Agreed!!!!
The true spirit of not only the Camino but mankind lies here!!!
Beautiful place!!!!
7000 plus pilgrims were given a bed and dinner in 2013 there....
Ernesto and Guemes were the highlight of the Camino del Norte for me. Some say it is the best albergue of all the Caminos. Below is my email to friends after I spent the night in Guemes ...
Yesterday I was literally in the country in Guemes and had no WiFi connection. Fifty peregrinos were the special guests of Ernesto Bustio, a Catholic priest who has dedicated his recent life to hosting pilgrims in his magnificent Albergue La Cabaña del Abuelo Peuto.
At 7PM we all gathered in the grand Sala de Los Caminos and Ernesto told us a story, for about one hour, in Spanish of course. Each day he makes a presentation of The Way and The Albergue to "increase knowledge and understanding of the experience." He considers The Way to be a Master Class in Life. He told us about recent urban sprawl (Nojo and Castro-Urdiales), about the environment and ecology, deforestation, and the building of the Camino. Northern Spain is a very important area for bird migration from Africa. This area used to have vast old growth forests that are now gone, replaced mostly by eucalyptus trees. He described the CdN as "a little hard with mountains, asphalt, rain, intersection with highways, hard to follow routes, few albergues, and real problems." But he thinks the biggest problem may be in our heads because we are too dependent on modern technology and often walk without thinking, just following arrows. This stifles our creative ability to find our way. I think he was describing the Way as a metaphor for modern life.
Then he told us the story of his family, "just the last 100 years." His grandparents had 15 children. "They didn't have TV or condoms." His mother was the youngest of 15. She had five children, four girls and Ernesto, also the youngest, born 75 years ago. In 1946 his family abandoned the house and moved to Catalonia (near Barcelona). In 1963 Ernesto completed his studies as a priest. His first parish assignment was in the Picos de Europa region. The pictures he showed were of very high green mountains with small walking trails up steep slopes. He worked with simple people, miners and farmers, who had "a wisdom not recognized by society in general." In 1979 he and four friends took a sabbatical year that became 27 months of what they called "el viaje de universidad de vida," the journey of the university of life, in which they traveled in a Land Rover to Spain, France, Africa and then Central and South America. This trip had three themes. Travel to learn about other cultures, hard physical labor on both land and sea, and capturing images to share with others. For his "doctorate thesis" he returned to his childhood home and began building an albergue, first for the town people and then for peregrinos. He became the local priest for Güemes. The current Albergue, expanded from the small hostel that was originally refurbished horse stables, became a "collective endeavor using recycled materials. It is not commercial nor is any organization involved. It operates completely on donotivos." Fourteen years ago, 200 people visited. In 2012 there were 7000 people from 70 countries that spent the night. Finally he noted that we may be going to Santiago physically but the real journey is spiritual and we will arrive with joy, just as he arrived at his current life station after his 27 month "sabbatical." And he noted that we will try to explain our journey to our friends, "but they will not understand unless they too walk." Needless to say, Ernesto is one of the kindest, most genuine people I have ever met. I'm sure others have the same experience when the meet the Dalai Lama. It was a special place and a special experience. As I once heard an actor say about teenagers experiencing a thought provoking play, "The story has been told. The lesson has been taught. Their lives have been changed forever."
