This traveler knows well that not everything in Cantabria revolves around splendid nature, an unimaginable historical and artistic heritage, a history so ancient and so rich in nuances that it never ceases to amaze, and above all, its truly untamed and picturesque villages that inspire admiration.
The food, whether traditional or not, also has the fantastic allure of being irremediably seductive, without the traveler noticing the false vanity of seeking, to silence mouths with the false hammer of ostentation, the most princely accommodations to the detriment of others, much more humble, but surprising and strategically located for their purposes.
This is the case of Pesués, a small town split in two by the Cantabrian Highway, located near the stretch of sea known as the Tina Menor, on the border with Asturias and a stone's throw from that majestic natural wonder that, without a doubt, are the Europe Peaks. At the foot of a local road, which, parallel to the highway, ends a little over a kilometer away at a roundabout that, among multiple destinations, marks the "magic route" to Unquera, Panes, the La Hermida gorge, and Potes.
There is a small hostel, generally frequented by bikers and pilgrims following the so-called Coastal Way or detouring towards the Europe Peaks to undertake another pilgrimage route, a tough one at that, known as the Lebanensis Way or the Liébana. Beyond Potes, it leads to the cultural beacon that is the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana.
The hostel, more specifically, is called Baviera, and I stayed there for a few days before continuing "making my way by walking," as the poet Antonio Machado proclaimed, and before him, in his own way, that globetrotter of dusty roads, including those of the soul, the French poet François Villon.
Except for the "house special salad," a traditional dish from the area and truly exquisite, with its rich tuna from San Vicente de la Barquera, its roasted Isla peppers, and its emerald-green olive oil, the menus were usually quite unique and, most importantly, at affordable prices, a detail that is also appreciated by the wallets of travelers and pilgrims.
We're talking, among others, about dishes like pasta with baby eels and shrimp, squid practically freshly caught in the nearby ports, or even that delicious and typical treat of Cantabria and Asturias: chorizo in cider, well-marinated in its clay pot and washed down with wine or beer.
Food that, in addition to satisfying that grumbling beast in all of us, keeps our spirits up, inviting us to indulge in the melancholic and spectacular sunsets, with the magnificent grandeur of the Europe Peaks in front of us, like a wake-up call, and behind us, the picturesque beauty of fishing villages, like Pechón, and the wild waters of the Cantabrian Sea, which melt into white foam in coves, many of them wild and still little-frequented.
NOTICE: Both the text and the accompanying photographs are my exclusive intellectual property and are therefore subject to my Copyright.
Val de San Vicente
