From pilgrim to hospitalera in one day (Reposo del Andayón)

[Luka]

The day before yesterday I got the feeling that my Camino was finished. It was day 16 on the Norte, still far away from Santiago. I walked this Camino to mark a change in my life: from an office job in Amsterdam to a life as a volunteer and digital nomad on the Spanish countryside. And that day I felt I was ready to start with my nomad life.

Yesterday I packed my backpack, walked out of Poo de Llanes for another stage on the Camino, wondering what to do. In the afternoon I arrived at the wonderful albergue Posada del Andayón in Cuerres. The house is so incredibly beautiful! It's a place where you want to stay. And as a matter of fact they could use the help of a hospitalera...

So the next morning I was preparing breakfast for my fellow pilgrims! I will stay here till about the 10-12th of August. The Camino provides

 

[SabsP]

@Luka : so happy to read. Enjoy the volunteering.
Do keep us posted..if you have the time of course. Will be very busy I guess?

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Luka,
What a great bit of serendipity! I hope you enjoy your stay and your new life as a "volunteer and digital nomad." (What exactly is a digital nomad?)
When I walked by in June, the albergue part of this eco-lodge-spa had not yet opened. It looks to be quite snazzy. Can you explain a little about this place? Buen camino, Laurie

 

[LTfit]

Good to hear from you Luka, I had been wondering how the Norte was treating you.

Great that this opportunity has arisen. Enjoy the hospitalera experience!

 

[natefaith]

Very cool, Luka! We know it's been your wish for a while. Enjoy!!

 

[SYates]

Well done @Luka - that way/Camino a new life starts! Buen Albergue! SY

 

[Luka]

Hi, Luka,
What a great bit of serendipity! I hope you enjoy your stay and your new life as a "volunteer and digital nomad." (What exactly is a digital nomad?)
When I walked by in June, the albergue part of this eco-lodge-spa had not yet opened. It looks to be quite snazzy. Can you explain a little about this place? Buen camino, Laurie

I will answer your questions and put some photos online tomorrow in the "WiFi hour" from 6 to 8pm. This hospitalera needs some sleep now ;-)

But yes, the albergue opened the 9th of June I guess, so still very new.

 

[KinkyOne]

@Luka : so happy to read. Enjoy the volunteering.
Do keep us posted..if you have the time of course. Will be very busy I guess?

It looks like the owner has Belgian ancestors on one side:
http://www.reposodelandayon.com/
And it's a huge place:
https://www.gronze.com/asturias/cuerres/albergue-reposo-andayon

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Another place that accepts pets!

 

[nycwalking]

Luka,
Santiago gave you a treat.
Good luck as hospitalera.
Buen camino

 

[MileHighPair]

Best wishes Luka, it sounds like an exciting time in your life. Keep us posted.

 

[Anniesantiago]

So the next morning I was preparing breakfast for my fellow pilgrims! I will stay here till about the 10-12th of August. The Camino provides

Heeeeey, Luka! Good for you!

 

[HedaP]

Well done you! Looking forward to hearing more of your adventures.

 

[Mike Savage]

That is great Luka! I can't wait to hear more about your adventures as a Hospitalera and as a digital nomad.

 

[mspath]

Wonderful news Luka! Enjoy your new stop and "job". As I make breakfast today for our guests which include a Czech pilgrim walking from Reims to Paris my thoughts will be of you setting out breakfast for your pilgrims.

Carpe diem!

 

[LTfit]

@Luka I just looked at their video and Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/reposodelandayon/
What a tremendous project! No surprise that you ended up there. Just add a few animals and the picture is complete

 

[Anemone del Camino]

@Luka I just looked at their video and Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/reposodelandayon/
What a tremendous project!

Tremendous project and labour of love as I expect they will never recover much if any of that expenditure as a donativo.

 

[nickymd1]

Yesterday I packed my backpack, walked out of Poo de Llanes for another stage on the Camino, wondering what to do. In the afternoon I arrived at the wonderful albergue Posada del Andayón in Cuerres. The house is so incredibly beautiful! It's a place where you want to stay. And as a matter of fact they could use the help of a hospitalera...

So the next morning I was preparing breakfast for my fellow pilgrims! I will stay here till about the 10-12th of August. The Camino provides

Hey Luka, thanks for the tip! I'll hopefully be seeing you around the 1st!

