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Samos -- "miscellaneous" in the monastery?

Bala

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Frances 2015, 2018, 2022
Google translate strikes again, lol.

I'd like to stay at Samos Abbey later this spring. Their website lists two types of accommodation: an "internal hospedería (only miscellaneous)" [their words] and an "external hospedería (mixed) 50 meters from the monastery."

Hmmmmm..... I'm clueless. Internal and external is fairly obvious. But who or what is "miscellaneous"?? And do I qualify? :D The page translates too quickly for me to catch the Spanish words. I'd really appreciate it if someone could shed some light on this!

While we're on the subject, is attending the liturgy of the hours open to those staying at other accommodations in town, or just to guests at the Abbey (miscellaneous or otherwise)? I've gone on retreat with the Trappist monks in upstate New York, and it's awesome. I'd love to something similar on pilgrimage in Spain.

Many thanks!
 
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To lodge the Monastery of Samos or in the Hospedería Externa it is necessary to send an email to Padre Hospedero hospitumsamos@gmail.com , indicating in which of the two accommodations you wish to stay and will answer them as soon as possible.
Why not send a mail and ask the Padre.

Wish you well,Peter.
 
Yes, going right to the source is always best! Although right now I only know approximately when I'll be there. I guess my question boils down to, is the internal dorm only for men?
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Yes, going right to the source is always best! Although right now I only know approximately when I'll be there. I guess my question boils down to, is the internal dorm only for men?
I don't think so but I'am not sure.
 
Yes, going right to the source is always best! Although right now I only know approximately when I'll be there. I guess my question boils down to, is the internal dorm only for men?

@Bala I think that may indeed be the case. When I looked at the page I think you saw (http://www.abadiadesamos.com/hospedero.php) the Spanish version says: HOSPEDERÍA INTERNA (SÓLO VARONES) - i.e. males only. This indicates the internal hostel is for men only, whereas the external one is mixed, so that would be the one you would try for. But how Google arrived at "miscellaneous" as a translation of "varones" - bizarre!
 
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Haha! Yes, Google can come up with some good ones (as can any online translator, to be fair...). But I can usually figure them out. I think you direct translation is the one, though. Thanks!

I have a friend who is may be Spanish-speaking, so I'll ask her to help with my email about attending night prayer and lauds. Who know what I might come up with, lol.

Meanwhile, if anyone has stayed there and knows first hand about about attending those from either the external guest house or places on town, please chime in.
 
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We stayed in September 2012. It was a mix room and a very warm welcome. There was plenty of spaces when we stayed. And a lovely walk to Samos and also leaving in the morning.
 
Haha! Yes, Google can come up with some good ones (as can any online translator, to be fair...). But I can usually figure them out. I think you direct translation is the one, though. Thanks!

I have a friend who is may be Spanish-speaking, so I'll ask her to help with my email about attending night prayer and lauds. Who know what I might come up with, lol.

Meanwhile, if anyone has stayed there and knows first hand about about attending those from either the external guest house or places on town, please chime in.
@Bala
I have stayed at the Samos albergue twice: fall of 2015 and 2016. It is very cold and damp, being below ground level. There is one large dorm and only one bathroom for men and women, and again very cold and damp. I did not shower either time I was there. There were blankets available and needed. No food is served there, but there is a hotel right across the road, as well as other places in town. The charge is donativo. I don't think it is possible to make reservations. I attended vespers in the monastic church and also was given a tour (in Spanish only). The walk there from Triacestella is gorgeous and the setting magnificent. It seems to me to be an example of what monastic albergues may have been in the early days of the pilgrimage, although I suspect that it is probably cleaner now. It is tricky to find the albergue. Ask at the gas pump in front of the monastery. If you go at high season, there will probably be a hospitalera. As a pilgrim, I wouldn't miss Samos.
 
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Bala, I was keen on the monastery lodging in 2013 but when I arrived it was closed for fumigation (bed bugs). I found a VERY nice, hospitable, clean hotel just a block or so away: a Veiga @ 30 euros.
However I did take the tour of the monastery. It was a substantial tour but VERY interesting. Be sure to cross the attendent's palms w dinero.
The walk to Sarria was lovely.
 
