Taking the Train to Santander
Last Updated on August 2, 2017 by lydiaf1963
The beaches of Spain are famous all over the world. Everyone knows about the wild and crazy beaches of Mallorca and the Costa Brava on the Mediterranean and for much of the year tourists flock to those areas to enjoy time in the sun. But Spain has over 5000 miles of coastline, much of it covered with soft, sandy beaches. On weekends during the months of July and August Renfe, the national train service, offers special train routes called “playeros” which carry people from the interior to the Spanish coasts. We had quite an adventure on the train to Santander this weekend.
The playero leaves Valladolid at 0750 and after a couple stops, arrives in Santander around 1130. A traveller has about 9 hours to hit the beach, explore the shops and enjoy a meal before catching the return train at 2020 and returning to Valladolid at 2350. It makes for a long day, but there’s so much to see and do in Santander that it would take a couple visits to do it justice.
We packed some sandwiches and snacks and filled our backpacks with towels and sunscreen anticipating a day of sunbathing. However, the north of Spain is notorious for its ever changing weather and it was misty and cool on the day we went. Luckily I had packed a pair of summer weight pants. They made a big difference. Rick ended up purchasing a long sleeved t-shirt.
The food came in handy as our train broke down about a half hour from our destination. The passengers took it all in stride and ate a snack and played cards while we waited for a repair train to make the trip from Santander to our location. I broke out my knitting and worked on my latest project.
The cooler weather turned out to be a blessing since without power there was no air conditioning. The engineers opened the doors of the train and allowed people to lean out and smoke if they wanted (obviously the engineer wanted a smoke). The main complaint was people were ready for their mid morning coffee and those who didn’t bring a thermos full were out of luck.
Eventually we were on our way again. The conductor came by and indicated on our tickets we were eligible for a refund, which also made everyone happy since the ticket is worth about as much as a nice meal, including wine and dessert.
Santander is an easy city to navigate on foot. We used Google maps to find the nearest Tourist Information office and once we got our bearings the tourist map was easy to follow. Since it was really too chilly for lounging on the beach we decided to meander the pedestrian paths around the waterfront. We walked past the ferry terminal where an overnight trip carries travellers to Plymouth, England. Along the way we encountered various statues, gardens, places to gather and places to eat.
There was a massive fire during the war years, and much of the old architecture was lost. The area near the cathedral is the oldest surviving section. The views of the beaches, the Bahia and the Cantabrian Sea are not hidden behind row upon row of condominiums and commercial buildings. The Avenida Reina Victoria is the scenic drive overlooking the beaches. There are staircases to descend to the soft sand beaches below, where a boardwalk connects one beach to the next.
We had a nice meal on the terrazo of the Restaurante Balneario la Magdalena; out of the drizzle, right on the beach with a misty view of the hills on the other side of the bay. We actually saw a few hardy souls go into the water. Rick eventually waded in, too. I was content to watch from a distance and keep the sand out of my shoes.
As mentioned, a single day wasn’t long enough to see everything. We missed the Palacio Real de La Magdalena and El Faro del Cabo Mayor, the lighthouse. When you get tired of walking, there are public busses and taxis to help you get around. The back of the tourist map had an easy to follow schema of the bus lines needed to get to various places of interest.
Taking the train to Santander was a fun, but long, day trip even with less than perfect weather. Fortunately, it was a short walk from the train station to our apartment. I was ready to get into my pajamas.
Photo Credits:
Playa Sardinero: By Pedro Lopez [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Playa de la Magdalena: ”City of Santander. Playa de la Magdalena”’ ==Datos de la fotografía== *Author: Year of the dragon *Date: 16 of March of 2005 *Camera: Canon EOS-300D *License: GNU FDL *Notes: Escalera de bajada a la Playa de la Magdalena