 

[peregrina2000]

The day before yesterday I got the feeling that my Camino was finished. It was day 16 on the Norte, still far away from Santiago. I walked this Camino to mark a change in my life: from an office job in Amsterdam to a life as a volunteer and digital nomad on the Spanish countryside. And that day I felt I was ready to start with my nomad life.

Yesterday I packed my backpack, walked out of Poo de Llanes for another stage on the Camino, wondering what to do. In the afternoon I arrived at the wonderful albergue Posada del Andayón in Cuerres. The house is so incredibly beautiful! It's a place where you want to stay. And as a matter of fact they could use the help of a hospitalera...

So the next morning I was preparing breakfast for my fellow pilgrims! I will stay here till about the 10-12th of August. The Camino provides

Hi, Luka, just looking at my pictures and trying to remember, and I think that Reposo is just a short distance from the turnoff I took to get out to the coastal route, which goes essentially all the way into Ribadesella. Since Cuerres is only about 7 km from Ribadesella, a great stage from Reposo would be to take the detour to the coast, (probably would add no more than 3) and then continue on from Ribadesella to Vega de Ribadesella (7) and its lovely donativo albergue or 9 km further on to Isla.

That coastal stretch was wild and rocky, not the serene green-covered fingers on high cliffs sticking out into the ocean that are so much a part of the Asturian coast, but it was really pretty and a very easy to follow path.

And BTW, the Reposo's albergue is only a small part of the entire eco-lodge, so there must be room options for the higher-end pilgrim who would like to subsidize his/her donativo friends.

Just in case you are looking for things to do in your "down time" as hospitalera.

 

[peregrina2000]

A couple of pictures from the coastal route before Ribadesella and after Cuerres.

 

[Luka]

Thanks all for your cheers! I see you figured most of it out already ;-)

Katrine - the owner - is a Belgian/French lady and former pilgrim who has lived in Murcia for 40 years before she came to Asturias 2 years ago. It took 1,5 years to build the enormous, mostly wooden eco-building. Next to the donativo albergue there is a hotel (posada) with spacious and extremely well done rooms. The rates start at 95 euro, so no pilgrim prices ;-)

The albergue has 10 beds and 2 colchones and is completo almost every night, so do make a reservation if you want to stay here. It's mostly mouth to mouth advertisement among pilgrims. Katrine does a communal vegetarian dinner every night. Healthy and tasty food

 

[Luka]

 

[SabsP]

Wow! Especially the " Cultivate the empathy" . Megalike!!

 

[Luka]

@nickymd1, that would be nice! Do make a reservation!
@LTfit, it's a perfect place to start my own adventure! It's only that they have just one dog and no other animals ;-)
@peregrina2000, a digital nomad is somebody who can work from everywhere. They just need a laptop, wifi and a phone. Most digital nomads roam around in Asia and other exotic locations. I want to find out if I can earn a small living as a copywriter (in Dutch, for clients in the Netherlands) from the Spanish countryside. First I will combine writing with working as a volunteer all over Spain. In the end I hope to find my own spot with a casita, a huerta and a cabaña for guests.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Oh oh, found a deal breaker in the photo Luka posted: "ventanas cerradas"! Clearly this owner has been living in Spain for too long and has forgoten the importance of fresh air during the night.

 

[SabsP]

Oh oh, found a deal breaker in the photo Luka posted: "ventanas cerradas"! Clearly this owner has been living in Spain for too long and has forgoten the importance of fresh air during the night.

Actually if you read more about passive housing you will see opening windows is ok but only under certain circumstances.

http://www.zehnderpassivehouse.co.uk/blog/windows-passive-house.html

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Actually if you read more about passive housing you will see opening windows is ok but only under certain circumstances.

http://www.zehnderpassivehouse.co.uk/blog/windows-passive-house.html

But her signs says no windows open.

 

[Luka]

No worries, it is not that strict. It is a system that cleans the air before it enters the house. But now in summer the windows can be opened for some cool air in the morning and evening. The night I was still on the other side, sleeping with the pilgrims, we left the window open all night.

 

[bernhugo]

Good luck on your new adventure Luka.
Enjoy what you do.

 

[LTfit]

Always love seeing smiling faces
And that looks like gazpacho to me - yummy, perfect summer food!

Look forward to hearing more.

 

[Luka]

@LTfit, you are right! It was gazpacho de sandía. Should ask for the recipe, because it was very tasty!

 

[peregrina2000]

And that looks like gazpacho to me - yummy, perfect summer food!