Thank you! Everyone certainly seems to love the scenery both going and coming. I'm really looking forward to this, no matter how the accommdations work out.
 
Google translate strikes again, lol.

I'd like to stay at Samos Abbey later this spring. Their website lists two types of accommodation: an "internal hospedería (only miscellaneous)" [their words] and an "external hospedería (mixed) 50 meters from the monastery."

Hmmmmm..... I'm clueless. Internal and external is fairly obvious. But who or what is "miscellaneous"?? And do I qualify? :D The page translates too quickly for me to catch the Spanish words. I'd really appreciate it if someone could shed some light on this!

While we're on the subject, is attending the liturgy of the hours open to those staying at other accommodations in town, or just to guests at the Abbey (miscellaneous or otherwise)? I've gone on retreat with the Trappist monks in upstate New York, and it's awesome. I'd love to something similar on pilgrimage in Spain.

Many thanks!
Hi Bala:

I stayed in the Monastery in 2015. It is "donation" and is one large co-ed room. I don't remember it being cold and damp, but it was in late June. Vespers are just before the evening Mass. They were not as impressive as I had thought they might be. There were only a few monks participating, most of them quite elderly and you could hardly hear them; it was more like mumbling. The monastery tour is well worth the time, even if you don't understand Spanish. The floor to ceiling paintings in the cloister are amazing. Since I do speak Spanish, I asked if I might do the reading at Mass, and was allowed to do it.

Mass reading:
 
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Here is a pic of the dormitory. It is at ground level, not below, on the far side of the building.
 

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Here are some pics of the paintings.
 

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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.
Google translate strikes again, lol.

I'd like to stay at Samos Abbey later this spring. Their website lists two types of accommodation: an "internal hospedería (only miscellaneous)" [their words] and an "external hospedería (mixed) 50 meters from the monastery."

Hmmmmm..... I'm clueless. Internal and external is fairly obvious. But who or what is "miscellaneous"?? And do I qualify? :D The page translates too quickly for me to catch the Spanish words. I'd really appreciate it if someone could shed some light on this!

While we're on the subject, is attending the liturgy of the hours open to those staying at other accommodations in town, or just to guests at the Abbey (miscellaneous or otherwise)? I've gone on retreat with the Trappist monks in upstate New York, and it's awesome. I'd love to something similar on pilgrimage in Spain.

Many thanks!
I actually ended up staying at the Hostal just diagonal from the monastery. And I had in the restaurant the best Caldo Gallego of the whole camino!! Really! The little hotel with all the bay windows. The walk to and from Samos is memorable. Felt like what the camino must have been like many centuries ago. NOT to be missed.
 
@Bala , hi

I stayed at Samos Monastery in the latter part of October 2017.

Entrance to the 40 (or so) bed dormitory is directly from the left hand side of the road with two restaurants opposite on the right hand side of the entrance the village. The large ablutions room with separate stalls with doors for toilets and showers and common hand basins is to the left of the dorm. There were blankets available, which I used. That was about it.

I walked in of the road without a booking. Both genders were present. The hospitaleros were welcoming and knowledgable.

On arrival I asked if I could attend Vespers and/or Compline and if there was a Eucharist and/or blessing for pilgrims. I was told none of this was possible. The detailed explanation given made sense to me. The hospitalero seemed to be in regular contact with abbot (or prior) and this was a long term policy going forward.

Hope this answers (some of) your questions.

Kia kaha (take care, be strong, get going)
 
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Hi Bala:

I stayed in the Monastery in 2015. It is "donation" and is one large co-ed room. I don't remember it being cold and damp, but it was in late June. Vespers are just before the evening Mass. They were not as impressive as I had thought they might be. There were only a few monks participating, most of them quite elderly and you could hardly hear them; it was more like mumbling. The monastery tour is well worth the time, even if you don't understand Spanish. The floor to ceiling paintings in the cloister are amazing. Since I do speak Spanish, I asked if I might do the reading at Mass, and was allowed to do it.

