Picos de Europa: Heidi Country?

The views outside our cottage door were spectacular.

Although Kevin has input on our trips, he lets me do the planning. So it's a bit ironic that I was sucking in my breath and clinging tightly to the door of our rental car as he navigated the narrow, twisty mountain roads to get to our Airbnb. Those roads were made for ox carts and donkeys, not cars. I knew that! I knew the cottage that we rented was near the top of a mountain, so I could hardly blame him for being scared! It was all worth it though.

Our little cottage was one of the best rentals we've ever had. I thought I had taken photos of the interior, but I guess I was so entranced by the views outside that I must have forgotten to do that. Inside was brightly painted in yellows, blues, and a soft orange wall in our bedroom. Maria, the host, had decorated it charmingly with Spanish flavor. It was not only was clean, it was sparkling clean, and very well stocked, so we were quite happy. 

But the views! Oh, those views! I couldn't stop taking photos. And every evening when it wasn't too cool, we would sit on the porch with a glass of Rioja wine, some delicious Spanish olives, cheese and bread, and simply watch the colors change on the landscape.

In the morning, I would dash outside to get a photo of the sunrise and mist.

In short, the cottage fit our needs perfectly. Why? Because in addition to the astonishing views and everything else, Maria had cats. They weren't allowed in the house, but they came by to visit, and I could pet them. And if you know me, you know I like cats! (Dogs and other animals too, of course, but I am partial to cats.)

.

Did I say it was Heidi country? It wasn't Switzerland, but there were mountain peaks piercing the sky and green meadows in the valleys below. What's more, our times on the porch were accompanied by a "soundtrack" of cowbells from wandering cows in the pasture below. The land is actually more like the Dolomites in Italy, which also have enormous limestone massifs. 

I could almost have been content to simply stay there and watch the changing light, but we had plans to go for a hike in the Picos, so that was next on our agenda.

But I must say that we only met one car on the road while traversing the hamlet below, and that was at a place it was relatively easy to pass. So by the time we drove down the mountain one last time, I wasn't clinging quite as tightly to the car door. And I was no longer praying.