After a lovely farewell dinner in Bilbao, we said a reluctant Adios! to our guide and new tour group friends, picked up our rental car and continued along the northern coast of Cantabria and Asturias. We traveled solo for a few days before beginning our second RS tour.
We savored the solitude of walking in dinosaur footprints on La Griega beach, viewing prehistoric cave art around Santillana del Mar and hiking all the way up to the chapel and ringing the bell at Gaztelugatxe, a “Game of Thrones” film location.
Museo de Jurasico near La Griega Beach has a large collection of interestingly displayed dinosaur skeletons in a unique huge wooden building shaped like a three-toed dinosaur foot. Kids/dino fans will love!
TIP: Visit famous Altamira Cave on a Friday morning for a chance to win a tour inside the actual cave! We didn't win but the perfect replica of the cave art did not disappoint. We went inside an actual cave and saw genuine prehistoric art at nearby Cueva de El Castillo.
We really enjoyed our stays in the small posadas in Asturias and Picos de Europa. Great home-cooked food and mountain views in a picturesque house at Caseria La Infiesta, hosts Juan and Maria-Jose created this modern/rustic getaway at the end of a winding road. A strikingly modern small inn and restaurant with wonderful views of peaks and hillsides accompanied the gentle sounds of cowbells at Hotel El Babu. And the homey family-run Posada Herran was a handy base for exploring nearby Altamira cave.
Driving in Spain was easier than expected: drivers stay to the right and speed limits are carefully signed. Highways are in good condition and the roundabouts keep things moving smoothly. We had an adventurous drive on a twisty mountain road with construction, livestock and zippy two-way-traffic!
Returned the rental car in Oviedo and flew to Barcelona five days before our My Way Spain tour started. We had extra time to tour fantastic Gaudi creations Casa Batllo, Casa Mila, Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell, as well as Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and Fundacio Joan Miro. Again, advance tickets are a must.
TIP: We enjoyed touring the Gaudi residence in Parc Guell: an austere, peaceful contrast to his wild modernisme designs and a quiet respite from the ever-crowded and popular park.
TIP: At Casa Batllo don’t miss the equally stunning if less dramatic modernisme masterpiece right next door: Casa Amatller. Designed by Josep Puig I Cadafalch for chocolatier Antoni Amatller it's filled with period details and appropriately, has a chocolate shop. Enjoy a deliciously rich hot chocolate along with the richly decorated architecture.
Took a day trip by train to visit the Salvador Dali Museum Theater in Figueres and Dali and Gala's home in scenic Port Lligat. It’s a long day out and back from Barcelona but worth it for Dali fans.
​
TIP: Hiring a cab for the trip between Figueres and Port Lligat worked well. Point-to-point transport from Museum to house to train station saved time and made it easy. We enjoyed the tour of Dali's charming and idiosyncratic home studio even more than the very popular museum.