Mass reading:

Thank you for your first-hand report, @ELHS220 . Very helpful. The Vespers may have been disappointing, but the church is beautiful. And how special to be able to do the reading at mass!
 
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I actually ended up staying at the Hostal just diagonal from the monastery. And I had in the restaurant the best Caldo Gallego of the whole camino!! Really! The little hotel with all the bay windows. The walk to and from Samos is memorable. Felt like what the camino must have been like many centuries ago. NOT to be missed.

Thank you for your report! The walk, the monastery, and now the food keep sounding better and better!
 
@Bala , hi

I stayed at Samos Monastery in the latter part of October 2017.

Entrance to the 40 (or so) bed dormitory is directly from the left hand side of the road with two restaurants opposite on the right hand side of the entrance the village. The large ablutions room with separate stalls with doors for toilets and showers and common hand basins is to the left of the dorm. There were blankets available, which I used. That was about it.

I walked in of the road without a booking. Both genders were present. The hospitaleros were welcoming and knowledgable.

On arrival I asked if I could attend Vespers and/or Compline and if there was a Eucharist and/or blessing for pilgrims. I was told none of this was possible. The detailed explanation given made sense to me. The hospitalero seemed to be in regular contact with abbot (or prior) and this was a long term policy going forward.

Hope this answers (some of) your questions.

Kia kaha (take care, be strong, get going)

Hmmmm, interesting! I'm sorry to hear this, but it is what it is. At least I won't be surprised. And hopefully the tours will still be offered. Thanks for your update, @AlwynWellington
 
Women are allowed only the the mixed dormitory. Mice outnumbered the pilgrims when I was there, but it is artistically adorned. The bed and food are better in the hostal across the street!:)

Thank you, @falcon269 . Mice? Maybe that's what they mean by "miscellaneous!" :D I don't really mind mice, but I don't especially want to share bunk space with them either. I'll definitely check out the hostal. ;)
 
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Well, I'd read about the bedbug problems, the damp cold air, and also that the road walking to get to Samos can be rather treacherous, and now mice! The hostel and hotel across the road are sounding like a pretty good alternative, along with the best soup ever!
 
Well, I'd read about the bedbug problems, the damp cold air, and also that the road walking to get to Samos can be rather treacherous, and now mice! The hostel and hotel across the road are sounding like a pretty good alternative, along with the best soup ever!

Hmmm..
Imagine what bygone eras of pilgrims had to contend with, and I am sure bedbugs & mice were the lesser evils.
I took the high road and left visiting Samos for future walks.
Must visit
 
I visited Samos monastery in 2011 and I was told by the guide that there only 13 monks in residence. In such a huge building it is remarkable. The renovations of the whole building was carried out in the early 2000's and was paid for by the Spanish government.
And now a question: inside in the first quadrangle from the visitors entrance and on the right in the walkway around the quadrangle there is a statue of what appears to be a previous abbot. In the inscription below the statue is the name of the cleric plus the word 'Australia' Since I am from Australia I would love to know the connection. The guide was unable to help. Does anybody out there know?
The guided tour is well worth doing.
 
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Well, I don't know about the statue, but I looked up Rosendo Salvado. What an interesting person! Spanish Benedictine priest who went to Australia to do missionary work among the aboriginal population. Certainly makes sense that his statue might be in Samos, as he grew up not far away. I'll bet there's an interesting backstory as to how it came to be. If it is indeed him? Thanks, @camino-david , for bringing it up, and @Kathar1na for suggesting Fr. Salvador. I learn something new every time I log onto the Forum!
 
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I visited Samos monastery in 2011 and I was told by the guide that there only 13 monks in residence. In such a huge building it is remarkable. The renovations of the whole building was carried out in the early 2000's and was paid for by the Spanish government.
And now a question: inside in the first quadrangle from the visitors entrance and on the right in the walkway around the quadrangle there is a statue of what appears to be a previous abbot. In the inscription below the statue is the name of the cleric plus the word 'Australia' Since I am from Australia I would love to know the connection. The guide was unable to help. Does anybody out there know?
The guided tour is well worth doing.

