A weekend in Santander is the perfect escape if you live in the North of Spain. This small but charming Spanish city has lots for you to do in 48 hours. Here are some of the highlights.
How to spend a weekend in Santander
The first thing you should be aware of is the weather. I’m afraid the expression “Sunny Spain” doesn’t always apply to Santander. Now don’t get me wrong, there are days where the sun is shining and it’s warm. However there are also many days of cold, wind and rain.
Both times that I went to Santander were in mid-June and the water was still a bit too cold to swim (although locals were enjoying a little dip in the water). I would definitely recommend to still pack a bathing suit as the beach is still a great option! Be careful because the tide rises. I kept having to move my stuff back!
Living in Northern Spain has both its ups and downs. I’m not going to lie and say that it’s always this super amazing experience. There are days where I absolutely love where I live and the life I have and there are days where it’s more challenging.
Almost three years ago, I moved from Granada, Spain in the South to the La Rioja region in the North. A few months into my time here, I wrote this blog post. While those points are very valid, I think that my perspective has changed the more time I’ve spent here. So if you’re considering a move to the North of Spain, I hope you find this candid post to be helpful.
There’s no doubt that La Rioja wineries are quite abundant where I live. For those of you who don’t know me well or are perhaps visiting my site for the first time, I live in La Rioja, Spain, a region well-known for wine. Haven’t heard of La Rioja before? That’s okay because you are definitely not alone. While the region isn’t as well-known as say Barcelona or Granada, it is still worth a visit especially if you enjoy a fermented drink or two.
Since La Rioja has so many wineries and vineyards, one of my favorite things to do is visit them! Basically a guide walks you through the process of a grape turning into wine and then you get to try a few! They generally cost anywhere from 12-25€ or more depending on the winery and what is included in the visit.
There are at least 3 La Rioja Monasteries Worth Visiting. What if I told you that one of these La Rioja Monasteries was where the first written words in Spanish were discovered? What if one of the others is where famous people are buried? What if the third one was simply a nice escape in the middle of the mountains? Each of these monasteries has their own unique charm and are definitely worth the visit.
Teaching English in Northern Spain is different from teaching in the South. In many countries of the world, things can vary widely from region to region. Each part of Spain has its own special charm and is rich with traditions. In this post, we are going to hear from ladies who have taught in different parts of Northern Spain.
If you’re considering teaching English in Northern Spain, but don’t know where you’d like to teach, I invite you to read these Q&As. Below is a map of all the autonomous regions. This post will cover Asturias, Catalonia and Castilla y León.
Teaching English in Southern Spain probably sounds like a dream to many. However every school year, hundreds of native English speakers move to regions like Andalucía and Murcia to work as language assistants. If you’re like most people, reading about the experiences of others can really help you decide if this life is right for you, calm your worries and answer some of your burning questions.
The end of August is the perfect time to take a Menorca trip. The weather is still hot, yet people are winding down and starting to return to regular life. Mix that with the chill, relaxed vibes of Menorca and you have the perfect island getaway.
While I’ve been in Spain for almost four years, I’ll admit that I never really checked Menorca out. I took a trip to Ibiza maybe within a month or two upon arrival and recently spent a week in Mallorca. However I always thought of Menorca as the smaller, less exciting islands. However small and less-exciting was exactly what I was looking for.
I can’t believe that it was over a year ago that I spent a weekend in Helsinki, Finland. In a lot of ways, it seems like it was yesterday. It also seems like a pre-COVID, mask-on era was eons ago.
Over this past year, I’ve written about snippets of my time in Finland. You may recall posts about the amazing sauna or the hostel that played nature sounds in the bathroom (no joke). However I never got around to re-caping all that we did, ate and saw in Helsinki … until now.
Helsinki is the capital of Finland, a Scandinavian European country located between Russia and Sweden. Since the overall population of Finland is rather small (around 5.5 million), Helsinki is not the biggest capital city in the world. I felt like it was the perfect size for a weekend escape.
When we landed, we immediately found a train that went from the airport to the center of the city. From there, we were able to take the light rail to our hostel. Helsinki in general is a very accessible city.
