When doing research for what to do on my Mom's birthday, I had envisaged renting some bikes and pedaling serenely along the Coastal Path, a route of country roads and gravel trails that takes you by dozens of Northern Spain beaches. The really convenient thing is that if you don't feel like riding back, you can take the train instead.
But when the day arrived, rain threatened and a mysterious smoke filled the air. I knew that my dad would be more comfortable journeying around by car, so after scarfing down pastries we picked a couple of the coolest looking beaches to drive to.
Not that getting there by car is all that easy. We almost got stuck by some surprise construction blocking the narrow streets of Niembro. When a 50-point turn failed to turn us around, my dad had to back the car all the way out of the village.
But the payoff was astounding. We parked at the ridge overlooking Torimbia Beach on the left and Toranda Beach on the right. We ended up just sitting there overlooking it all, not even bothering to head down to the sand.
Next up was a rather remarkable little beach called Playa de Gulpiyuri. As you walk to it down the dirt path, you would never guess it's there. After all, there's no ocean in sight - only a hill rising up to the usual coastal cliffs.
But sure enough, just before you hit the hill, the ground opens up to a magical cove where waves lap against a miniature shell-shaped beach.
The secret is in the tunnel under the cliffs that leads to the sea. At high tide, the water rushes in and out through the hole, exaggerating the breath of the ocean.
I wondered for a moment whether it would be possible to swim through the hole. For once, my sense of self-preservation stepped in and saved me. Or maybe it was just the coldness of the water or the distracting arrival of some cute dogs.
My mom and I love to go geocaching together, so as another part of her birthday gift we left the boys behind and searched for treasure along the cliffs. We had to walk among more free-range cows and horses to find it (no complaints here!). It was hidden at an old whaling lookout, next to some of the oldest remains in the area.
At dinner at Restaurante El Cuera, there were plenty of language snafus - not the least of which was when my dad started repeatedly shouting "HOLA! HOLA!" when the waiter greeted another table. But the patient staff ended up giving my parents a ton of birthday wine on the house and even fetched an espresso for Nash from a cafe next door (another miscommunication - I should have been paying better attention). My dad loved the steak so much that he hugged everyone on his way out, much to their baffled amusement.
Even though it didn't involve sunshine and bicycles, I think my mom's birthday in Asturias was a success! Our two weeks in Llanes were almost up, and soon it would be time to move South.
Thanks for reading/watching! All words and photos are mine. The song in the video is waterfalls of love by Muciojad under the Creative Commons license. - Katie, @therovingreader
!steemitworldmap 43.441869 lat -4.847977 long Explore a couple of northern Spain's more unique beaches. d3scr
