Matienzo week 1

Hi I arrived at the Picos last night and am now at an internet cafe in  Potes posting my first week in matienzo. I´ll upload some more photos soon on this post when I´ve shortened the file sizes. More to follow on the picos soon................

Sunday 7^th August – Cumbria to Matienzo

I got up on Sunday at 6 o’clock after 2 hours sleep. I’d been up all night thinking about the ferry, meeting our friends and the Picos de Europa. After a long Journey, broken in two halves by a nice lunch, we boarded the ferry and went to our cabin, before eating at the restaurant. The ship was being knocked around quite violently. At one point some plates slid off a cupboard and smashed on the floor. Not so long ago I went on a cruise in mid winter and felt extremely sea sick with my pulse at 42bpm. I was hoping that I wouldn’t have this problem this time and although feeling a bit queasy I was alright at the moment, but took a travel chewy thing before I went to bed.

On the Ferry

Monday 8^th August – Matienzo Day 1

I had a suspicious feeling that the travel chewy thing I ate last night was just an idea a conman had to put some wine gums in a packet

and pretend they did something to help your travel sickness. Yes, there was something we did in science called the asbo effect or is it the placebo effect? It was saying something like if you think you’ve taken something to make you feel better, you feel better anyway, or something like that. I was probably concentrating on something else far more interesting at the time like falling a sleep or doodling. Anyhow back on track. I was right! I woke up dizzy on the top bunk, feeling as if a giant had picked up the ship and started shaking it vigorously. To make things even worse I thought it would be fun to climb up on to the bunk, the night before, without putting the ladder there, not thinking I’d be feeling sick in the morning. As a result I had to jump off the 5 ½ foot bunk bed aiming for the narrow floor between the two beds without landing on my sleeping Mum. After completing this tricky manoeuvre with a dizzy head I ran to the toilet and threw up. I spent the remainder of the journey staying in the cabin near the bathroom. But got Dad to take a photo of Santander as we were coming into port. After a half hour drive we arrived in Matienzo to meet Andy, Julie and Arthur at there holiday cottage in Spain. Andy was my Dad’s best man at Mum and Dad’s wedding and him and Julie’s son Arthur is my age, so we all get on really well. We then went to a restaurant in the next valley. Walking in it looked like a small bar until you go through the far door and a huge restaurant that can seat about 300 is suddenly in front of you. This was my first introduction to the food in this area of Spain and I loved it. The starters are pretty much the size of an English main course and then after that the main course is even bigger. I had ‘Mountain Stew’ for my first course You get a huge bowl that you can have as much as you like out of. This seemed fantastic, and to make things even better the waitress came and filled the bowl up to the top when it was getting lower. Andy then took us all on a guided drive around the 3 valleys of Matienzo. When we got back we went for a short stroll, which involved stopping off at 2 bars. Arthur then introduced me to his friends and later me and Arthur went out for a meal with them. We played table football at the bar we ate at. I wasn’t very good but now I’m much better at the end of the week.

Tuesday 9^th August – Matienzo Day 2

 We got up late after a late night (the common routine in Spanish holidays). We then went to see Covalanas, a show cave with paintings that are 20, 000 years old. They were mostly of deer. It was amazing to see the intelligence they had. They would use the different surfaces of the cave wall to make the paintings look different from different angles. After the show cave we then went to an art exhibition and had a drink and a snack at a bar and I went off with Arthur to look round a shop. It was a strange shop it had tools, air rifles and knives. The guy there was happy to show me and Arthur the rifles and didn’t have a problem with selling me a pen knife. By this time I had begun to really like Spain. When we got back to the cottage, I used my new pen knife to make a number of sticks with Arthur, that I could use to fight off vicious dogs guarding sheep on the hills. We then went out to the nearest bar to where Andy’s friends were having a caving expedition meal. There were 47 of us there and I was beginning to worry whether we’d have enough to go round. Then one of the waitresses took the plate of meat near me away, and brought it back full. By this time I had noticed that the Spanish weren’t to fussed about salad and definitely not veg. In terms of meals, this area of Spain has really sussed it out well. 2 of the people at the table had just got married and I was asked if I would play everyone some songs on my guitar for the party. It turned into a nice gig.

