Oficina de Turismo de Santillana del Mar

Gayle and I really enjoyed our stay in Santillana del Mar. But before we could find the Parador Gil Blas, we needed directions, including how to get past the vehicle bollards into the Village. We stopped at the Tourist Office, who not only gave us clear directions, but illustrated that when we ask where we are, we’re usually already almost there.
Santillana del Mar is a lovely and well preserved medieval village and is a Spanish National Landmark. A monastery houses the relics of St. Juliana, a martyr in Asia Minor who refused to surrender her virginity to her husband. The name Santillana is a contraction of «Santa Juliana.» The «del Mar» is misleading, as Santillana is not on the water but inland.
Jean-​Paul Sartre called Santillana «the prettiest village in Spain,». While Gayle and I might agree, there’s a lot of tourist traffic here that might distract from that message. Yet, the atmosphere is there and at one level remains a Village of dairy farmers. That’s probably one reason that the cheese selection was so good here.
Gayle and I spend a lot of time just wandering around the Village or just hanging out. Sites included the Plaza de Ramón Pelayo (or Plaza Mayor). this is where our Parador (and old Barreda Bracho residence) was located. There’s also a 15^th-​century tower (with its pointed arched doorway) facing Calle de Juan Infante. A walk along Calle de las Lindas (Street of Beautiful Women) may not live up to its promise (except for my Wife), but it does include many of the oldest buildings in Santillana and two towers dating from the 14^th and 15^th centuries. Calle del Río gets its name from a stream running through town to a central fountain. Then there’s the Museo Fundación Jesús Otero and many of his sculptures sprinkled around Town.
We also ventured out and were particularly taken with our day trip to the Picos Europa. Visiting the Altamira Caves was also interesting and we also enjoyed driving along the Coast to Comillas and beyond.