Santander

Rita and I drove to Santander one weekend. It's about 70 miles east, along the coast. Most of the big cities in northern Spain trim their trees severely. It was very common to see trees with no leaves at all, nothing but lumpy branches. So when we took stopped along the road by some tall trees, I was so impressed I had to take a picture!

Santander is a pretty port city with a nice wide beach, although when we were there it was too cold for many people to take advantage of it. 

 

We were comfortable walking through the city, but we stayed bundled up in jeans and jackets. 

And the city had plenty of those cropped trees. They were so misshapen that I thought they mimicked some of the more ornate lamp posts.

One of the prettiest buildings in town is the Grand Casino.

And the Banco Santander headquarters are impressive. Sometimes buildings are more impressive without knowing what they actually are. 

When Rita and I go out, we don't usually have a bunch of activities planned. We like go somewhere, look around, get something light to eat, and people-watch. Sunday is an excellent day to people-watch because it is customary to "promenade" on Sunday afternoon. People put on their best clothes and go for a leisurely stroll around the busiest sections of town. This particular weekend was Carnival weekend so instead of their Sunday-best, many people were dressed in costumes. And the cutest one of all was this little girl, in an old-fashioned peasant dress.