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David's refreshment stand before Astorga

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I didn't know he was missing. I didn't go there last year. Anyone fill me in?

Last year there were some news floating around the Spanish speaking Camino world that he had closed down the Casa de los Dioses because it all got too much for him. But it seems he reconsidered and is back again ;-) BC SY
 
Thanks. As you may well know I was out of forum touch a lot last year what with walking and being busy at University so I missed this news. Glad he is back. It is one of the highlights. Especially after reaching the top of the hill after the slep though the forest!
PS Glad company is finding you and helping you settle into you new life.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
He was most definitely there mid-May :)
 
I stopped in on May 12 of this year. It was very cold and he had two warming tents in operation.

I was able to thank him for helping me and many others cross the dry creek that became a raging river due to the torrential rains in 2016. He was standing in the water helping everyone get across. It was difficult to tell him how appreciative I was by his action because there were tears in my eyes. This is one very special guy indeed.

Definitely a Camino highlight not to miss.
 
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The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
His barn is gone? Or has just just moved a bit?
 
I can see the walls on both photos.
 
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Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
I am glad to hear that he is back. I hope that he has sorted out things with his son and that everybody is well. He has created an amazing place. It's hard to put into words just how special Casa de los Dioses is.
 
I am glad to hear that he is back. I hope that he has sorted out things with his son and that everybody is well. He has created an amazing place. It's hard to put into words just how special Casa de los Dioses is.

It reminds me in some aspects of Jesus Jato's place as it was in the early 90s. :p
 
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6 May. He seemed to be alone. Boiled egg, the biggest cumquat I've ever seen, and a small sugar banana. A perfect lunch. Same location. Love that day of walking in the wilds. Saw deer. No wolves but maybe one day.
 
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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
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Does anyone know if "Suzy," his Australian partner is still there as well? She did most of the landscaping, creating the meditation garden, if I recall correctly. The last time we spoke was in April 2016 when I walked through from Leon and points south.

Perhaps not related, I did read somewhere on the forum recently about an Australian woman named "Suzy" running an albergue somewhere along the Camino Frances, in the general area of Astorga. Did I recall this correctly, and could this be the same person?

Just curious.
 
I remember a very hot day on the Camino in 2009. I said to my Spanish friend, I think Santiago- St. James- will be just ahead. We came up over the hill and there was David in the distance. It was like a mirage but such a welcome, refreshing, friendly stop. It made the rest of the walk into Astorga so much easier. That was without a doubt one of my best Camino memories!!!!
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
OK, thanks everybody for your contribution.

Gerald
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Does anyone know if "Suzy," his Australian partner is still there as well? She did most of the landscaping, creating the meditation garden, if I recall correctly. The last time we spoke was in April 2016 when I walked through from Leon and points south.

Perhaps not related, I did read somewhere on the forum recently about an Australian woman named "Suzy" running an albergue somewhere along the Camino Frances, in the general area of Astorga. Did I recall this correctly, and could this be the same person?

Just curious.
Hi Tom - The two Susis are not the same person. Susi, the Australian, who set up the albergue at Trabadelo, worked to set it up for most of last year. I understand her albergue, Casa Susi, opened officially in April this year.
Cheers Tom -
Best wishes -
Jenny
 
I was there 2 days ago. Saw David he looked well and welcomed us in. Enjoyed resting in a hammock and having a cold drink.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I was there in early May 2017 and loved his quirky place! I remember having cold watermelon and it was so refreshing!
 
We were there just a few weeks ago in early September and he had built more structures than had been there in 2014, so I don’t know what to make of the article...
On the night we went through we also ran into him having pizza in the main square in Astorga, with his family— a woman, older man and a young boy. After supper he walked back to his spot on the hill for the night.
So I think whatever family concerns he may have had elsewhere, they have become more settled.
 
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It was an Oasis in 2016, but I hope all the best for him and his family.
 
He seemed a lovely guy , he had a guy called Lucas who was fetching the melon and slicing it up as well as washing up used glasses and plates
 
I hope he is able to continue staying open as long as he enjoys what he is doing. His oasis was definately a wonderful memory of my walk last year!
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
That's exactly the same article I posted some days ago, except they only copied a part of the original, whole article :) The one I posted, from La Voz de Galicia, is longer and gives more information.

Sorry for my duplication; mea culpa.
 
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I would love to read the whole article in English, but do not know how to convert the text. Would you be able to do that and then repost the full article? Hope so!