Hi David
When the monk in the shop heard we were from Perth he took us to see the statue of Dom Salvado who started the monastery in New Norcia. We have a local pilgrimage from Subiaco to New Norcia in the footsteps of Dom Rosendo Salvado. It takes a week and is guided two weeks in September each year. google for more info if you are interested.
 
Bala and Kather1na. Thanks for your help. Rosenda Salvada does seem to have had an interesting life and I am trying to find out more. If I do I will post what I find. I am curious why his statue is in Samos as there doesn't appear to be any record of him living at the monastery.
 
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Very sad. I wonder how long it will be able to remain open as an active monastery.
Santo Domingo de Silos has a similar fate. All the monks show up to sing vespers, and there are about two per decade of age, so under twenty total. Similarly, men can dine in silence, meditate, and sleep with the monks, but not women. The Cisterciense convent in Santo Domingo de la Calzada admits guests to vespers and sings/chants from behind a partition away from the view of the audience. Only women are able to join the nuns for other activities, but the convent also operates a coed albergue and a hotel.
 
Samos is one of the Camino magical places for me!! and I cannot articulate exactly why. The walk after the turn off the road (San Cristovo??) looks like the Shire out of The Hobbit-- trees you can almost live in and slate roofs the full size of the cottages. The Albergue del Monasterio is a real throwback: yes, vermin and nearly communal bathrooms; maybe bedbugs; yes cold and dark; yes one of the places you need a blanket even in the warm months. The guided tour if wonderful even not comprehending more than a few words of Spanish--and they give in French or English as well if you ask and wait. The cloisters are serene. The wall frescoes, modern religious; redone since the 50s fire. We talked our guide into seeing the library--may have been one of the largest before the fire. Vespers was one of the most moving events of my first Camino even though sad to see 17 monks in a massive building designed for 200. The best advice I ever got was 'kick on past Tricastela and stay at Samos". Going thru in 2016, Monisterio was completo so stayed Val de Samos--not magical.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Santo Domingo de Silos has a similar fate. All the monks show up to sing vespers, and there are about two per decade of age, so under twenty total. Similarly, men can dine in silence, meditate, and sleep with the monks, but not women. The Cisterciense convent in Santo Domingo de la Calzada admits guests to vespers and sings/chants from behind a partition away from the view of the audience. Only women are able to join the nuns for other activities, but the convent also operates a coed albergue and a hotel.

On one hand, it's amazing that these orders are still in existence, continuing their prayers, rituals, and hospitality as they have for centuries. On the other, it seems this may well be the last generation to remain in these ancient monasteries and convents, even as the popularity of the Camino continues to explode. But who knows? I guess I just feel blessed to be able to experience even a little part of it, however fading or robust it may turn out to be.
 
We stayed one night in Samos in the mixed dormitory. There were no bedbugs and no mice. It was early April, during Holy Week, and there were about 6 people there. Vespers was not what I had imagined as there were so few people there, but I am glad we went. The tour was in English and it was very interesting. Samos was a powerful abbey for centuries-- You should read up on the history before you go. It was emptied out in 1836, and then given back to the Benedictine Order in 1880. -- but without the land. -- There are some other places I would stay if you are looking for a few days retreat.
 
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I was through Samos in 2013 and attended both vespers and the evening mass, as well as lauds the next day-- perhaps this has changed since then. As ELHS220 notes, monks were few and ancient. Although the Spanish (with Latin bits) vespers are almost identical to the Anglican service, with which I am very familiar, I could barely hear them. The abbey church is huge, and without a few hundred people, seems dank and empty. When I was there, a younger (30s) monk was the tour guide, and gave us a lively account of the place, with its extraordinary frescoes. I stayed at the Hotel Victoria that year (and the more comfortable A Veiga another time). Unlike Sto Domingo de Silos, there is no separate parish church for the pueblo.

The walk from Triacastela to Samos is, in my view, one of the finest parts of the Camino. An Australian pilgrim said it was like Middle Earth on a good day.
 
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The Couvent de Vaylats on the Chemin du Puy survives on pilgrim revenue and volunteers. A couple of years ago I stayed there, and dinner was with the residents. The population was aged with many sisters in wheelchairs. The total population was about twenty. Volunteers did most of the work cooking and cleaning. The gite was in the bakery, comfortable but basic. The cloistered life seems to have lost its appeal in France as well as Spain.

