Sunday 6 September 2009

Sunday Mornings: Coffee, Reflections and Music


If the better way to get to know a big city like New York or London is in the back of a yellow taxi or black cab respectively whilst talking to the - sometimes - affable driver, then the better way to become acquainted with a little town like Isla, in the province of Cantabria, northern Spain, is by talking to the local bookshop owner. And Jesús guided me marvellously through the history and culture of this lesser known area of the Hispanic nation (by the way, why is it that I've never met someone called Jesus in an English-speaking country? Just a thought).

But it was not amongst his more than 40,000 volumes that I first came across Jesús. It was rather whilst he was fulfilling another of his many functions, that of parking attendant. On our first night in Isla, we went out for a bite and had difficulty finding a spot where to park our car. Jesús came to our rescue and pointed at a space that was available. Later I discovered that he was also the local historian and I would not have been surprised if he'd told me that he also delivered the post and did the plumbing for the entire village.

Cantabria is dream of a place. Nestled between the fiercely nationalistic Basque Country to the east and the little-visited region of Asturias to the west, this province has dramatic landscapes, superb beaches and a rich pre-Roman and Celtic culture. Against the usual sun-lounging outdoor life of the Mediterranean, Cantabria looks more conservative and reserved, yet, travellers, beware, for this is a red herring. Raucous tapas bars and cafes decorate their avenues whilst bears and wolves still roam free in the surrounding mountains. Seventy beaches embellish its coast so for the fussy visitor there's plenty to choose from.

According to the local bookshop owner, Jesús, Cantabria leans more towards loyalty to the Spanish Crown than territories like Galicia or the Basque Country. Its main industries are fishing, agriculture and cattle-rearing and you can see immediately why: greenness is everywhere and its coast is largely unspoilt.

A quick check through one of the guides that the owners of the appartment where we stayed had left for us, suggested that driving was recommended. And it is now my turn to do the same favour to anyone thinking of paying a visit to this region of Spain. Please, do hire a car and head for the mountains or the beach, you won't be disappointed. I know that that doesn't sound too eco-friendly or 10:10 but it is just an idea. Alternatively you could borrow a bike for free from the council-run cycling-programme, a brilliant initiative that I would love to see replicated in the UK, especially beyond London. Unfortunately at the moment they don't have bikes for children in Cantabria.

As I mentioned before, driving was strongly recommended and one of the reasons is the road infrastructure. Signs were most of the time accurate and helpful and the state of the motorways was excellent. In fact, there will be three special editions of 'Road Songs' based on my travels around the Cantabrian province. The other reason for getting behind the wheel is the scenery as in when we went west to Picos de Europa.

The way this geographical barrier unveils its beauty to the traveller is the same flirtatious way in which some people unmask their names to strangers in a party: letter by letter and encouraging the other person to have a guess. You know the game, although if your moniker is Jo or Sam, you're out after the second vowel/consonant. Polish names and those from the subcontinent definitely get thumbs-up, especially the former with its various consonants crowding together around each other. Picos de Europa does the same trick. Already, when you get to Unquera you see them in the distance, their peaks reaching up high, trying to tickle the sky's belly. As you enter El Desfiladero de la Hermida (Hermida's Gorge) the landscape begins to change and the temperature gets colder. Along the road the Deva river is visible most of the time and there are stops on the way up where you can rest and dip you toes in its clear waters. The end of the route is Fuente Dé, a cable car station whose name always elicits the same question from Spanish speakers: ¿De qué? The place takes its name after the first syllable of the Deva river.

Once there we decided to take a short walk (average trek lasts more than two hours and we did not have much time) nearby. We were regaled with magnificent views of the lush Cantabrian and Asturian regions.

It was at the end of this journey to Picos de Europa that the culinary highlight of my holiday happened. Stopping in Panes on the way back we had our dinner in a beautiful and family-friendly restaurant. If there is an aspect on which I always like to remark is Spaniards' passion for food. And on this occasion I had Fabada Asturiana (what else but? We were in Asturias after all). This is a thick soup of fabas (big white beans) with pieces of black pudding, bacon and chorizo thrown in. And as you have probably guessed by now that will be my first recipe for my next Food, Music column.

If Picos de Europa was worth the almost two-hour drive there and back, then the city of Castro-Urdiales was just as pleasant a place to visit. In the total opposite direction, east, this former colony of the Roman empire has pride of place in the Cantabrian heart. It is a very dynamic city whose main industry is fishing. Needless to say, the cod I had that night had been freshly caught that morning. Its medieval castle, which since 1853 has also doubled up as lighthouse, is testamente to the rich history of the region, from withstanding and later submitting to the attack by Napoleon's forces to its use as a jail during the Franco years.

