Lazy last day in Montrondo with Amanda and Andy, off to Asturias to cooler weather, visiting Llanes, the local beaches, our goat moment, Colombres and its "Indiana" houses, Santillana del Mar, Ribadasella and La Cuevona, home again to the heat of Madrid, friends and family time by the pool, photos from 2008 and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 6th July 2025

With my oldest friend Amanda in Llanes, Asturias

Good morning everyone. How are you all? 

I can't believe it is Sunday 6th July, the day our friends Amanda and Andy leave. It seems like yesterday when they arrived. We have had a grand time at home, in Montrondo and in Asturias. I have relaxed and laughed and got away from it all hardly watching the news this week for once.

I left off last Sunday on our last day in the village. We had a very lazy time. It was hot, but not as hot as Madrid and we spent the day playing ludo and Sevens (a card game). We didn't even go for a walk. 

Monday came which was the day we planned to drive from there to El Cuetu. It took a while to close the house and we left at around 10.30. It's a 2.5 hour drive with some spectacular scenery and we only stopped once for coffee somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Before reaching our house we had lunch in beautiful Llanes - a well known seaside town and a very desired location for summer holidays - and made a rather bad choice by booking a table at the Hotel Sablón next to the town beach. The location was amazing; not so the food. Before heading home, we showed our friends a bit of this beautiful town which remains largely unspoiled and has been used in countless Spanish period pieces. The photo illustrating this week's post is of my dearest friend and I by the port and is a repeat of one we took when Amanda and I were there alone in September 2022. 

It's just 14km to our place in El Cuetu, on the main road to the Picos de Europa National Park and we arrived to sunshine which soon disappeared. After that we got fog and drizzle until we left. That was such a pity for our friends as the visibility of the mountains was non existent and of course this glorious coastline is not the same with rain as it is with sunshine. However, Eladio and I, at least, preferred this weather to the high 30s in Madrid which is insufferable. Today will be another scorcher .This week Spain recorded its highest temperature ever; 46ºc in Huelva. 

We did the shopping on the way home at Alimerka, the chain of supermarkets in Asturias which I always find disappointing. Soon we were home, unpacking and settling in. I was pleased to see what a good job Rosa and her team had done of the cleaning. It has never been so clean before!

I was soon on the terrace in the sunshine which lasted about 1h. After that it was cloudy and rained throughout our stay. 

While we were settling in, Carlos Alcaraz, the 2 time reigning champion of Wimbledon, was playing his first round on Centre Court. Would you believe it took him 4.5h and 5 sets to beat 38 year old Fabio Fognini who was playing his last match at the All England Club? I could not have watched it but was relieved he got through to the second round. He then played GB's Oliver Tarvet, aged only 18, who put up a fight but Carlos won in three straight sets. Later this week he played Germany's Struff in 4 sets and today he meets Germany's Rublev at 16.50 in Round 16. His opponents Sinner and Djokovic are also through to Round 16. It's going to be a tough end to the Championship this week coming. 

Back to El Cuetu. Dinner was a delight and so was playing cards until time for bed. We played the only game we know called Sevens endlessly throughout my friends' stay and that so relaxed me. 

Tuesday came and it didn't rain although it was very cloudy. We took our friends on a tour of the local sites starting with the beautiful beach village of Niembru where we admired the church of Nuestra Señora de Dolores and the fjord like beach and amazing cemetery. Here are three photos from that visit to a place I always love.

Niembru

From there we drove to Barro beach, one I would love to bathe in but the weather wasn't up to it although there were plenty of bathers. It's a small cove like beach which, like Niembru, has been used in countless scenes of Spanish period TV. This was what it looked like this week.

Barro beach in the Concejo de Llanes

A must that day was our favourite beach with the unfortunate name of Poó. It's like a lagoon nestled below the huge peaks and green cliffs and with the tide out you can walk to the end. Here I caught Andy and Eladio walking just behind us. I wonder what they were saying?

Playa de Poó

By then it was nearly time for lunch so we drove straight to the restaurant next to Playa de Toró, a beautiful beach in Llanes. I had booked a table at El Mirador de Toró which Amanda knew from her last visit here. It is the best in the area and never disappoints with  views of the beach with its funny limestone formations. 

Playa de Toro which is overlooked by the Mirador de Toró restaurant

Lunch was divine, as usual and I was the only one to enjoy the local cider. And here we are round the table enjoying our meal. The boys had paella and Amanda and I had huge prawns in garlic.  I was enjoying the company just as much as the food. 

