348 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
348 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
sponsored
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travel
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brittany-ferries-to-santander
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7881187
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-----
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# Brittany Ferries: Santander - the chic city by the sea
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## Santander, the capital of Cantabria, is a sophisticated coastal gem. Annie
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Bennett discovers its many delights.
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![Fresh shellfish for sale at Santander's port][1]
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Image 1 of 3
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Fresh shellfish for sale at Santander's port
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![Sophisticated Puerto Chico marina, Santander][2]
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Image 1 of 3
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Sophisticated Puerto Chico marina, Santander
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![Having fun on the golden sands of Sardinero beach][3]
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Image 1 of 3
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Having fun on the golden sands of Sardinero beach
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Annie Bennett 11:23AM BST 09 Jul 2010
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Sailing around the Bay of Santander in a schooner - the Cantabria Infinita -
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was pretty thrilling in itself, but I was also getting a good idea of the
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grandeur of the city.
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From the boat, I could see the Palacio de la Magdalena, built at the beginning
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of the 20th century. Traditionally the place where the Spanish royal family
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spent the summer months, it also became a magnet for intellectuals and its
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summer university now hosts a range of courses, which take place alongside a
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lively cultural scene.
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High on the hill behind it was the Hotel Real, which opened in 1917 and has
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been a meeting place for the great and the good ever since. And now I was
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lucky enough to be staying there too.
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We sailed past the fabulous and very popular Sardinero beach, a swathe of
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golden sand dominated by the Gran Casino. This elegant white structure was
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built around the same time as the Hotel Real and is one of the city's most
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symbolic buildings.
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The landscape suddenly became wilder as we neared the lighthouse on the Cabo
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Mayor promontory, where the waves crashed onto the dark rocks of the cliffs as
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we left the shelter of the bay and entered the Bay of Biscay. Pablo, the
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captain of the schooner - a reproduction of an 18th-century vessel - swung the
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helm around and we turned eastwards, giving us a stunning view of the
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Trasmiera coast.
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As we headed back into the bay, a finger of shimmering sand with a strip of
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dunes down the middle protruded into the sea. "That's El Puntal beach," said
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my friend Daniel, who is Santander born and bred. "Maybe we can take a boat
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over there tomorrow and have a swim."
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It was a very appealing idea on that warm, sunny day. Not that you are exactly
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short of beaches in Santander. From the schooner, I counted at least half a
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dozen different bays, tucked into the curves of the coast around the city.
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**SUPERB SEAFOOD **
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Santander is all about the sea, as I had learned earlier that day when we
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visited the Maritime Museum on the waterfront. Incidentally, a ticket
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including both the boat trip and the museum only cost €10, which is an amazing
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bargain if you ask me. There we saw a complete whale skeleton, which was more
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than 79ft long and stretched right across the floor.
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We spent ages in the aquarium too, looking at all the different fish that
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inhabit the Bay of Biscay. Afterwards, we sat and had a coffee in the rather
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stylish cafe and restaurant on the top floor and gazed across the glittering
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sea from the terrace.
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"That's Pedreña on the other side of the bay," said Daniel, "where Severiano
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Ballesteros was born. He opened his own golf course on the hillside, but he
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learned to play at the Royal Golf Club, the original course there. You must
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also try the delicious clams from the shore there."
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When we got off the schooner by the Pereda Gardens, near the Brittany Ferries
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terminal, we were starving after all that wonderful sea air.
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"So where are we having lunch?" I asked Daniel. "I know just the place," he
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replied, as we strolled down the Paseo de Pereda promenade towards Puerto
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Chico, the old fishing harbour which is now a marina filled with yachts.
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Daniel led me up the hill behind the port, turned down a quiet little back
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street and ushered me into El Marucho (Calle Tetuan 21), which was packed with
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people devouring huge plates of seafood as if they hadn't eaten a decent meal
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in weeks. Every table was taken, but we were shown up a rickety staircase to a
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little gallery, where we installed ourselves at one of three marble tables
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overlooking the bustle of the main restaurant.
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Daniel immediately tucked his red napkin under his chin and advised me to do
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the same. "I warn you, it could get rather messy," he said.
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Maite, who came upstairs to take our order, told us that the restaurant had
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been run by her extended family for 70 years, and the chef, Angel, had been
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there for 35 years. Opening a bottle of the house Albariño, the crisp white
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wine from Galicia that goes so well with shellfish, she talked us through the
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menu.
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Following her advice, we kicked off with king prawns with chopped onion,
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cucumber, tomato and red peppers, followed by strips of squid fried in a crisp
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batter that wasn't remotely greasy. There followed huge platters of razor
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clams, velvet crabs and the exquisite goose barnacles that taste of the sea.
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We finished off with a huge spider crab, the flesh mixed with white wine and
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some finely chopped egg.
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Downstairs, some of the older members of the family, bubbling with life even
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though they must have been more than 80 years old, were singing traditional
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old Santander songs. We joined them for coffee and a shot of crema de orujo,
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the local liqueur which tastes a little bit like Baileys but slips down even
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more easily.
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**CERTAIN TO RETURN **
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By the time we finally left El Marucho, it was late afternoon. We bought huge
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ice creams from Regma, the local firm that has kiosks all over the city, and
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walked along the path that links the various beaches, watching the windsurfers
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riding the waves.
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"Swimming in the sea became fashionable here in the 19th century," said
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Daniel. "It was known as baños de ola, or 'wave bathing', back then, and was
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believed to be good for the health. In July there is a festival to celebrate
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it, when people dress up in old-fashioned woollen swimming costumes. It's
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quite a contrast to the skimpy swimsuits we wear today. You should come back
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and see it."
