| Santillana del
Mar, as even Wikipedia can tell you, is often known as The Town
of Three Lies as it is not particularly Holy (Santo), nor flat (llana)
nor is it by the sea. It may well be that the first bit is
named after Santa Illana, the saint whose remains lie within the
Colegiata, but has the sea moved?
Perhaps the sea refers to the incessant rain which, if not entirely
ruining our visit, certainly dampened our enthusiasm! Despite
the deluge, we were at least able to stay in a very comfortable
Parador, eat well and drink in cosy bars. In fact the town
boasts two Paradors, not to mention a number of very pleasant and
sensibly priced hotels, often within historic buildings.
I had been looking forward to pretty sunlit
houses, flowers dangling from their balconies just as in all the
tourist photos, rather naively as it was probably too early in the
year...when the sun emerged briefly from beneath the sodden skies, I
took the opportunity to rush around as far as the Colegiata.
An excellent excuse to go back when the weather is rather better,
although I guess that means contending with the tourist hordes
which, even when the weather is foul, still inundate this picture
postcard town. |
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