Enjoying lunch at Mirador de Toró

To burn off some of the calories, we went on a walk on the beach and up to the cliffs. We were in for a surprise and a funny episode. There was a whole herd of goats grazing on the rocks of the beach while people were lying there. This was our goat moment and we enjoyed it thoroughly. We were gobsmacked at the scene and took dozens of photos and videos. Here are a few.

Goats on the beach

Goats grazing on the cliffs by the Playa de Toró

As I pointed out to my friends, you don't find goats on the beaches in Benidorm. This is the real Spain and we shall always refer to this as our goat moment or episode, hahahaha. 

Wednesday came and it was raining most of the day. Thus we had to skip the beautiful Peaks of Europe and Lakes of Covadonga. Instead we took our friends to visit Colombres, famous for its Indiana houses and Santillana del Mar, in nearby Cantabria, which is one of the prettiest villages in Spain although it is also a bit of a tourist trap.

Colombres, just on the border of the province of Santander, is known for its Indiana houses. Let me explain. These houses are built in Latin American colonial style of times gone by. They are ornate and palatial and a sign of wealth. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some 4 million Spaniards emigrated to "the new world" to escape poverty. Some later left to escape the Civil War. Of those 4 million, a small minority made their fortune and returned to their homeland. They were known as "Indianos" as were the amazing houses they built, This was the first Indiana house we say, Quinta de Guadalupe built in 1906. Today it houses the Museum of Emigration. 

Quinta de Guadalupe, the most beautiful Indiana house in Colombres which also houses a fantastic Museum of Asturian Emigration. 

Eladio and I had visited Colombres a few years ago but had never gone inside. We are not museum enthusiasts but as it was raining the practical thing to do was to go inside. And my goodness, we were bowled over by this one. It was extremely well kept and with its many objects, maps, pictures and live witness videos, it told the story of Spanish and Asturian emigration. Apart from beautiful and interesting I found the whole experience rather emotional. So long ago today, Spaniards emigrated to what must have been richer Latin America and now it is the other way round. Eladio too felt a huge impact. He is the direct descendant of  emigrants to the New World. His father was born in Cuba where his parents emigrated although they did not come home wealthy. His great uncle, the brother of his maternal grandmother, also emigrated. He left Montrondo aged 20 and probably walked or rode on  horseback to the nearest port in Gijón or La Coruña and made his way to Havana. He first worked on sugar cane farms and and stayed never to come back and later fought alongside Fidel Castro. That is why Eladio has relations in Cuba; all of whom are staunch communists, of course. His uncle's son, Rochi, returned to Montrondo a few years ago to see his father's roots. That is a visit we shall never forget. Eladio remembers his mother and grandmother receiving letters from Cuba and also from cousins in Argentina which were read and reread over and over again. We loved the museum and could have stayed all day. Here is just one photo of the inside to share here.

Inside the Museum of Emigration in Colombres

When we had had our fill we went in search of somewhere to have coffee and later visited a few more of the Indiana houses. These are just some of those we saw. One was on sale for 1.8 million euros but probably needed a lot of restoration. If I was younger I would love to buy one and turn it into an Airbnb or hotel.

Some of the Indiana houses in Colombres

It was getting late and I had booked a table for lunch at the Parador in beautiful Santillana del Mar so we had to get going again.

Santillana del Mar which is neither by the sea, nor has it anything to do with saints and is not "llano" flat, is well known in Spain for being a beautiful medieval town with amazing architecture. It is also known for its fabulous Altamira caves where you can find the oldest human paintings in the world. But it is nearly impossible to visit as it needs such preservation. We did not visit the caves and concentrated on the town. Lunch was at the fabulous San Gil Parador. It was Andy's first visit to a Parador, the state run chain of hotels housed mostly in historic buildings. They were inaugurated in 1928 to promote tourism and Spanish heritage. They are synonymous with quality and their restaurants offer wonderful gastronomic experiences with each Parador also offering local fare. Before we went in, Andy took a photo of us outside what was once a luxury family house built in the Baroque style and dating back to the 18th century. 

Outside the Parador in Santillana

Lunch was magnificent but more expensive than usual for a Parador. Later we wandered the cobbled streets and took photos of many of the beautiful buildings only spoiled because of the silly tourist shops underneath. Here are just some of the photos I took.