Wednesday 10^th August – Matienzo Day 3

Mum, Julie and Andy

It had gotten to my 4^th day in Matienzo and I hadn’t gone up any of the hills on the area yet. Andy, Julie, Mum and Dad were going on walk. They were going to drive up on to the highest point of the road and then walk up the remaining height to get to the col between El Naso and La Colina. I had arranged to walk up by the other side of the mountain and meet them at the col. After being dropped of at El Sedo I headed up towards the col. First passing through a field with a family of donkeys and then making my way up to the col through sharp bushes and bracken. The path wasn’t very clear but the top of La Colina was easily visible so I just made my way up to that. After reaching the col before the others coming from the other side I had already decided to start making my way up to the summit of La Colina when they came out onto the col. Andy, July and Mum made there way over to meet me half way up the remaining climb before we left Dad (who is scared of heights) and headed up to the summit. We then met back up with Dad on the col and enjoyed the walk down similar to the way I came up. After a drink at the bar we went back to the cottage and had stuffed marrow for tea.

Thursday 11^th August – Matienzo Day 4

Me and Arthur got up at very early time (around 10am) and set off to cycle up the mountain road. Arthur had gone up there before with a friend and had done it in 34mins with a few stops. We did it in 29 mins and cycled down in 7mins. We were going down so fast that the wind was blowing tears out our eyes. Dad, Mum, July, Andy and I went to Santander to look around a DIY shop and get a map of the Picos. There was also a big sports shop that had a large section for the outdoor enthusiast. It turned out there weren’t any decent maps anywhere but I had a quick look round the outdoor shop and Dad bought a bit of trim for the shower at Spain’s answer to B&Q. We went back and Andy made clam stew and did some meat on the BBQ for us all. We then had to head out as there was no more wine left in the house and people started to panic.

Friday 12^th August – Matienzo Day 5

Today Mum and Dad set off for a 2 night break in Santilla de el Mar and I stayed with Andy and Julie. Me and Arthur set up some home made fishing traps using sticks, nails and corks (which we had plenty of by now). Ater setting them up we went to the old abandoned school to hang out with his friends. After that we had some chips at the bar. I then went with Andy and July for a stroll around the valley. After that Julie made chicken in a nice tomato sauce with home made chips at the cottage. We then ewent to watch a horror film in Spanish at one of Arthurs friends house before heading back to bed.

Saturday 13^th August – Matienzo Day 6

Today was my last day in Matienzo and we all went caving. Andy is a very experienced caver and has had expeditions funded by the National Geographic in the past. The cave was called Jivero and was 500 metres long. It was my first time caving. Although not technically difficult it was extremely exciting. Matienzo’s caves are beautiful and unique. I was very lucky to start caving in such a fabulous place. After we left the cave we went out to the bar before returning home for a pizza to put us on until lamb chops later in the evening.

Saturday 14^th August – Matienzo to the Picos

I got up at 9:45am and had breakfast before getting my stuff together. Me, Andy and Julie were gonna set off and meet Mum and Dad in Santilla de el Mar for lunch, then head over to the cottage we’d booked just outside the Picos de Europa. We met Mum and Day at about 12:45pm and had a quick look around the town (I hate this part of the holiday which was why I didn’t come with them) and some art galleries. One had paintings with some fantastic ones of the Picos de Europa. This filled my passion for mountaineering again after a week away from it. We had lunch and then set off for our cottage. The road took us through a gorge, with mighty rockfaces and jagged peaks towering above us. A magnificent introduction to the kind of country I have been admiring in the photos. After sorting out rooms we all went to Potes just a 6km drive away. It is like Picos de Europa’s Keswick. It has many shops selling bits of local produce and I saw one or two outdoors shops and guide centres there. We bought some unusual stuff. Mum was in a grumpy mood because she hadn’t had a cup of Earl Grey tea for two days and hates pasteurized milk, fresh milk is very hard to find round here. When we parked we got out and we couldn’t quite believe it. There was a kind of Milk machine thing selling fresh refrigerated whole milk! Me and Dad were just as relieved as Mum. She would be much friendlier now.