San Sebastian- 5th till 9th December

After leaving San Sebastian we drove west to rendezvous with my parents, Pete and Barb, in Santander. We stayed in a lovely apartment near the restaurant/bar district.  Santander doesn't feature too frequently in the travel books but it's actually a fun, bustling town set beside some excellent beaches.

We spent a lovely few days eating, drinking and playing cards.  Pete had never been to Spain before so it was a lot of fun introducing him to the Spanish way of eating.  We found some great tapas bars, particularly our local where the incredibly friendly and enthusiastic waiter greeted us warmly and at length every day- entirely in Spanish.  The patatas vinegrette was a thing of beauty and I've drastically increased my number of spanish words.

On our way out - Barb has a new scarf and I have a pretty new yellow dress! Morgan, well...he tries.

This is Pete's happy face.  Honest.

One of the always crowded bars.  It's really lovely to see all the children and families out all together.   It makes for a great atmosphere.

Watch out, Pete has found a new drink of choice.  "Calimocho" is a surprisingly delicious mix of coke and red wine, served with ice and a slice of lemon.

Razor clams.  Interestingly they were listed on an english menu as "Knives".  I was pretty sure I knew what we'd be getting when I ordered them.

Clams in white beans.  Nom nom.

Morgan doing the moonwalk. 

While most of our time was spent relaxing we did manage to get off our bottoms to visit the cathedral and go for a great walk along the beach to the Palacio Real de la Magdalena.

Iglesia del Cristo Catedral

The beach just around the corner from where we were staying - it was lovely and would be magnificent in summer.

A steely eyed glare - somewhere, someone is up to something, and Morgan does not approve.

One wonders how you draw a naked stick figure.

Me in front of the Royal Palace

We finished up with a very fancy degustation at a Michelin starred restaurant.  We had a fabulous meal, very decadent and indulgent...but the subsequent food poisoning wasn't the highlight of the trip!  I'll only include the "before" photos....

Never been served bread from a chest of drawers before.

Working hard to keep up with the wine they kept bringing out.

Time to get back on the road.  We had a fabulous few days with my parents and the best thing is knowing that we'll see them again in only two weeks.  Santander is definitely worth a visit too- great people and great food.