Santillana del Mar

When we had seen most of the main buildings and streets and feeling a little tired, we drove back to El Cuetu which is 80 odd kilometres away. Once home we followed our usual routine; game of ludo, a light dinner and more cards.

On Thursday, our last full day in El Cuetu I was up at 6.30 and had got in 6h sleep which is not bad for me.  That day we took our friends to the elegant seaside town of Ribadasella and later to Cueves, or La Cuevona, a village reached only through a long cave; quite a spectacle. The weather was a lot better with some sunshine and the rain did not come out until 3 pm allowing us to enjoy the town. However, owing to so much rain and cloud not once were we able to take our friends to the very prized destination, the National Park of the Peaks of Europe. That will have to wait till next time.  As we left I took a photo of the house to show you on the only day we had sunshine. It's very humble but we love it.

Our house in El Cueto

Ribadasella, apart from being a beautiful and upmarket town by the sea, is famous for its River, the Sella, or rather for a canoeing competition called "the descent of the Sella". Many of my guests book our house in Asturias for that but I have never been.

We parked by the river and immediately got our cameras out to take a photo on the old bridge that separates the town from the promenade and beach called Santa Marina. This is a huge stretch of beach surrounded by mountains and lined with more Indiana houses.

In Ribadasella on Friday

First things first, we went to have coffee on the main street and explore the boutiques where I nearly always buy clothes. And here we are enjoying life and our coffee as well as lovely Ribadasella. I felt very happy at that moment.

Coffee in Ribadasella

I bought a pretty dress and Andy got a lovely shirt, jacket and jumper which I am sure when he wears in the UK will make him think of his holiday in Asturias.

Next on the agenda was to walk along the bridge to the promenade and again we took photos. Everything looked so much nicer in the sun.

Photos taken on our walk along the promenade of the Santa Marina beach. Just look at those houses.

Soon it was time for lunch and we walked all the way back and to the port to a restaurant called El Tarteru. It's number one on Trip Advisor but actually I didn't like it as the food was far too heavy. But I did enjoy a lovely pistachio ice cream after. Just before we left we returned to the amazing cake and chocolate shop called La Veguina which has the most creative sweets and chocolates you can imagine. We bought florentines and chocolate and I got talking to the owner. I asked her about the "Letizia" biscuits and whether they had anything to do with the Spanish queen called Letizia. The answer was of course and there I got my story of the week. The Queen's grandparents, Moncho and her husband lived in Ribadasella where as a girl Letizia came on holiday and also lived with them. The owner and her husband knew the grandparents very well and when the former TV presenter who she described as a bit stiff and bossy, got engaged to the then Crown Prince Felipe, it was the daughter of the cake shop who urged her mother to name some of the produce after the princess to be. The owner thought it was a stupid idea but mentioned it to Letizia's grandfather who urged her to name any of her products Letizia. She did it and it was breaking news in the area and since then the shop has become famous. She told me more about the Queen as  a girl and her family but that's too long a story. 

We left at around 3.30 just as the rain began which rather spoiled our visit to Cueves to show our friends the unique cave you have to drive through to reach the village where the road ends. Called La Cuevona, I have never seen anything like it in the world and neither had my friends. It's very dark as you drive through and as it is only one lane we were worried stiff another car would come and block us but we were lucky. This is a picture I found online to show you.

La Cuevona, the cave you drive through to reach the village of Cueves near Ribadasella

We parked in the village near the train station which I suppose is transport for anyone living there without a car. The village is stunning with beautiful houses built in the local style with flowers everywhere. Hydrangeas and bougainvillea grow splendidly in Asturias as you can see in these pictures taken in Cueves that day.

Flowers in Cueves

It was raining hard by then so we had to skip the walk through the cave and drive home. On the way we stopped at Alimerka, the local supermarket, to get provisions for the house and guests for this summer's reservations. It was a task I had been putting off but it had to be done before we left.

Back at the house, we all rested and as usual Amanda and I played ludo and won a game each. The evening ended with the three of us playing Sevens again and making a racket in the kitchen. I will miss playing both games with my friends as sadly they leave today. All good things come to an end  and it feels a bit sad today. 

