Touring the land of the Tango animals
THE pattern on the carpet is the same, but in the four years since I last cruised on Fred. Olsen’s Balmoral, the ship has had a well-executed facelift.
My stateroom is one of the largest I’ve ever slept in and the onboard food remains firstclass on my Scenic Spain cruise.
Our first call is La Coruna in Galicia and we visit nearby Santiago de Compostela – on my wish list since 1987. It’s walking the famous Camino I really want to accomplish – and strolling around this magical city, I know I’ll one day attempt the arduous pilgrimage that ends here.
We have tea in the oldest hotel in the world, the famed Parador of Santiago, and I am enthralled by its tranquillity and sheer luxury. Next in our week-long itinerary is Gijon in Asturias, which is blessed with a huge and beautiful beach. My excursion includes cider-tasting, coupled with sampling Asturian cheese.
Sophisticated Santander, capital of Cantabria, is our next port of call, but I opt for a short journey out of the city to the Cantabrian mountains and the wildlife park of Cabarceno, home to more than 100 animal species.
The animals appear to enjoy a diet of meat and Tango, as nearly all of them are orange, but our guide reliably informs us it’s the mineral-rich iron ore in the soil that turns everything terracotta.
Our final destination, Getxo, is perfect for tours to vibrant Bilbao, where traditional, elegant buildings are skilfully blended with cutting-edge urban design. We marvel at the architecture of the Guggenheim Museum, take the obligatory photographs in front of Jeff Koons’s giant floral dog, the museum’s mascot, and wander the narrow streets of the picturesque old town. Among the tiny shops, ancient taverns and restaurants that give the Basque region its renowned gastronomic status, we sample pintxos for lunch – irresistible, bite-size tapas, as delightful to look at as they are to eat. I am hungry too to know more of northern Spain. Fertile, lush, cosmopolitan and cultured, the tantalising glimpses in this delightful, inspired itinerary make me want to return as soon as possible.