Of all the crazy places for an internet cafe, we have found one in the town of Potes at the bottom of the Picos de Europas. The fact that I am sort of illegally parked makes this all the more thrilling.

It is so beautiful up here, it is out of control. In fact the whole journey has taken us through so many beautiful places… through valleys with trellised vineyards so thick with black grapes that the whole hillsides are varying shades of purples and greens, to some of the most beautiful coastline I have ever seen. We have drunk wine in old monasteries and driven the curviest roads on the face of the planet. Also, we have gotten seriously lost on several occasions. But what would driving in a foreign land be without some frustration? All the better to have some extra wine with dinner, right? Oh wait, I already do that. Extra wine for mom then.

There has been some humor around the whole driving around getting lost thing. Before I left I told Clive who we will be staying with down south, that I had printed out some Mappy instructions. He was like Mappy? HA HA HA HA HA. So now whenever we can´t make sense out of the map (and he was right, TOTALLY forget about Mappy) we just laugh a la Clive Style, HA HA HA HA HA. Hey, the number of the highway just changed mid-route for no reason! HA HA HA HA HA. Hey, how come we are heading west now instead of south? HA HA HA HA HA.

Yesterday we were driving along a gorge at the bottom of the Picos, through all these little towns in the rain, and we rounded one corner and here comes a whole herd of cows and two cowherds up the street. We stopped and the cows were running into the car, sticking their heads in our windows (well almost) and it was like behind in another century, or at least another decade. Earlier we had missed a turn outside Oviedo and driven some time before we figured that out (HA HA HA HA HA) so I stupidly (now I can hear Clive laughing) decided to take a couple of back roads to make up the time. Well, forget about MAPS much less Mappy. We got impossibly lost on top of some hill and we were like Wha the Fa? Finally we asked some guy at a bus stop for directions, and his friend came in a car, and they led us to the highway. That was the first of maybe four confusing road moments of the day.

Anyhow. Now we are staying at a Parador in the foothills of the Picos, the Parador of Cervera de Pisuerga, and it is oh, so worth that drive. Our room is huge with wood floors and a view of the hills and a lake below. Last night we ordered room service, and I have never, ever had tastier food from room service, ever. We had thinly sliced steak on a baguette, and a casserole of potatoes and peppers served in a clay pot. I love the Paradors. But more on that later.

Now, after I retrieve my car from it´s questionable spot, we are headed up to Fuente De where they have a cable car that takes you up the sheer face of a cliff, and tomorrow, we head to the Rioja.

Northern Spain has totally exceeded my every expectation. I love it up here.

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