The Couvent de Malet in Saint Come d'Olt is a two-star hotel. It began as a monastery, then became a convent. It was renovated with government money in 2004, and the nuns now run it as a hotel with a lot of hired help. It is very popular with pilgrims and groups, and seems to be self-sustaining. It was hard to tell how many nuns lived there, but some were young enough to do a lot of the food service.

In Figeac, France, Carmelite nuns operate a gite open to both sexes, but only women can attend vespers. Men have a four-bed room off the kitchen with some very uncomfortable folding beds! It is one of those places you need to know about in order to find. I asked the nun for a restaurant recommendation in Figeac, and she replied that she did not know; she had never eaten outside the convent.
 
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@kelleymac and @falcon269 thank you both for your recommendations. Very interesting and helpful. I love the story of the Carmelite nun. I had a somewhat similar experience with a member of a contemplative/active order in NYC. This was regarding a major news event that was all over the media. But while her order worked outside the convent on specific problems, they did not read any newspapers, watch tv, or listen to the radio, much less subscribe to the internet. She just smiled and looked at me rather quizzicaly in reply to my comment.

But back to Spain. I learned by happenstance yesterday that Monasterio de Las Huelgas in Burgos offers retreats. Interesting. Based on my extremely limited Spanish they appear to be for prearranged groups of women, not walk-in pilgrims. For my immediate purposes, though, I'll be glad to simply get a tour. And grateful if can get an English brochure to follow along.;)

As for Samos, based on the reports above that mass and vespers are no longer public, and the website's rather confusing description of its accommodations, I'm wondering if the albergue is still open. Or if it is, for how much longer. I guess I will find out first-hand when I get there in May. I'll pass along whatever I learn.
 
Bala,
If I am starting or finishing a section of the Camino in Burgos I always include a three night visit to Santo Dominigo de Silos. There is only one bus per day (weekdays) and it leaves Burgos at 5.30 ,I think, and leaves Silos at 8.00 am in the morning (a workers Bus). so I get two complete days. It gets you to Silos in time to get to your lodgings and then get to the monastery for Vespers.. After eating I can return for Compline (night prayer). The public can attend all the Prayers during the day including Mass. For me it has always been a truly wonderful experience. There is also a guided tour of the Cloister during the day. I love that so much that i usually do it on two consecutive days. I do not understand all the spanish, although the guide speaks slowly and clearly but I love to see the carvings on the cloister pillars.
The monks sing all the prayers. In the 1980 they produced a C.D. just so that people could have the experience of listening to Gregorian Chant, however it became a best seller and people began referring to them as the ' singing monks' but they have repudiated that name and say they are monks who like to sing when they pray, and there is always a great sense of prayer there.
 
@Lydia Gillen, This sounds like a truly wonderful thing to do. I was (sort of) aware of that possibility, but hadn't given it much thought. Now I'm seriously considering it. Where did you stay? And did you arrange that ahead of time? I remember when the Chant CD was released, all the rage at the time. My friends, who otherwise think I'm crazy, might actually find this interesting ;).
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Bala , Silos can be expensive. Two places I stayed in over the years seemed to have closed, one definitely . I have stayed in Hostal Santo Domingo de Silos and I would also recommend Hotel Santo Domingo de Silos. I nowadays book through Booking .com. Silos gets booked up well in advance. I would also recommend, if you have a choice, of not being there over a weekend as crowds come out in Bus loads from Madrid for the day. Also it is harder to get a booking.

Although Silos is high above sea level it is also surrounded by mountains. Being on my own I was nervous of climbing the mountains on my own but walked upstream along the river and sat on a large tree trunk and I saw two eagles teaching their four young how to fly.

At one stage in history the monastery fell upon hard times and had to sell a great deal of their pharmacy jars etc. Centuries later the jars came up for sale and a rich man bought them all and gifted them back to the monastery. Having worked in Pharmacy before modern times when everything comes already packaged, I found all the equipment in the pharmacy most interesting. To see equipement that I had worked with in a museum tells its own tale.

