This is a large nature space located about 15 min drive from downtown Santander. The peninsula…read morecovers about 62 acres and it offers a multitude of activities. There is a Tourist Train that takes you around the entire peninsula so you can check out the sights with minimal walking. There is a Marine Park, built outdoors, taking advantage of the cliff rock and the inlet of sea water, where you can see seals, sea lions and penguins. There is a Man and the Sea Museum where you will be able to see three old galleons used in journeys through the Atlantic Ocean Then, there's the jewel of the park: La Magdalena Palace Located at the top of the Magdalena Peninsula, is the former summer residence of Kings Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenia. It currently hosts the UIMP summer courses There are also a few beaches that dot the peninsula for those wanting some Sun Bathing. You can access this area with buses 1, 2 or 4 from the center of town.

La Grúa de Piedra (The Stone Crane) provided its services to the Port of Santander between 1900 and…read morethe end of the 20th century. It is located on the Maura pier. It is one of the major landmarks in Santander as anyone takes a walking tour of the city. The base is made of stone, circular in shape, and the structure is steel. In the rear it has 34-ton counterweights. The steel structure rests on a base made of ashlars from the old docks, which gives the crane its name. The weight of the Stone Crane, not counting the stone base, is 48 tons. Back in the old days, this crane allowed for many cargo ships to be unloaded quickly so the port of Santander was at its highest volume among many European ports of the time.

A stunning modern bridge right next to the Guggenheim. We walked on it a few times and took a ton…read moreof pictures. The views from here are spectacular. We took a boat ride that went under the bridge and again gave us a chance to marvel at the architecture.

Adjacent to the magnificent Guggenheim Bilbao is the La Salve bridge that sweeps by the museum to…read morethe center of town. After seeing the museum proper we made the trek up to the red arch. Taking the elevator up almost the top a guy in the elevator reminded me by saying Arriba! Great views of the river, the old town,the new construction and the sweep of Bilbao proper

The Plaza de la Virgen Blanca or Plaza Vieja is the main meeting place in Vitoria…read more It is located between the neighborhoods of Casco Viejo and Ensanche. It is surrounded by white houses and in the center of the square there is a monument in memory of the Battle of Vitoria (1813), an episode of the War of Independence. There's also a vegetable sculpture with the name of the city, that makes it one of the most photographed landmarks in the city. The square gets lit up very nicely at night. There are dozens of cafes, restaurants, pintxo bars, stores and businesses around.

Gayle and I really enjoyed our stay in Santillana del Mar. But before we could find the Parador Gil…read moreBlas, we needed directions, including how to get past the vehicle bollards into the Village. We stopped at the Tourist Office, who not only gave us clear directions, but illustrated that when we ask where we are, we're usually already almost there. Santillana del Mar is a lovely and well preserved medieval village and is a Spanish National Landmark. A monastery houses the relics of St. Juliana, a martyr in Asia Minor who refused to surrender her virginity to her husband. The name Santillana is a contraction of "Santa Juliana." The "del Mar" is misleading, as Santillana is not on the water but inland. Jean-Paul Sartre called Santillana "the prettiest village in Spain,". While Gayle and I might agree, there's a lot of tourist traffic here that might distract from that message. Yet, the atmosphere is there and at one level remains a Village of dairy farmers. That's probably one reason that the cheese selection was so good here. Gayle and I spend a lot of time just wandering around the Village or just hanging out. Sites included the Plaza de Ramón Pelayo (or Plaza Mayor). this is where our Parador (and old Barreda Bracho residence) was located. There's also a 15th-century tower (with its pointed arched doorway) facing Calle de Juan Infante. A walk along Calle de las Lindas (Street of Beautiful Women) may not live up to its promise (except for my Wife), but it does include many of the oldest buildings in Santillana and two towers dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. Calle del Río gets its name from a stream running through town to a central fountain. Then there's the Museo Fundación Jesús Otero and many of his sculptures sprinkled around Town. We also ventured out and were particularly taken with our day trip to the Picos Europa. Visiting the Altamira Caves was also interesting and we also enjoyed driving along the Coast to Comillas and beyond.

It's around €30 to get in. For me art is like faith - if one has faith - it's deeply personal and…read moreprivate and that's how it will remain. I prefer paintings to sculpture and I'm not a fan of animals chainsawed in pieces, bathed in formaldehyde, and put on display. Nor un-made beds lauded as such. I have seen art that has just stopped me in my tracks and for years I enjoyed visiting museums but as my already poor sight diminishes it's not as rewarding as it once was. What was annoying around this museum were the beggars - mobile phones and cigarettes in hand - and they are aplenty around the centre of Bilbao too. One young guy had it well sussed as when people said they only had credit cards and phones to pay he escorted victims into local cafes for food and coffee. He even helpfully knew the locations of bank cash machines. Oh I had a friend who went insane progressively and is now dead but as he sunk into insanity he became more and more convinced that formaldehyde (pH3, -92c melting point and -19c boiling point) was responsible for all human disaster including wars, cancers and he set about writing to politicians, Royalty and the media to alert them to this world-ending threat. I only remembered this triggered by the formaldehyde animals.

The museum is designed by Frank Gehry. Even if you don't go inside, the building itself is a work…read moreof art. There sculptures outside the museum are also worth a visit, including "Puppy" by Jeff Koons and "Maman" by Louise Bourgeois. We caught "F.O.G." by Fujiko Nakaya, which is active every hour on the hour- hours are dependent on the month. "Red Arches" by Daniel Burenbhas has a lighting show and "Fire Fountain" by Yves Klein are both active in the evening. The museum consists of contemporary and modern art. I'm not a big museum person, but there were things that I enjoyed. I was pleasantly surprised to see one of Yayoi Kusama's infinity mirrored rooms- "A Wish for Human Happiness Calling from Beyond the Universe". I wished they let you in the room longer when there wasn't much of a line. "The Matter of Time" by Richard Sierra on the ground floor was also fun to walk around/through. The second floor was mostly closed, so we didn't get the full experience. Overall, the museum is a must if you're in Bilbao.