Thursday, December 11, 2014

Comillas, Spain - July 2014

Downtown Comillas

We found Comillas by accident one day when we were actually headed to Santander to go to the beach.  Once we got to Santander and realized there was no place to park anywhere within 5 km of the beaches we thought we would keep driving along the coast and see if we could find another beach.  After an hour or so we found Comillas.  I am more than happy about this discovery and we ended up returning to Santander another time so it is OK we missed it.

Comillas is a small beautiful city full of charm and a perfect waterfront to lay on the beach and enjoy the sunshine.  Unfortunately for us by the time we arrived there the sun had disappeared and the clouds rolled in.  There was light rain now and again but that did not stop us from lying on the beach and swimming in the Atlantic.  We did not rent a car and drive for 4 hours to not go swimming!  So even though we were freezing we stayed in the water swimming around and shaking but not willing to admit we would likely get sick (I did, unsurprisingly, as I get sick from every little thing that could possibly make a person sick) It was so much fun though and we really enjoyed just being in the ocean again.  It was the first time we had been in it since the previous summer in Vancouver, I mean we have barely seen water since leaving BC.

Chilly day without the sunshine but still worth it

After we dried off a bit, minus the rain that was falling on us, we made our way into the town.  The sun started to come out and warmed us up enough that we ate ice cream for lunch and sat in one of the plazas just watching the people.  Everyone looked happy and like they were really enjoying the day.  This town was exactly what you would picture an old Spanish town to be, gorgeous buildings, narrow streets and of course big beautiful churches.  I have never been in so many churches in my life.  We found this old mansion on top of a hill in town and it reminded me so much of the Addams family I wanted to break in but Ross does his best to keep me out of trouble.  We also saw one of the most gorgeous cemeteries ever.  It was old and full of interesting gravestones and statues.

 Haunted Mansion? 

 Gorgeous Cemetery 




Buy the time we got back to the water after exploring, the sun was shinning and the beach was full.  It was a little disappointing that it was so cold and cloudy while we were there but at the same time it was romantic to basically have the beach to ourselves.  We watched the people for a while then got on our way driving back because it is a long trip home from there.  This is the drive when we first discovered the Picos De Europa.

I spent some time after that day thinking about life and how lucky I really was.  There are a lot of hard days here in Spain and I sometimes feel so lost and lonely I cry all day alone and feel like all I want to do is run home to my mother or back out to Vancouver and just be with my friends.  It can be so isolating here and very unfamiliar but then I have days like this where I see beautiful places I would never have seen if I wasn't here on this journey.  I swam in the Atlantic ocean for the first time, I ate ice cream for lunch, I drove through this incredible mountain range and I am doing it all with my best friend and lover.  What better way to be experiencing the world.  I try to think of this day whenever I am feeling sad to remember that no matter how tough it gets it is worth it.

 Downtown Comillas 

Sunshine at the beach how lovely 

No comments:

Post a Comment