Walking in "90% Chance of Rain" Weather

Friday, May 12, 2017--Santander, Spain

When I checked this morning at 8:15 (on TWO weather websites), there was a 90% chance of rain today starting around 10:00 and continuing through the middle of the night.  I, therefore, took my time opening and reading my email and reading the news stories of the day.  Then I had my breakfast around 9:30.  At 9:45, it was still just cloudy, so I ran down to the nearby supermarket to buy some food for tonight and tomorrow.  At 10:15, the sun was peeking out.  I thought that maybe I should go walking a little without getting too far away because of the expected rain.  Well, I got home at 15:30 without a drop of rain on me and with a completely sunny sky and warm temperatures!!

Since I had no plan and was afraid to make one due to the forecast, I started by walking down one of the back shopping streets.  It was fun.  Unlike the main street, it was a street with small, quaint shops serving the local neighborhood.  With all the hills, I guess that local shops get a boost from people who live nearby and want to buy things without having to go down and back up the hill.  When I got as far as the nice old library and the adjacent museum which is closed for remodeling, there was no sign of a change in the weather, so I checked my map to determine where I might head.  I continued further with the goal of going up a bit into the hills to a place marked on my map by the tourist office as the location of one of the theaters in town.

A block before I reached the theater, there was a street heading further north that looked so interesting that I decided to go up it a ways.  As it continued, there was mansion after mansion along it.  And between mansions were long sets of stairs going higher to houses and apartment buildings above them.  This was a neighborhood along Paseo Menendez Pelayo that had been built by rich people back in the 20s, 30s, and maybe 40s.

I had expected to turn back south and then west to go by the theater and return home after getting to the end of the street, but the weather remained good and a look at the map indicated that I was almost to Premiere del Sardinero beach.  I walked to there coming out at the Casino and the Gran Sardinero Hotel--two grand old buildings.  The beach was beautiful and very deep.  Further up, I could see a lookout point, so I headed to it.  From there, another beautiful beach could be seen to the north--Segunda del Sardinero.

I began walking back south, though, because there were tourist sites I had planned to visit tomorrow nearby.  I passed El Camello beach and headed onto the wooded La Magdalena Peninsula which has the Palacio Real de La Magdalena which was the summer palace of the king and queen of Spain until Franco's revolution and is now a conference center.  I walked around the peninsula looking down on Playa de Bikini, the lighthouse Faro de La Cerda, and walking around the palace building.  Then I wandered down to the water area behind the palace to see the Museo del Hombre y la Mar, replicas of boats that explored the Amazon River within Spanish territories.  There was also a small area of natural pools which had seals swimming inside them.

By then, it was time to make the long walk back toward the apartment.  The sun was out, but it was afternoon and getting warm in my long-sleeve shirt.  I walked along the main road of Av. Reina Victoria with Playa de La Magdalena below me on the water side and even greater mansions than I had seen earlier up the hillside above me with fantastic views toward the water and the green mountains beyond.

I had not taken my camera out of my bag so far on the whole visit to Santander, but once I started seeing the beautiful houses earlier this morning, I did.  I took photo after photo of everything I passed on this long walking tour.  And as I returned back through the center of town that I know, I took photos there, too.

It was a long day, but a very rewarding one, too.  I've come to a greater appreciation of Santander.  It is a beautiful city.  It lacks much in the way of antiquities and of entertainment.  But it has very interesting neighborhoods with a lot of variety in terms of neighborhoods.  It's hills are beautiful, it's beaches are unbelievably nice, and the views to the very green mountains beyond are wonderful.

The forecast still calls for a 90% chance of precipitation until 8:00 tomorrow morning.  It is now (at 19:15) cloudy again, but there has been no rain yet.  What I had thought was going to be an indoor day of reading, doing laundry, listening to music, etc., became a really wonderful day of exploration.
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The rain stared around 20:00 tonight just as I was ready to eat.  I had bought some small, thin slices of pork this morning along with potatoes, onions, and other supplies.  I sliced an onion and slowly cooked it in butter until it was tender and tasty.  Then I fried slices of the potatoes (which I had boiled slowly earlier until just tender to the middle) in butter until browned and crispy.  Finally, I fried two of the pork slices in butter until juicy but cooked through.  I had the pork, onions and potatoes covered with the juices from the pan with a glass of the Vina Albali 2012 Reserva Valdepenas red wine as the classical radio station on TV played big band music from the 30s and 40s.  The music, the meal, and the wet weather combined for such a cozy atmosphere.  Now the station is starting a live concert of classical music which I will hear while having a bit more wine.