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Cantabria
is a region in the North of Spain.
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The
landscape
It is an authentic treasure with high
mountain ranges where its waters start to run down the
rivers Agüera, Asón, Miera, Pas, Besaya,
Saja, Nansa and Deva into the Cantabrian Sea,
forming estuaries and marshes. Other rivers from the southern
slopes such as the Híjar and the Ebro
carry on flowing into the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic
Ocean.
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Cantabria
has got a lot of beaches along the coastline, from East to
West, with a great shellfish richness and a singular assortment
of wild birds and fauna. This is one of the great tourist
attractions and that is why Cantabria is called "Gran Reserva".
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The Picos de Europa, in
the South-West, mark the natural borders with the provinces of
Burgos, León and Palencia.
The region's surface
is occupied by a lot of green valleys with small towns and villages,
woods and meadows, mountain pass and water gorges which are difficult
to find in other parts of Spain's geography.
The
weather
Cantabria
enjoys a warm, wet climate, with an average annual temperature
of 14 degrees centigrade.
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Main
towns and villages
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| We can find the main localities
along the coast and attract most tourist because of their
history, architecture and the beauty of their beaches: Castro
Urdiales, Laredo, Santoña, Noja, Isla...
all to the East of Santander, the capital, and Suances,
Comillas and San Vicente de la Barquera to the
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Quite near San Vicente we can
find Torrelavega, the second most important town in the region
for its industry and cattle raising, and the mediaeval town Santillana
del Mar with its famous caves of Altamira.
We must not
forget Liérganes, the beautiful spa and, inland,
Ramales, Ampuero, Limpias, Villacarriedo, Solares
to the East and Cabezón de la Sal, Potes and Reinosa
to the West and South.
There are a
lot of things to see with a rucksack on the back.
How
to travel to Cantabria
Cantabria is connected by land,
sea and air. Its main roads connect Santander with Bilbao,
Oviedo, Palencia and Burgos. There are daily trains
to Madrid, Bilbao and Oviedo. A ferry from
Britain arrives in Santander twice a week and the Parayas
airport connect Cantabria with Madrid and Barcelona.
SANTANDER:
The capital city
Santander
is a dynamic city with an intensive commercial activity. It has
got a lot of cultural activities throughout the year. The Palacio
de Festivales has a complete programme (theatre,
dance, opera, music...) which culminates in the summer with the
Santander International Festival.
It is also important the UIMP
(Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo), a
pioneer in summer courses in Spain.
Santander
offers different ways for strolling:
Along the
sea front
From Cabo Mayor to El Sardinero
From El Sardiero to La Magdalena
From La Magdalena towards the city centre along the Avenida
de Reina Victoria
Around
the historical city centre, from Puertochico to the Calle
Burgos, alternating views of old buildings with the best
shop windows.
We
can find the most lively atmosphere in the afternoon and evening
in Puertochico and Calle Vargas with their typical
taverns, inns, bars and restaurants, and at night in Cañadío,
Perines and El Sardinero.
Santander is rich in green
areas and it has developped in this privileged natural environment
a space for recreation and sports: without leaving the city surfing,
rowing, windsurfing, scuba-diving, golf, mountain biking, trekking
or climbing.
Gastronomy
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| Cantabria
bases its gastronomic tradition on both land and sea. The
Cantabrian Sea provides dishes such as the tuna hotpot, baked
or fried sardines, battered baby sardines, fried tuna or tuna
with tomato sauce, squid cooked in onions, hake in a green
sauce...
This
is also the land of shellfish, where we cand find lobsters,
crawfishes, spider crabs, swimmer crabs, clams, jacknife
clams...
The Cantabrian rivers provide salmons and
trouts.
The local stew is very famous with different
variations: montañés in the lower areas
and lebaniego in the higher lands of the region.
The montañés stew is made wifh beans
and cabbage and the Lebaniego with chickpeas. Bothof
them are made with pork meat and tasty cooked meats.
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important its confectionery especially the sobao pasiego,
a sponge cake made of flour, eggs and milk, and the typical
cheesecake from the Valles Pasiegos, corbatas and
Pejinas, which are puff pastries, from Unquera
and San Vicente de la Barquera, and pancakes from Reinosa.
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There
is also a varied range of cheeses from Tresviso, smoked
cheese from Aliva, Lebaniego and Pasiego
cheeses... |
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