Cantabria

After flying home from Rome we decided to spend a few days in the Cantabria region of Spain.  We went to Santillana Del Mar last year after moving to Spain and completely fell in love with it.  We thought after exhausting ourselves tromping around Europe a little relaxation time on some beaches would be nice.  So when we flew into Madrid we rented a car, and the next morning took off for Santillana Del Mar.  It was even better than we remembered.  Somehow the first time we went we never actually went into the old town area of the town.  It may be the most charming place I've ever been.  And while I loved every part of our summer vacation this was actually my favorite.  It was so nice to just relax and enjoy a little family time. 

 After living city life for 3 years I've found that my ideal vacation now is to the country.  I love that the girls have room to run around and see and do things they don't normally do, but I feel like it's good for us adults too.  The Spanish countryside is unbelievably charming.  I can't get over the green grass and hills with the orange Spanish roofs.  The views in this area are some of my favorite things. 

 The beaches are pretty fantastic too!

 We spent most of our time in Santillana Del Mar, and one Day in Santander on the beach.  Our last day after checking out of our hotel we drove up to San Sebastian.  Since coming to Spain so many people have told me how amazing San Sebastian is, so we felt we had to see it.  It was wonderful.  The food, and the beaches were great.  And it's more of a big city feel than the other places we'd been, but it's so beautiful and clean.  It was a great last stop on our amazing summer vacation!

 Every part of our vacation was amazing, but ending it in Spain was really nice.  Both Marc and I, after the trip was over, talked about each place we'd been too, and how each was neat for different reasons.  The one thing we both agreed on though was how much we love Madrid.  We wouldn't trade living here for any of the other places we visited.  We feel so lucky that we could travel to these places and experience a little bit of their culture.  This was definitely a vacation we will never forget!