I'm raising a glass in your honor, LT -- the woman who introduced me to "gazpacho in a box." And I even remember where it was -- in Cervera on the Cami Catala. I had it many times on the Norte this year, always refreshing, always cheap, and probably better for me than many of the supermarket alternatives.

 

[coober]

@Luka, here ya go.

Ingredients for Watermelon Gazpacho (4 glasses):

• 600 grams of tomato branch
• 500 grams of watermelon (with skin and removed)
• 35 grams of onion
• 40 grams of green pepper
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 to 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar (to taste)
• 2/3 of a small spoon salt

Recipe for Watermelon Gazpacho (four glasses):

1. Thoroughly wash tomatoes and peppers .
2. Peel the onion and cut a length of about 35 grams. Cut a piece of pepperabout 40 grams. No need to cut thin or onion or pepper, give various cuts and ready.
3. Peel the garlic , cut lengthwise and Take away the germ that brings in the middle. So you get that garlic amargue less.
4. Now cut the tomatoes into small pieces (like the blender will work best) and throw them into the bowl of the mixer. Add tomato over the garlic, onion and pepper we had prepared. Beat until all very fine. If you want this is the best time to cast (filter) gazpacho with fine mesh strainer, but I do unless the tomato skin is too fat or is very dry.
5. Now we prepare watermelon and have no skin . We remove all the seeds that we can and cut into several pieces. Check watermelon to the blender and add salt, oil and vinegar . Bate for a few minutes until it is all very fine.
6. Now try the watermelon gazpacho and if necessary add a pinch more salt or vinegar, to taste !!
7. Finally gets into the fridge and leave it there for at least a couple of hours to get well chilled.
8. If you want you can decorate the glass that you serve gazpacho with little balls of watermelon (as pictured) and before always serve him must mix it up a bit with a large spoon or can be the best mixer. Outside the kitchen and eat !!

and as they say "Enjoy"

 

[LTfit]

I'm raising a glass in your honor, LT -- the woman who introduced me to "gazpacho in a box." And I even remember where it was -- in Cervera on the Cami Catala. I had it many times on the Norte this year, always refreshing, always cheap, and probably better for me than many of the supermarket alternatives.

What an honor! Hard to imagine that it was your first time after all those years in Spain. But not all "gazpachos in a box" are equal. The best variety is almost €4 a pack versus the Día alternative.

@Luka thanks for the recipe! I've made gazpacho at home but have never seen a recipe with watermelon.
On your list of ingredients you write tomato 'branch'. Do you mean a certain type of tomato (vine tomatoes)? And you left out the word 'seeds' on the second line.
I would try it out but it is rainy and cool this morning here at home.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

But not all "gazpachos in a box" are equal. The best variety is almost €4 a pack versus the Día alternative.

I have tasted two, the one from Dia, found in the refrigerator, and another, in a single portion tetrapack kept on the shelf. I really enjoyed the Dia gazpacho, the other one was, well, really something I forced myself to finish: very orange, very smooth and just not quite right.

 

[KinkyOne]

@Luka thanks for the recipe! I've made gazpacho at home but have never seen a recipe with watermelon....

Ahem, that was @coober , not @Luka

 

[Luka]

Greetings from Cuerres! I still like working here as a hospitalera! I will stay here until the morning of the 10th of August. We have had 2 days with very low numbers. On Sunday the 30th just 2 pilgrims and Monday the 31st there were 5. Yesterday 10 and today 12 (which is the maximum), so I guess our quiet days are over ;-) Pilgrims really arrive in waves. It might just have been the change of the month. July-pilgrims going home and August-pilgrims arriving. Or it might have been the bad weather. It rained all day Sunday and Monday. Perhaps pilgrims prefer to stay in bigger places on those days. Cuerres is a village with just 147 inhabitants.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

@Luka , take notes so you can write your "Memoirs of a hospy". Worked for geishas, was not hospies?

 

[Luka]

@Anemone del Camino
Would be a bit boring. 'Today new pilgrims arrived, the albergue is completo again. The pilgrims are from Spain and other countries, mostly European. I registered them and they had a shower and a rest. Then we had a vegetarian dinner together. The next moring I woke them up at 7.00 am and prepared breakfast. Then they packed their backpacks and left.'

I'll be leaving in a few days now, by the way. Will spend 2 nights in Oviedo before I'll go volunteering somewhere else in Asturias. Taking care of donkeys instead of pilgrims, cleaning stables instead of an albergue ;-)