alansykes
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Except the Francés
Lovely lovely Sanabria, looking magnificent in its autumn colours. Normally, I've stayed in Mombuey, having a possibly slightly perverse liking for its albergue-barn - an affection which would probably not survive having to share it with someone. One day, perhaps, I will be able to see inside the unusual church with its Templar tower. But not this time.
This time, having read rave reviews of a restaurant in Rionegro del Puente, I rearranged my schedule to stay the night there. And I'm really glad I did. The albergue is 5 star, and the restaurant outstanding. Teo, the restaurant's chef, was also hospitalero on Thursday, so knew I was keen to eat. I hope he didn't open specially for me, as I was the only person in. Probably the best caldo galego I've ever eaten, and I've had some good ones (and some watery ones as well), and tuna, and tiramisu, and clear orujo. Yum. And our politics overlapped, so I was finally able to express my disbelief at the state honours offered to the person who bankrupted Valencia, and when I asked about the number of ancien regime street names in Tábara (streets and plazas named after Sotelo, Primo de la Rivera, Franco, Capitan Cortés etc) he answered simply "son todos fascistas". Which was a bit depressing, as I like Tábara, its albergue, its Roble restaurant, and, on my first visit in 2010, I especially liked its interpretation centre on its Visigothic and later scriptorium, since sadly closed by the crisis.
Puebla de Sanabria is another delight, with its wolf museum, its daunting castle reached by a vertiginous staircase, its excellent (Michelin bib gourmand) restaurant Posada, near the castle, and its swift flowing and dark (almost as black as the Rionegro) Tera, one's occasionally illusive companion of the previous few days.
This time I stayed at the private albergue at Villanueva de las Peras (10€, very good - the top floor of a house, with 3 twin bedrooms, kitchen, comfy sitting room etc), Rionegro del Puente (7€, kitchen and washing machine - only takes 2€ coins, free drier), Asturianos (5€, next to a bar by the polideportivo, basic but fine) and Requejo (5€, horrible plastic mattress and pillow covers but otherwise fine).
This time, having read rave reviews of a restaurant in Rionegro del Puente, I rearranged my schedule to stay the night there. And I'm really glad I did. The albergue is 5 star, and the restaurant outstanding. Teo, the restaurant's chef, was also hospitalero on Thursday, so knew I was keen to eat. I hope he didn't open specially for me, as I was the only person in. Probably the best caldo galego I've ever eaten, and I've had some good ones (and some watery ones as well), and tuna, and tiramisu, and clear orujo. Yum. And our politics overlapped, so I was finally able to express my disbelief at the state honours offered to the person who bankrupted Valencia, and when I asked about the number of ancien regime street names in Tábara (streets and plazas named after Sotelo, Primo de la Rivera, Franco, Capitan Cortés etc) he answered simply "son todos fascistas". Which was a bit depressing, as I like Tábara, its albergue, its Roble restaurant, and, on my first visit in 2010, I especially liked its interpretation centre on its Visigothic and later scriptorium, since sadly closed by the crisis.
Puebla de Sanabria is another delight, with its wolf museum, its daunting castle reached by a vertiginous staircase, its excellent (Michelin bib gourmand) restaurant Posada, near the castle, and its swift flowing and dark (almost as black as the Rionegro) Tera, one's occasionally illusive companion of the previous few days.
This time I stayed at the private albergue at Villanueva de las Peras (10€, very good - the top floor of a house, with 3 twin bedrooms, kitchen, comfy sitting room etc), Rionegro del Puente (7€, kitchen and washing machine - only takes 2€ coins, free drier), Asturianos (5€, next to a bar by the polideportivo, basic but fine) and Requejo (5€, horrible plastic mattress and pillow covers but otherwise fine).