This is but a snippet of my recent sojourn in Spain. Everytime I go I feel much closer to its people, its customs and its cuisine. There will be more features focusing on areas like language, photography, music and cooking. And remember, next time you go to a small town, find the local bookshop owner, pronto. By the way, I bought eight or nine titles from him, so he also turned out to be a very efficient salesman. Thanks. Ahhh... and before I forget, the music is still upbeat because even though autumn is knocking at my door, I want to make it wait a little bit outside it. It still feels like summer. Hope you enjoy the tune today.


All photos taken by the blog author.

Next Post: 'What Makes a Good Writer?', the first instalment of a fifteen-part series on writing and reading by the outstanding British writer Zadie Smith. To be published on Tuesday 8th September at 11:59pm (GMT)

Copyright 2009

22 comments:

  1. That was absolutely fascinating. Only being there could have bettered it. What a fab' time you must have had!

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  2. Hi Mr Cuban

    I enjoyed sightseeing in Spain with you today...
    thanks for taking me along...
    And if we do befriend the local book store owner what is the chance that he will be called Jesus?

    Happy days

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  3. My dream is to visit Spain someday and I thank you for showing a part of it to me through your eyes. I'm leaving with dreams of tapas bars, bookstores, cafes and beautiful mountains.

    Algún día...

    Btw, I looked for a "Migas de Gato" recipe online and the only one I could find consisted of four ingredients (wet bread, shortening, oil and garlic). I thought there was chorizo in there, but maybe I'm wrong. If you find a good recipe, please share it with me!

    ¡Buen día, amigo, y que pases un buen fin de semana!

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  4. Thanks for taking me with you because seriously I felt like I was there too.

    Love Renee xoxo

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  5. I was hoping you’d have your vacation pix up by now: paradise! I love that your guide to the region was a bookstore owner. I’ve often wondered why the name Jesus is used in Spanish speaking countries but not in English ones. Which other countries use it? A castle/lighthouse belongs in a story book. Interesting cinematography in the music video.

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  6. Many thanks to you all for your kind comments.

    Greetings from London.

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  7. Yes I did enjoy that funky dance tune!! And thanks for the tour of cantabria... I have been all round Asturias but never as yet got over to Cantabria... sounds great. Greetings from mexico city.... am seeing Ruben Blades here in concert on Thursday...

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  8. that was a lively song
    someone wanted someone to get together

    and thanks,
    but I wish I could have enjoyed that period a little more since it wasn't very pleasing in itself at all

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  9. Oooh I really like the moodiness and sensuality of this song. I just read a memoir set in Spain and it contained similar observances, I feel like I just had a quick jaunt to Cantabria with you. So glad Jesus was so helpful. I'm afraid that Jesse is the closest you'll ever find in the U.S.

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  10. Thank you for this tour of Cantabria of which I've never heard before, I'm ashamed to admit, even though I have visited Picos de Europa last year!

    Lucky you that you speak Spanish, it does help with getting all the information out of that local bookshop owner. This would not work in my case as I don't speak any Spanish, which I found incredibly frustrating when I visited Spain last year. I think I got used to the fact that I can always communicate with either English or German or French. Silly me...

    And interesting comment about the name Jesus. I wonder why that is?

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  11. Good morning and welcome back. I have to comment on the Jesus name. When I joined the Army here in the U.S. I found there were many fellow soldiers with the name of Jesus, though usually with a different pronunciation than the Lord Jesus. I thought it most unique. Spain looks like a love place. I've only been to Portugal and then only passing thru but it was gorgeous!

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  12. Great song and gorgeous photos!!!! Welcome back.

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  13. Thank you CiL for a great post! What a splendid holiday venue! Your pics and narrative make the area so appealing - I will put it on my "must visit" list for my dreamed for trip to Spain.

    And the music! wow - just re-inforces my belief that there is so much good music out there I have not heard! Thanks for bringing St Germain to my attention. Great stuff!

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  14. You covered everything, the history, the views, the tastes..what a treat this has been..Thank you for being so devoted to detail!! And the music is irresistable!
    Of course the name Jesus is quite popular here in NY.

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  15. Thanks for the lesson and the music. My father's name is Jesus. I am glad you enjoyed your time in Spain. My family hails from Oviedo.

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  16. Vaya tremendo reportaje! Estoy loco por ir a España.
    Ah, oye estamos en talla, hoy comimos en la casa puré de St. Germain

    ;)
    saludos, tony.

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  17. Many thanks for your very kind feedback.

    Greetings from London.

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  18. More nostalgia! It's been too long since I've been to Spain. I love the northern part of Spain--all wild and rebellious--mi padrino es de Asturias.

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  19. Thanks for your lovely comment, curmudgeon.

    Greetings from London.

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  20. Beautiful place you visited. Your descriptions made me feel like I was there, and I waited with anticipation for when you post the recipe.

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  21. That's coming this next week, Barbara. Many thanks for popping by.

    Greetings from London.

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  22. Wow! What gorgeous views! And your banner photos on both of your blogs... AMAZING!!

    Thanks for your visit! Happy September to you!

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