In 2009 we did a road trip around Spain starting in Madrid then visiting Burgos, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Laguardia, Santillana del Mar, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Pamplona, Zaragoza and the finishing in Barcelona.
Santillana del Mar is a town in the Cantabria region of northern Spain. It’s known for its medieval towers, Renaissance palaces and the Romanesque Santa Juliana Collegiate Church. Southwest of town, the National Museum and Research Center of Altamira focuses on prehistoric life and art discovered in the nearby Cave of Altamira. To the east, Santillana del Mar Zoo has ring-tailed lemurs, snow leopards and tigers.
There is an old saying that Santillana del Mar is The Town of Three Lies, since it is neither a Saint (Santo), nor flat (llana), nor is it by the sea (Mar) as implied by its name. However, the name actually derives from Santa Juliana (or Santa Illana) whose remains are kept in the Colegiata, a Romanesque church and former Benedictine monastery.
Cave of Altamira
The Cave of Altamira is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is located near the historic town of Santillana del Mar in Cantabria, Spain. It is renowned for prehistoric parietal cave art featuring charcoal drawings and polychrome paintings of contemporary local fauna and human hands.
This cave was the inspiration for a famous song by Steely Dan on their album The Royal Scam.
On the stone an ancient hand
Steely Dan : Caves of Altimara, The Royal Scam, 1976
In a faded yellow-green
Made alive a worldly wonder
Often told but never seen
Now and ever bound to labor
On the sea and in the sky
Every man and beast appeared
A friend as real as I
Passionate Photographer …. Lost in Asia
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I am now motivated to visit Santillana del Mar. Beautiful shots of a beautiful town.