The monks leave leaflets at the back of the church with the words of each service.
 
I stayed in Hotel Arco de San Juan which is directly opposite the Monastery/ It has its own website. Phone number is +34 947 390 074.
 
Hello Bala, I have stayed at the Samos albergue once in April of 2015 (external)...and agree...it is very cold and damp. I did take a shower there and....cold! No hot water, at least when I was there. Was very grateful to attend Mass in the evening. As to food, a walking group that I had joined for a few days planned out and assigned needed food & wine and we had a picnic on the grassy area behind the Monastery. Have a wonderful journey!
 
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looks like things have changed a bit from 2009 when I stayed in the samos monastery. the showers were cold indeed, but we were in a big dorm on the first floor where every bed was partitioned into a tiny room with a curtain. very cosy. no bugs, thankfully. no mice, either. as I understood the monk, they have several dorms and rotate pilgrims through them regularly for more thorough cleaning and fumigation. I don't know if this is still practiced. he also said that they never let anyone sleep outside and accommodate pilgrims in the corridors, if necessary.
the tour (in spanish) was lovely. I especially liked sopiha loren as a nun and the keystone with 'what are you looking at, idiot?' on it.
 
Hi David
When the monk in the shop heard we were from Perth he took us to see the statue of Dom Salvado who started the monastery in New Norcia. We have a local pilgrimage from Subiaco to New Norcia in the footsteps of Dom Rosendo Salvado. It takes a week and is guided two weeks in September each year. google for more info if you are interested.
Isn’t it wonderful to discover these connections. After my first Camino, on arrival at the Cathedral in Santiago, I decided to avail myself of the availability of confession in English. After reciting the pro-forms we all learned as kids, and admitting several years absence from this particular sacrament, the priest interrupted and asked me where I was from. When I told him Western Australia he was delighted to tell me about one of their monks at the Benedictine Monastery in Santiago who’d spent two decades at New Norcia. He told me the garden of the monastery was full of trees and plants that this monk had brought back as seeds and saplings.
We had a good old chat, and the rest of the process went without a second thought. I was smiling at the curious onlookers when I came out!
 
Isn’t it wonderful to discover these connections. After my first Camino, on arrival at the Cathedral in Santiago, I decided to avail myself of the availability of confession in English. After reciting the pro-forms we all learned as kids, and admitting several years absence from this particular sacrament, the priest interrupted and asked me where I was from. When I told him Western Australia he was delighted to tell me about one of their monks at the Benedictine Monastery in Santiago who’d spent two decades at New Norcia. He told me the garden of the monastery was full of trees and plants that this monk had brought back as seeds and saplings.
We had a good old chat, and the rest of the process went without a second thought. I was smiling at the curious onlookers when I came out!

On the tour of Samos, we were told that the monks who left Samos in 1837 went mostly to Australia.
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
I stayed in Hotel Arco de San Juan which is directly opposite the Monastery/ It has its own website. Phone number is +34 947 390 074.

Thank you, @Lydia Gillen , this is all helpful! I've decided to spend two nights at Silos before (re)starting my Camino next month from Burgos. The more I read, the less I can imagine being that close and not going there. Thanks for the encouragement.
 
Isn’t it wonderful to discover these connections. After my first Camino, on arrival at the Cathedral in Santiago, I decided to avail myself of the availability of confession in English. After reciting the pro-forms we all learned as kids, and admitting several years absence from this particular sacrament, the priest interrupted and asked me where I was from. When I told him Western Australia he was delighted to tell me about one of their monks at the Benedictine Monastery in Santiago who’d spent two decades at New Norcia. He told me the garden of the monastery was full of trees and plants that this monk had brought back as seeds and saplings.
We had a good old chat, and the rest of the process went without a second thought. I was smiling at the curious onlookers when I came out!

Great story! :)
 
@caminka that's interesting about the dorms. I've had this visual in my head, that I got from somewhere, of a large room with high ceilings and rows of beds. And now I see photos on several sites of bunks in smaller rooms, with charming murals on the walls. From what you say they may both be right.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.

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