Cresonia Hsieh is a student at University of Florida and an ISA Featured Blogger. Cresonia is currently studying abroad with ISA in Salamanca, Spain.

It was supposed to be cold and rainy the weekend ISA Salamanca Summer students arrived in Santander, but against all odds, the day couldn’t have been any more perfect.
First Stop: The Beach
Outside Hotel Santemar is an exquisite beach called Playa del Sardinero. With sand fit for not only tanning but also exfoliating the skin, and water warm enough to play in. The beach could have not been beat. However, after taking a walk along the shore, we noticed a fantastic site.

Second Stop: The Rocks
I don’t know the history or origin of these rocks, but I do know that if you go when the tide is low, these are awesome rocks to venture through and to. My friends and I relaxed on these rocks for about an hour and were able to get some magnificent photos. If you’re facing the ocean so that the city is behind you, walk around the beach to the right until you see the huge rock. There you’ll discover the sites that we saw.



Third Stop: The Hillside
After relaxing on the beach for a couple more hours, my friends and I started getting hungry and wanted to get a better look of the lighthouse. If you’re facing the ocean from the sidewalk alongside the beach, travel to the left. Eventually you’ll run into a path that will hug the mountainside. That’s all we did, and eventually we arrived at a site called Parque de Cabo Mayor where you can see the city and beach to your right, the lighthouse to your left, and the beautiful blue ocean in front of you. On our walk, we even discovered a smaller cove to swim in, a golf course, and a park!


Fourth Stop: The Zoo
Later than day, ISA took us on another tour of city. After visiting Palacio Real de la Magdalena, we stopped by Parque de la Magdelena where you can see sea lions, penguins, ships, and more! We finished the day by splitting a pizza at Pizza Hut and the rest of the group watched fireworks on the beach. It was a picture perfect day, literally and figuratively. I couldn’t have asked for a better or more beautiful day.