For bits I could not grasp fully, I used Google translate. If you use a Chrome browser, you can ask Google to translate any page into your preferred language.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Anyone who knows what a Chrome browser is, is light years ahead of me.

Google Chrome. <-- by which I mean: it's the Chrome browser made by Google, but if you do a search for "Google Chrome" you can download it.
 
Sad to hear that David may have moved on. Sad for us. Maybe not for him.

His stand was a real Oasis along the CF in so many ways. A giver of so much more than food and drink. Visiting him has certainly been a high point of my Caminos.

But it's easy to understand how his somewhat 'celebrity' status has made him uncomfortable. He was saying something to this effect when we met him in May this year, as he was sharing his thoughts on life. He almost felt embarrassed I think, that he had become somewhat of a 'tourist stop' along the way.

What ever will be, I wish him good health and happiness, and may he find what ever he seeks. He deserves it.
 
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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Sad to hear that David may have moved on. Sad for us. Maybe not for him.

His stand was a real Oasis along the CF in so many ways. A giver of so much more than food and drink. Visiting him has certainly been a high point of my Caminos.

But it's easy to understand how his somewhat 'celebrity' status has made him uncomfortable. He was saying something to this effect when we met him in May this year, as he was sharing his thoughts on life. He almost felt embarrassed I think, that he had become somewhat of a 'tourist stop' along the way.

What ever will be, I wish him good health and happiness, and may he find what ever he seeks. He deserves it.

I think everyone is worrying over old and out-dated news. The article indicates that he went on a barefoot trek in 2016/17 and felt he had to get some mental and physical distance from his stand and role on that stretch of Camino. But we have multiple reports of recent visits with him.

I attach a photo taken at the stand around the 1st of September. IMG_1433.jpeg
 
I think everyone is worrying over old and out-dated news. The article indicates that he went on a barefoot trek in 2016/17 and felt he had to get some mental and physical distance from his stand and role on that stretch of Camino. But we have multiple reports of recent visits with him.

I attach a photo taken at the stand around the 1st of September.

The article being posted is dated 11th October 2018...
 
The article being posted is dated 11th October 2018...

I think the site is re-dating every day; it's not an uncommon feature of web-based news. Monday was October 8th and people were reading the article at that point, linking to it, etc. A version I read included reference to his journey taking place in the winter of 2016/17.
Multiple reports from members here that they have seen him at the stand consistently over the last several days and weeks. It seems impossible that he could be in the little villages induced in the article, and at his stand only 2 days ago. No?
 
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I think the site is re-dating every day; it's not an uncommon feature of web-based news. Monday was October 8th and people were reading the article at that point, linking to it, etc. A version I read included reference to his journey taking place in the winter of 2016/17.
Multiple reports from members here that they have seen him at the stand consistently over the last several days and weeks. It seems impossible that he could be in the little villages induced in the article, and at his stand only 2 days ago. No?

The article linked in Post #41 above, from La Voz de Galicia (which is cited as the source of the Mundicamino item) is dated 10/07/2018 - in Europe this means the 10th of July. So I think you're right, @Morgan Holmes - it's an older piece (although just earlier this summer), when he must have taken a well-earned break. I don't think the Mundicamino page is re-dating itself (their other news items are dated differently), but they may well have only just picked up the story.

Good to know David is still there!

EDIT: I'm completely wrong - the "10/07" date appeared when Chrome auto-translated the article. In the original version it does indeed say "07/10/2018" which is the 7th October. Sorry everyone!!
 
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I think the site is re-dating every day; it's not an uncommon feature of web-based news. Monday was October 8th and people were reading the article at that point, linking to it, etc. A version I read included reference to his journey taking place in the winter of 2016/17.
Multiple reports from members here that they have seen him at the stand consistently over the last several days and weeks. It seems impossible that he could be in the little villages induced in the article, and at his stand only 2 days ago. No?

Sorry @Morgan Holmes - I have to completely retract what I just said above about the article date! The date in the original Spanish version says "07/10/2018" which is the 7th October. Lovely Google autocorrected the format to the North American date format (month/day) of 10/07 when it autotranslated the article to English! So in fact the article was only published this week. Maybe he started just after whoever saw him last week was there?
 
Well, I still find it unlikely because the timelines of a matter of days don't add up regardless of the time-stamp (which does seem to update everyday), but mostly I just think that if he's gone a wandering, that's his right, and that other moments and other special people will show up for future pilgrims.

Roy from Bladerunner: "... All these memories lost in time -- like tears in rain."
 
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