Fancy houses

At Colombres there are some very nice houses. These were built by returning emigrants who had made their money in South America. When they returned they really did splash their cash.

One of these houses is open to walk around, with the ground floor used as a library. We had a quick walk up the galleried stairs to the top floor and admired the stone work and original features.

Several other houses appear to be in private hands. The town seems to make a lot of this emigration and there are even memorials to those who left, with a particular sad painting depicting a sad departure.

We had the last menu del dia of the trip here. It was rather good value and we mingled with ‘the locals’.

Then it was back to the coast, a little nearer Santander, where we stayed at Caravaning Oyambre in order to visit Comillas. The town is a fair walk from the site and by the time we had walked there, around and back, it was about 16kms.

Here there are even more nice buildings, including a famous Gaudi designed one. Yet again this was designed and built for a chap who had made his money in Cuba and appears to have let Gaudi do his stuff, leaving us to ‘interpret’ the various aspects of of the building.

So we know that the owner slept in the east side room to wake to the rays of the sun. The guests arrived in the evening on the western side to be received as the sun set.

I really do appreciate the internal wood work and the beautiful door rebates. We also liked the stained glass which apparently recognised the owner’s love of music with a blackbird playing an organ and a bee playing a guitar.

We listened to the audio guide which pointed out the sliding window shutters.  I’d just appreciated how easy they are to close (using weights like sash windows) when the guide clicked on to inform us that under no circumstances should the shutters be moved.

At the top of the house, in the servants quarters there are items of Gaudi furniture and it was rather nice but unusual to be encouraged to sit on chairs over 100 years old.

We moved on to the exterior which really seems like a gingerbread house. Glazed tiles have been stuck on all over and it really did look like it should be eaten.

On a display we are told that Gaudi once said, “Beauty is the radiance of truth and since art is beauty, without truth there is no art.” As with most profound words, I went to bed wondering about this and how it might help me in today’s world.

There's a huge house, normally open to the public but not today. Judging by the number of sound and light trucks parked nearby, someone was about to set-up a major event.

Then, on the walk back, we diverted up a hill to investigate the huge cluster of building there. In the main they appeared to be deserted, even derelict and I think they were once some sort of university. All very odd but extremely grand-looking from a distance.