Last Days, Last Post, and Happy Birthday to Our Sam Man

Our last days here have been full of all kinds of wonderment.  First and foremost, Sam turned three (although he insists that he’s still two).  Here’s the beautiful boy on his birthday.

April 20, 2011

Last week all of Spain celebrated what is called Holy Week (Easter).  During Holy Week most everyone goes on vacation and so we did too.  We headed north for the Picos de Europa and wow wee what a gorgeous land it is up there.  I felt more at home here than anywhere else in Spain.

The limestone mountains are high, jutting gray rock that fade into the clouds in some places.  The streams cut steep defiles through the mountains and they are so clear, ice blue that I wanted to drink from them.  Purple heather was beginning to bloom and coloring whole mountainsides a soft rosy color.  Between the rock and water, it is green, a fresh spring green dotted with villages and wild flowers (primrose, orchids, gentians, saxifrage, Solomon’s seal…). In the villages, there are roses, calla lilies, orchards, gardens and lemon trees growing in people’s yards. The people of the Picos are tough, hard workers.  They are farmers who have been doing things the same way for decades.  The woman are sturdy and dignified, commanding respect and the men are romantic looking figures in caps, wool sweaters, wellies and crooks shepherding sheep, goats, or pretty brown cows down roads and through fields.  The cows wear bells around their necks that clang in the distance, a friendly sound in the mostly empty green pastures and mountains. 

The Roman bridge in Cangas de Onis, the town we stayed in

Primrose

Gentians

Lago de la Ercina

Wild daffodils

The roads!

Columbine

A wild hyacinth

Throwing rocks

Orchid

Taking a break

Love the cow bells

Ice blue water

Happy boys

There are caves everywhere and some, like this one, are used to age blue cheese,

a speciality of northern Spain

A short distance from the mountains is the northern coast of Spain.  It’s also breathtakingly beautiful.  We visited one beach with rock arches that frame the crashing wave behind it.  The beach also has soft sand beaches that invite running and skipping and twirling.

On our last day we went to a town called Fuenta De, which has a teleferico (cable car) that goes way, way, way up high.

The view from the top looking down to where we started from

Walking along the high peaks

Down in the meadow

It was a wonderful end to a very exciting part of our lives.  I have thought many times that we have been blessed on this trip, not only for the opportunity and for the good luck we’ve had along the way, but for the time we’ve had together as a family. 

That said, the day after tomorrow the boys and I fly back to Easton to our own house, garden, river, family and friends.  And we look forward to resuming our everyday adventures.  Best wishes to all.