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Later that evening, as I sank into a white Lloyd Loom chair on the terrace of
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the Hotel Real with a gin and tonic, it struck me that over the course of the
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day I had made rather a long mental list of reasons to come back to Santander.
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One day simply isn't enough to do justice to this graceful city.
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[X][4] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][5]
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* Share: [Share][4] [ ][6] [ ][7]
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[Tweet][8]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/7881187/Brittany-Ferries-Santander-the-chic-city-by-the-sea.html
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Telegraph
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## [Brittany Ferries to Santander][9]
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* ### [Sponsored »][10]
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* ### [Travel »][11]
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[X][4] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][5]
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Share:
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* [ ][4]
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* [ ][6]
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* [ ][7]
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* [Tweet][8]
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* ![Brittany Ferries and Santander][12]
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[VIDEOS: PILGRIMS' ROUTE »][13]
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### [Travelling in class to Santander][14]
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[![Brittany Ferries to Santander introduction video: Derek Bishton's
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Camino][15] ][14]
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Derek Bishton heads to Santander with Brittany Ferries as he returns to
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Northern Spain to take another Camino to Santiago de Compostela.
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### [Retracing the Camino: day one][16]
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### [Retracing the Camino: day two][17]
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### [Retracing the Camino: day three][18]
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[Derek Bishton's Blog »][19]
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### [Blog: Santiago or Bust][19]
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[![Derek Bishton's blog: Santiago or Bust][20]][19]
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Read Derek Bishton's blog as he takes his Camino across Northern Europe to
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Santiago de Compostela.
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[Picture gallery »][21]
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### [Derek Bishton's Camino][22]
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[![View of Burgos, including Cathedral, Northern Spain][23]][22]
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Great photographs from Santander to Santiago de Compostella in Spain.
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[Picture Galleries »][24]
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### [The Picos de Europa][25]
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[![Potes][26]][25]
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Beautiful mountains, countryside and historic cities.
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### [Spain's north coast][27]
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[![Frejulfe Beach, Asturias][28]][27]
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Magical coastlines, culture, and delicious seafood.
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[Picos and further afield »][29]
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### [Stunning Picos][30]
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[![The market town of Potes with the Picos de Europa in the background][31]
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][30]
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Between the two main pilgrims' routes in Northern Spain lies a dramatic area
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of outstanding beauty.
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### [Eastern promises][32]
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[![Aragon, Spain][33] ][32]
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A leisurely drive from Santander are the delights of Aragon, Navarra and even
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France.
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[1]:
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01675/BF_seafood_1675868c.jpg
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[2]:
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01675/BF_harbour_1675873c.jpg
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[3]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01675/BFbeach_1675880c.jpg
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[4]: #
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[5]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/4590190/Share-this-article-
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What-are-these.html
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[6]: mailto:?subject=A Telegraph reader thought you would be interested in
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this article&body=Depending on your email program, you may be able to click on
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the link in the email. Alternatively, you may have to open a web browser, such
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as Firefox or Internet Explorer, and copy the link over into the address bar.
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%0A%0Ahttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/7881187/Brittany-Ferries-Santander-the-chic-city-by-the-sea.html
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%0A%0AFor the best content online, visit www.telegraph.co.uk
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[7]: javascript:print()
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[8]: http://twitter.com/share?via=Telegraph
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[9]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/
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[10]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/
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[11]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/
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[12]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01676/sponsor_brittany_16
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76015a.gif
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[13]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/7881948/Brittany-Ferries-to-Santander-introduction-video-Derek-
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Bishtons-Camino.html
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[14]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7881948/Brittany-
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Ferries-to-Santander-introduction-video-Derek-Bishtons-Camino.html
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[15]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01676/Derek-Bishton-
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Vid1_1676356g.jpg
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[16]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7882042/Derek-
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Bishtons-Camino-Day-one-video.html
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[17]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7882215/Derek-
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Bishtons-Camino-Day-two-video.html
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[18]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7882393/Derek-
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Bishtons-Camino-Day-three-video.html
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[19]: http://my.telegraph.co.uk/bishtonblog/
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[20]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01676/Derek-Biston-
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Bentl_1676275g.jpg
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[21]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/7889579/Picture-gallery-Derek-Bishtons-Camino-in-Northern-Spain.html
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[22]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7889579/Picture-
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gallery-Derek-Bishtons-Camino-in-Northern-Spain.html
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[23]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01678/Burgos-Cathedral-
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v_1678782g.jpg
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[24]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/7875099/The-Picos-de-Europa.html
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[25]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7875099/Northern-
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Spain-picture-gallery-The-Picos-de-Europa.html
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[26]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01673/NSpain-Teleg-
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Picos_1673508e.jpg
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[27]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7873218/Spains-north-
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coast-the-Northern-Pilgrims-Route.html
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[28]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01673/NSpain-Teleg-
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Coast_1673005e.jpg
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[29]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/7881532/The-stunning-Picos-de-Europa-in-Northern-Spain-via-
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Santander-with-Brittany-Ferries.html
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[30]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7881532/The-stunning-
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Picos-de-Europa-in-Northern-Spain-via-Santander-with-Brittany-Ferries.html
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[31]:
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01676/SceneryPeak_1676387g.jpg
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[32]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7881779/Visit-Aragon-
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Navarre-and-France-via-Santander-with-Brittany-Ferries.html
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[33]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01678/Spain-
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Aragon_1678922g.jpg
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