One of the first things you will want to do is get the Helsinki Card. It gives you free public transport and free or discounted entry to all sorts of different attractions. When you look at all that you get with it, it’s almost a no-brainer.
Where we stayed
So countries like Finland get the reputation for being a bit more expensive than say Spain or Italy. There is definitely a lot of truth to that. However we ended up staying in a hostel during our stay. One night can be as cheap as 19€ and all rooms are private (no sharing). In fact, you can read all about our experience with Eurohostel Helsinki here: The Best Hostel in Helsinki City Centre.
One of my favorite perks about the hostel was the free sauna. All hostel guests got free access to the sauna in the mornings. Saunas are a big part of Finnish culture, but they can be expensive to visit. I love that budget travelers can still experience the wonders of the sauna experience when they stay at Eurohostel Helsinki.
In addition to the sauna, the hostel was super accessible by public transport. The light rail passes right by it. All rooms are private with a shared communal bathroom.
Helsinki by Boat
When visiting Helsinki, you have to explore by boat a little bit. Our Helsinki Card gave us a free canal route cruise. This would normally cost 25€. You get to see the beauty of Helsinki and its shorelines.
I would definitely recommend bringing a jacket because it gets a little bit windy. I didn’t since I was there in June and I regretted it a little.
The sauna experience
As I mentioned above, a weekend in Helsinki isn’t complete without visiting a sauna. In addition to relaxing in our hostel’s sauna, we also spent an afternoon at Löyly, an amazing sauna right next to the ocean. Sessions here cost 19€/person.
The experience was amazing. After sitting in the sauna for a bit, you would go jump into the baltic to cool off. I did this in June, so that plunge wasn’t that bad. However can you imagine doing that in the winter? I couldn’t, but that is what Finnish people traditionally do.
We definitely enjoyed a nice dinner out. Savotta Restaurant is just across the street from Senate Square. Everything about this meal was delicious. I wasn’t drinking at the time, so they made me a very nice virgin fruity drink.
The amazing appetizerA stew with lamb, pork and other delicious vegetables. It was cooked for hours.The Finnish pancake I got for dessert.
The Helsinki Museum
We ended up having a few hours to spare before dinner, so we decided to explore the Helsinki City Museum. This museum is free of charge, so it’s a great thing to do if you are on a budget. It was interesting to learn all about the history of the city.
General Helsinki advice
I started off titling this section “General Finland advice” but then thought “I’ve only been to Helsinki thus far, so that’s not fair to the rest of the country. So this is more my advice for anyone spending some time in Helsinki. Here are a few pointers for spending a weekend in Helsinki:
Come in the summer if possible. The only inconvenience is the late sunset and early sunrise (The main picture of this post was shot around 11 p.m.). Aside from that, the weather is perfect!
Make sure to experience a sauna
Buy a Helsinki Card!
Flights within Europe can be cheap. I always use skyscanner to find the best deals!
People think that Helsinki is expensive. It definitely can be! However it is also possible to do Helsinki on a budget by staying in a hostel and doing low-cost or free things.
You simply can’t come to La Rioja, Spain without spending a weekend in Haro. All the best bodegas and pinchos are right there in one of the quaintest towns this small region has to offer.
Several months ago (before the madness of the pandemic), I went to Haro with friend and fellow blogger Alex from East Coast Contessa. Since we both live nearby in Logroño, Haro was the perfect weekend escape. In this post, I’m going to go over all that you must see, do, eat and drink while in this magical town.
Living in Spain without visiting a classic Spanish winery would simply be foolish. It would be even more foolish when living in La Rioja, the capital of Spanish wine country!
Several months ago, I had the pleasure of spending my morning touring Gomez Cruzado, the oldest winery in Haro, a small town in the La Rioja region of Northern Spain. Haro, in fact, is the capitol of the wine region. Don’t get it confused with Logroño! It is true that Logroño is the governmental capitol of the autonomous community La Rioja. However El Rioja is the wine region that also includes some of neighboring País Vasco. Haro is the capitol of El Rioja, the wine-making region. Basically if you come to La Rioja to experience the wine, you have to come to Haro!
