old and New.

The New Cathedral - dated 1513







The Old Cathedral - dated 12 century

 

[amaroo]

You can walk on the roof and up to the bell tower - our second bell tower for the day.



Part of the track up allows you to access the higher floors of the Cathedral providing a nice view of the interior.



You can see the university bell towers on the left that we climbed earlier in the day.

 

[amaroo]

They’ve got excellent traffic control for the last section up to the bell tower. Timed one way traffic changing every 5 minutes.