Exploring the Beaches of Spain

Gijón

Beach rating: 4.5/5 (big coastline, no huge waves since Gijón is located not on the Atlantic but in the Bay of Biscay, pretty water, lots of dogs).

Town rating: 4/5 (definitely visit Gijón on a market day. I got lucky and stumbled across the Plaza Mayor market, which is where vendors sell crafts and food, but it only happens once a month (usually the second Saturday/Sunday). Otherwise, there are lots of shops and restaurants, but make sure to visit NOT during siesta (2-5pm), or else everything is going to close and you'll have nothing to do, in typical Spanish fashion).

Playa de San Lorenzo, view of Iglesia Mayor de San Pedro

View of Gijón from the rocks

On the rocks near Playa de San Lorenzo. Too
shy to take a selfie so I take pictures of my
feet to prove I went to a place.

From the balcony near Iglesia Mayor de San Pedro, looking
out onto the Atlantic

Man and his dog out on the rocks

The railing that borders the church and the
beach is decorated with these simple but
beautiful stone crosses

Harbor in Gijón

Llanes

Beach rating: 4/5 (okay, I really only saw one beach and it was pretty, but also super tiny. There are other beaches in Llanes though, of course, that I'm sure are even prettier than Playa del Sablón).

Town rating: 4/5 (cute and quaint, but not much to do once stores close for siesta, or if it's a rainy day).

This is such a cheesy photo, but it makes me
happy so it's okay

Playa del Sablón

Downtown harbor

Still raining, ditched the umbrella for the pic

Hotel Sablón

Faro de Llanes (near the lighthouse)

"Is it raining?" Why, yes, of course
it is. Bienvenido a Asturias. 

Santander

Beach rating: 4/5 (not really beaches per se, since Santander is a bay town, but still beautiful, especially Playa de la Magdalena, with the rocks and pier and all)

Town rating: 4.5/5 (beautiful walking path along the bay, great restaurants and heladerias, a few museums and parks. Perfect for a day trip).

Los Raqueros

Shells from Playa de Los Peligros

Playa de Los Peligros, view of the mountains
across the bay

IT WAS WARM ENOUGH TO BE WEARING
A T-SHIRT 8^0 (that's a sideways shocked face)
feat. anonymous pretty buildings in the
background 

Playa de la Magdalena

Pier at Playa de la Magdalena

Part of the pier

Orange is how much I walked over two days, not including
inner-city exploration

Playa de la Magdalena cont.

Palacio de la Magdalena

View of Faro de Mouro from Peninsula de la Magdalena

Helado helado helado!!!

Sunset near Centro Botin

Impressive mural

Don't know what this is of exactly, but the
plaque mentioned something about freedom
so I'll call it the Freebird Statue

*The reason I have so many pictures of Santander is because I spent two and a half days here, instead of an afternoon, like with Gijón and Llanes. However, I do think Santander is a town you can see in one full, very busy, very foot-sore day.

Somo

Beach rating: 5/5 (one of the most beautiful places/beaches I've been in my life. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the waves were the tallest waves I'd ever seen and it was stunning. Probably not somewhere you'd want to take your kids, to be honest...but a lot of hardcore people surf there. You can see Santander, Peninsula de la Magdalena, and Faro de Mouro from Playa de Somo. It was incredible to see 30 foot tall waves crashing against the rock that the lighthouse is on)

Town rating: 1/5 (WARNING: there is absolutely NOTHING to do in Somo, Spain on a Sunday afternoon EXCEPT go to Playa de Somo. The town completely shuts down, so you will find yourself wandering around farmland waiting for the next ferry to come and take you back to civilization).

There was this weird half-solid foam stuff all along the shore
and when the wind gusted, it would blow little chunks of it off,
like giant soapy sea suds

This was actually a painful photo to take. It was
so windy and since I was on a dune, the sand was super loose
and was gusting into my face and eyes...deceptively calm,
 peaceful and warm looking

Completely deserted....it was incredible. I walked out from the
dunes, looked around, and literally said out loud, "This is so
amazing, God." Of course, He already knows, having made
it......but I just wanted to acknowledge that I thought so too.

Windy as heck, but I was happy because no one
was around to see me take this photo

Sheepiessss

"I was here" pic feat. yellow fungi

Scenic walk from the ferry to the beach

And there you have it! This is probably one of the last travel posts for the next month or so, since I've been going away every weekend since getting here and while it's been fun, it does cost money and I'd like to save up for my end-of-the-semester travels, plus I could use a few weekends at home. Nothing like traveling though to make a not-actually-home place feel like home. Home is not really a concrete thing to me anymore, since I currently call four different places "home"...my apartment in Philly, my parent's house in Frederick, my hometown of Smithsburg/Hagerstown, and here. It's kind of cool though, to be able to feel equally content and at peace in so many different places. I know that I'm lucky in that, because some people just can't sleep or eat or adjust or feel as happy away from home. Maybe this special skill of mine will be useful in the future...I could be a Traveling Teacher™. Who knows. Anyway, I'm off topic.

Until next time,

-SE Wagner