EUROQUEST SideTracks

See the full gallery on Posterous Leaving behind the Atlantic coastline of Northern Spain, we proceed inland for about only 15 miles to enter what may rank among the most unique biospheres of the Iberian Peninsula, the PICOS DE EUROPA National Park. We suddenly feel reminded of Switzerland, as the vegetation turns lush & green, the humidity and rain fall increase and we gently wind our way uphill into the most scenic sections of the CORDILLERA CANTABRICA, as this mountainous part of Spain is called.  See the full gallery on Posterous The Picos de Europa National Park is the first of its kind in Spain dating back to 1918 and was extended to include parts of Asturias and Castilla-León in 1993. It reaches peaks of up to 2600 meters (9000 feet) and in large parts offers a unique Mediterranean-Atlantic microclimate where the production of wine and ORUJO (firewater, a kind of grappa) flourishes, particularly in the scenic LIÉBANA valley. It is here tha...

Most visitors to Spain would not envision the Iberian Peninsula as a lush green and mountainous place. Yet the Northern part of Spain rivals Austria and Switzerland in terms of alpine-like scenic beauty, boasting rich pastures and forests on lower elevations as well as mountain peaks reaching almost 10000 feet inside the "Picos de Europa" National Park. Here in the Autonomous Communities of Cantabria and Asturias visitors are surprised to find landscapes unlike anywhere else in Spain along with relatively low numers of visitors compared to the tourist areas along the Mediteranean. See the full gallery on Posterous Among the most enchanting villages in Nortern Spain we find the town of Santillana del Mar, just outside Cantabria's attractive capital, Santander. A quaint and picturesque community of 1500 inhabitants, Santillana has become a boom town in recent years attracting mostly local Spanish visitors on weekends and during holidays. The town's name, in ...