A walk through Comillas

One of the most attractive and relevant destinations, within Cantabria, not only for its age, for its beauty or for its legendary fame, which, like others along this marvelous coast, have their brotherhoods of Navigators, is none other than Quotation marks.

Comillas also enjoys, in the cultural aspect, for being the headquarters of one of the most prestigious universities in Spain, which, by the way, bears the same name as the city that hosts it, and for having the grace of having one of the most formidable examples of Gaudí's revolutionary architecture, far from the area of influence of that distant Catalan Reinaxança: an impressive small palace, which, with the name, by no means irrelevant, of Capricho, constitutes, by itself, a whole universe to discover and that Therefore, it deserves the honor of a future exclusive entry.

Strolling through the old town of Comillas and then moving to the brilliant constitution of its coastline, where some wonderful beaches stand out, with fine sand and plenty of space for bathing and walking, it is, after all, a little trip in time, in which, successively, one is introduced to the different scenarios that made it one of the most relevant cities on the Cantabrian coast and by default, in Spain.

Noting some of the most relevant aspects, we can say that in its long history Comillas has not only been the first city in Spain to use the patent of the North American inventor Thomas Alva Edison and, therefore, to be the first Spanish city to use the new, at that time, electric light, but also, and by a political decision of the king, Alfonso XII, had the honor of becoming the capital of Spain, if only for one day.

Beyond these comments, which may well be framed within the large number of anecdotes that serve, at least, to highlight the importance that this beautiful fishing village, Comillas, has had over time, like many other cities located along the length and breadth of the coast, falls within the margins along which not only runs that path of faith and transcendence, which is the Camino de Santiago or Camino de las Estrellas, but also welcomes the enormous popularity that in recent years ago there is another path, no less relevant and related, such as the so-called Lebanensis Itinerary, which, leaving the rugged coastal paths, enters, towards the height of Val de San Vicente and its Tina Menor, into the fantastic settings of the Picos de Europa, leading to that prodigal and marvelous universe of beauty and splendor, which is Liébana, where one of the oldest and most important monasteries in Spain is located: Santo Toribio de Liébana.

As in the case of Santillana del Mar, which is approximately thirty kilometers away, the media presence of two important prehistoric caves - El Portillo and La Meaza - bear witness to the importance of its situation. - which indicate that this place was already charismatic for a civilization, older than initially supposed, which was beginning to connect with the Unknowable, leaving testimony of that spiritual approach, in the depths of these caverns.

Taking these data into account and also adding that Comillas still has a sovereign beauty, above all, referring to that traditional, dazzling architecture, with its own sense and a great collection of functionality, it is not surprising that a walk through its old town, constitutes, in addition, a pleasant experience, above all, marked by the tower of the imposing Gothic church dedicated to one of the most enigmatic and heterodox figures, not very pleasant to the Church, but which, nevertheless, was very popular, especially among walkers and pilgrims, who turned it -like the popular San Roque, San Lázaro or San Veremundo- into another of the indisputable patron saints of the roads: San Cristóbal.

In addition, as an addition, we could say that his name, Cristóbal, already in itself, contains at least two interesting meanings, since, in its Latinized version of the original 'Cristóforos', we can already deduce, for example, the following: a spiritual meaning, 'bearer of the Child' and another, without a doubt, of an alchemical nature, such as 'bearer of gold'.

Throughout the old town, delimited mainly by the church of San Cristóbal and the beautiful Plaza de la Constitución, other types of architecture are also being detected, which, as I mentioned at the beginning, allow us to create a historical vision of the growth of the city and the vicissitudes of its inhabitants, such as the abundance of modern palaces, such as the one known as Casa Ocejo, owned by one of the descendants of the famous Count of Orgaz, painted by El Greco in one of his most relevant paintings, as well as the so-called houses of Indianos or emigrants who made a great fortune in America and returned, bringing with them not only money, but also part of the architectural characteristics of those countries.

And finally, perhaps even more attractive, in the face of summer and great outdoor activities, the magnificent port of Comillas and the beautiful constitution and beauty of the surrounding beaches, which, I have no doubt, make from this jewel of the Cantabrian Sea, one of the most beautiful and attractive destinations in northern Spain.

NOTICE: Both the text and the photographs that accompany it, as well as the video that illustrates it, are my exclusive intellectual property and, therefore, are subject to my Copyright.

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