... We would like to add a week vacation to our trip. Any suggestions? I do have to stop in San Sebastian. ... I would like to visit Northern Spain this time.
I visited Potes (Liebana, Cantabria) in April two years ago. My trip was a sort of pilgrimage: it was a jubilee year for Santo Toribio and the Monastery (just outside Potes) that houses the largest known fragment of the Cross on which Christ was crucified. Unfortunately, the
Picos de Europa were pretty much inaccessible. They were having mountain rescue team competitions that week. Some say the
Orujo de Liebana is the only true
aguardiente and the
Cocido Lebaniega really sticks to one's ribs. It's just like
Fabada Asturiana except it's made with garbanzo beans rather than the more expensive Fava beans.
I also visited Bilbao (and Frank Gehry's Titanium masterpiece, the Guggenheim) that trip.
If you don't want to go all the way across from San Sebastian to Galicia, I would recommend Santander as a base. From there you can visit Santillana del Mar and the new Virtual
Cuevas de Altamira, Comillas, Liebana, San Sebastian de Garabandal, Laredo and Limpias and many other religious sites. And the seafood in Santander's
Barrio Pesquero is without equal!