SANTANDER … UP CLOSE WITH ROBERTO COLON

Santander enjoys sun and fresh air for three quarters of the year. Its layout enables one to explore it all on foot or by bicycle, and invites you to go sailing, to enjoy its beaches, to swim in the sea, to play tennis or to go surfing.

So let's begin our day with breakfast – a Spanish omelet with cheese, perhaps – at Alejandro's Cafeteria. Then we'll go for a walk. Visit several places in Santander, such as the Magdalena Palace (in the old days it was the royal residence of Alfonso XIII; today it's part of the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo of Santander. We'll pass several splendid beaches, landscapes & beautiful buildings, such as the Santander Casino. This is a luxury area were most hotels are located due to the high demand during summer season. We may walk to the light house, have lunch somewhere in that area and either walk back to the center of town or take bus or taxi back.

Mid-afternoon is siesta time. This is a customary event that comes from Mid 17th Century, meaning "afternoon rest: an early afternoon rest or nap. Siesta comes from Latin sexta (hour), literally sixth hour of the day or noon.

By late afternoon, I think we'd be ready to take a Bay Ferry for an hour-long trip that gives us a different view of the city. When we return, we'll have a cup of coffee or tea at my house in front of the bay.

Now it's time for some serious eating cultural immersion. Most Americans have heard of tapas, or Spanish bar snacks. How about "Tasca Hopping"…a traditional night of bar-hopping: drinking good Rioja wine while tasting a variety of delicious tapas. This is where our visitors learn more about the culinary culture of Spanish people. I haven't found a single person yet who dislikes this wonderful adventure. Tasca hopping extends until perhaps 10:30; I doubt that our guests will be hungry enough to eat dinner afterwards.

"AROUND SANTANDER" … UP CLOSE WITH ROBERTO COLON

The region around Santander—Spain's Cantabria province—is absolutely marvelous. Here are two excursions I'd love to take you on.

Altamira caves: Called The "Sistine Chapel" of Paleolithic art, the Altamira cave paintings are undoubtedly the most important treasure in the historical and artistic heritage of Cantabria. The cave itself, near Santillana del Mar, was discovered in 1879 by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola and his daughter Maria. The paintings - bison, deer, horses and boars - painted by brilliant primitive artists some 14,000 years ago, are one of the fundamental examples of universal Paleolithic art. We may also visit Santillana, where time stopped 400 years ago.

Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao: It's an hour away along the coast. The museum's architect, Frank O. Gehry of California, has created one of the 20th century's most admired buildings. Enroute, we'll stop at Castro Urdiales, a typical fishermen town with a beautiful church and a good restaurant for fish and seafood.

Fuente De cable car: The cable car terminal is located in a little town called Fuente De, approximately two hours drive southwest of Santander. We are now in the middle of the European Peaks (Picos de Europa), in Liebana, located in Picos de Europa Natural Reserve. In about three minutes, the cable car zips you from the valley floor into mountains over 2,000 feet high. The view from this point is absolutely breathtaking, spectacular, disclosing beautiful landscapes in the Cantabrian mountains. Once your awe at the natural splendor has subsided, we'll take a four-wheel-drive vehicle over dirt and rocky roads along breathtaking cliffs to a Hotel-Restaurant where we can relax and enjoy the view before we go back to civilization.

Cabarceno natural reserve: Located about half an hour from Santander, this was an old mine from Roman times which has become an unusual landscape with reddish rocks, home to an animal paradise with hundreds of species living in the wild without cages (not just chipmunks, either: lions, rhinoceros, elephants, etc, although the reptiles are kept in glass cages).

There is also a complex network of paths, making it possible to become acquainted with the park on foot. There is a beautiful lake ideal for fishing. You rent the rod and buy the bait, but please don't catch an 8 kilos bass because you must pay for all the fish you catch!

The park has a cafeteria, restaurant and souvenir shop. It's a natural place to sit down at the cafeteria with a cold beer and a bit of good cured ham and watch the animals walking freely nearby.