We left at around 10.15 and stopped twice for petrol and coffee and then lunch at a roadside cafe called La Colina. They offered a superb menu of the day for 16 euros each and my friends both enjoyed paella again. We were home by about 4pm and oh my was it hot. Just before I finished unpacking, something I have to do as soon as I arrive anywhere - I'm a bit OCD about that and other things - Oli and the kids arrived. I had only just had time to hug Suzy when I was hugging them too. We all convened around the pool and had lovely family and friend time that afternoon. The girls have known Amanda since they were small and she is like an aunt to them. Here are some lovely pics of our time together that afternoon.

Family and friends time by the pool on Friday afternoon

The children behaved well enjoying swimming endlessly with their father who is an expert swimmer. They were both very interested in Andy's binoculars and loved our friends, Andy and Amanda; Juliet especially so as her best friend is also called Amanda. Wouldn't it be wonderful if her friendship lasts as long as ours has. I spent quality time with Elliot who has a huge thirst for knowledge; his current obsession being about which animals, birds and fish are the largest, the fastest, the slowest and the loudest. I love watching him taking information in like a little sponge and I love his curiosity. Suzy brought out drinks and we all sat around one of the big tables in the shade just enjoying being together. The kids found it perfectly natural that we switched from English to Spanish and vice versa countless times. 

Suzy and I prepared dinner that night after Oli and family left and of course Andy, Amanda and I played yet more rounds of Sevens. We had an early night basking in the air con in our rooms but I found it difficult to sleep as so many things were on my mind.

Saturday dawned and yet again I got just 5h sleep - oh to return to Montrondo to get more shut eye - and we spent a lazy day at home. We only went out to do the food shopping to leave enough provisions for Tana aned Suzy when we go away again tomorrow. 

Andy came with us to Mercadona after which we had coffee at Alverán which he declared he loved, like we do. Then it was on to Carrefour where I loaded our cart with large quantities of all our favourite ice creams. Kudos to Magnum by the way for their new summer "Double sun lover ice cream". It is mango and coconut flavoured and covered with white chocolate and nuts. It was Elliot's and my favourite. Unfortunately each one of them contains 318 calories - oh dear.

It was too hot to have lunch outside so we convened to the air conditioned dining room and were 9 around the table. Tana prepared hake in breadcrumbs with roast red peppers, cauliflower in garlic and mashed potatoes which was divine. Equally divine were the black cherries we had for dessert as well as the ice cream of course. 

We all went off for a siesta later, leaving Oli alone with the kids. But they soon joined us and interrupted our news watching. I was painting my nails red and Juliet wanted hers painted too. Later she grabbed the bottle and insisted on painting Eladio's toe nails also red.  It was rather hilarious to see his feet painted by his granddaughter at what we called "Juliet's beauty parlour" hahaha.

Eladio's toe nails painted by his 3 year old granddaughter Juliet yesterday

They got a bit too frisky with Juliet walking round with the nail varnish brush which we had to remove before any damage was done so Oli whisked them off giving us our peace.

I emerged an hour later to see they had gone and made my way straight to the pool. Andy and Amanda were playing Ludo or the Spanish version called "Parchis" which is far more complicated, in the air conditioned dining room. When they had finished Amanda and I played too after which we convened to the pool where we joined Suzy.

On our last evening together, finally it was cool enough to have dinner al fresco and we enjoyed a huge prawn salad - thanks Tana for peeling them.  We stayed in the kitchen patio for a while after dinner when Andy came across photos of us together taken in 2008, 17 years ago. They were of us together in Santander and in Madrid with the family and in Segovia with my father when Amanda's brother and his wife, Simon and Gill visited. You probably know that my father, Charles Courtenay Lloyd, was Andy's form master at Bradford Grammar School and Simon's House Master too. Here are just a few of the photos which made me think was this really us? Eladio looks like a film star aged 63 with not one grey or white hair. Amazing.

Photos taken by Andy in 2008, 17 years ago. Was that really us?

That was a real trip down memory lane. It was amazing to see us all so much younger, including the girls and lovely to see my father with us, aged I think 89!  We went to bed early last night and I slept relatively well. 

Today is Sunday and it will be another scorcher. We have a complicated day ahead of us as 7 guests from France will be arriving at 5 pm while Andy and Amanda are still here as their flight isn't until 10 pm tonight. We won't go anywhere as it is too hot; or maybe out for coffee at Alverán. I think the kids will be here for lunch so we shall have more friends and family time by the pool.

Tomorrow we are off again and you will read all about it in next week's blog post.

Now it's time to sign off and wish you all a happy Sunday. Cheers till next time,

Masha

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