Tag Archives: Spain
Santander in Lockdown with Three Children and Two Dogs
Last night before I turned off the mobile phone at midnight 1,000 people had died in Spain as a result of COVID-19. While I lay there waiting for sleep to do its thing, I could feel myself trying to physically distance myself from the virus by thinking of those living closer to the epicentre. In […]
Inside and Out – Renzo Piano’s Centro Botín in Santander
What can I say about Centro Botín? That it is every bit as good as I had hoped and even better? That I was rendered almost speechless after my visit? That I didn’t want to leave? That I am more enraptured by the beauty of great design than ever before? A Golden Ticket As you […]
Why Renzo Piano’s Botín Centre in Santander is (Not) the New Guggenheim
It happened just before Christmas. El País published a full-length article about Renzo Piano’s Botín Centre in Santander. Around the same time, the Botín Centre was included in an article on the BBC website entitled Buildings to Look Out For in 2017. In a bid to head off the inevitable “Guggenheimification” of Santander, I jotted down “10 Reasons Why […]
A Trip to Gaudi’s Capricho in Comillas
Gaudi is a name we associate with Catalonia but I’m still here in Cantabria – just under 50km from Santander to visit El Capricho de Gaudi in Comillas. This privately-held former holiday home designed by Gaudi is open to the public and welcomes 100,000 visitors every year. It celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2015 and […]
High Hopes for Santander’s Tabacalera
It’s been years since I smoked a Fortuna but the old Tabacalera building in Santander does hold a special place in my heart. It’s been one of my favourites since I first caught a glimpse of it rowing on the bay. When I realised it was designed by the same architect who did the petrol station (now a café) beside […]
Remembering the Machichaco Tragedy of 1893 in Santander
Some words in Santander carry a burden of sadness about them and one of the saddest must be the word Machichaco. 600 people died and 2,000 were injured in Santander’s port in 1893 as a result of two explosions that went off on board a ship named ‘Cabo Machichaco’. Last Saturday, a number of associations including my rowing club, […]
Anticipation Building at Renzo Piano’s Botin Centre
My camera and I have spent the last month hanging around park benches in Santander looking suspicious. In addition to helping a woman into an ambulance and wondering why so many kids weren’t back in school when they should be, I did manage to survey the work since I last blogged about the Botin Centre one year […]
Talking about Talking about Kate O’Brien
I’m back in Santander just over two weeks now. I was in Ireland presenting a paper at the Limerick Literary Festival in honour of Kate O’Brien. Over in Limerick My session was about the book ‘Farewell Spain’ written by the Limerick writer in 1937 and I focused much of my talk on her time in Santander which […]
The Fish Market of all Fish Markets – Santander’s Lonja in Northern Spain
This is my fifth Christmas in a row in Santander. As you’d expect, ‘Navidad’ is very different here in Spain and nowhere is that more evident than at the dinner table. Fish and fishing are an important part of Cantabrian life and for the next two weeks (Christmas lasts right up until January 6 when the Kings […]
Visiting Ribera Foodmarket in Bilbao
Sometimes you only appreciate what you’ve got when you change your surroundings. A few weeks* ago, I went to Bilbao (just one hour away – no need to change time zones) and it was there I realised I should be careful what I wish for. It was a follow-on trip from my Foodies Tour of Santander when a group of […]
A Walking Tour of Santander’s Gastronomy
One of the joys of writing this blog is that I never know where it will take me. Three weeks ago, thanks to a post back in February, it brought me to a memorial for six Limerick men who died in the Spanish Civil War. Last weekend, I found myself standing in front of a group of 20 […]
Pereda Gardens Park by the Botin Centre
There’s something special about great city parks in the Summer and this year I’ve been more than happy to explore the newly re-opened Pereda Gardens in Santander beside the Botin Centre. The space has been THE topic of discussion with everybody in the city and the subject of much commentary on social media locally. One month […]
Rowing Traineras in Santander Bay
If we’ve met in person over the past few months, I’ve probably told you about my trips out on the bay. And I’ve probably said that I’ve seen more of Santander in the past year than I have in the past two decades. Writing about the city is one of the reasons and rowing an […]
1930s Santander Through Irish Eyes
I get my fair share of visits from friends and family – and really enjoy seeing the city of Santander through their eyes. In fact, most of these blogposts are inspired by questions or observations from my out-of-towners. When one such visitor told me that I’d missed a great Kate O’Brien (1897-1974) Literary Weekend last […]
Perfection & Complexity at the Botin Centre
It’s been a tough start to the year in Santander. Not only have the waves been beating the coastline and the wind howling non-stop but those of us who like to follow the progress of the Botin Centre have been trying to do our sums. Is A Project Overrun Likely? We’re combing the usual sources […]
The new Botin Centre in Santander – what’s it all about?
I’ve been banging on about the new building going up in Santander to friends and family and thought I’d write about it here. I’ve two reasons – one is that the building is a little gem – on the plans at least – and secondly – there isn’t much published in English – so I […]
At this precise moment, I am…
My first post. It’s 19th March – Father’s day in Spain or ‘El Dia de San Jose’ in my part of the world – Santander, Spain. Best wishes to fathers and Jose’s everywhere – especially all the Jose’s in my life and those who sadly have passed away. It feels like a big moment – […]
Pamela Cahill 
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