San Xil or Samos?, that is the question.

[jefferyonthecamino]

Between Triacastela and Sarria there are two routes, I personally find the one through San Xil nicer; but you would miss Samos.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You would miss this on the San Xil route:

The Benedictine Monastery of Samos

One of the most famous and significant monasteries in Spanish history, Samos is also an important Galician symbol because of the role that the monastery has played in the history and culture of the region.

Founded during the Visigothic era, the Benedictine rule was first introduced to the monastery by monks from San Juan de la Peña in Aragon in the 10th century. By the Middle Ages, it had become one of the wealthiest and most powerful of all the monasteries on the peninsula, controlling some 300 lesser monasteries, 100 churches and drawing its support provided by the rents from 200 towns and villages. Besides educating the sons of the nobility, a task it shared with every other Benedictine monastery in Europe, Samos also maintained an important pilgrim´s hospice, a pharmacy, a forge, and numerous farms. Its "Feijoo cloister", named after the monastery´s most famous monk, the 18th century scholar, university professor and encyclopaedist Benito Jerónimo Feijoo y Montenegro, is the largest in all of Spain.

The monastery was severely damaged in a fire that swept through it in 1536. It was rebuilt gradually over a period of 200 years. A second fire in 1951 caused further damage, destroying the library and the monastery refectory.

 

[edandjoan]

We walked to and spent the night in the monastery in Samos in September 2012 and the walk was lovely and the quaint town in Samos was nice as well and then the walk from there to Sarria is rural and quiet. We loved the route, but I have never walked to San Xil so I can't compare.

 

[annakappa]

I have walked both routes twice and frankly I can't say one is better/nicer than the other - apart from visiting the monastery in Samos. Anne

 

[paladycamino]

We took San xii and a friend took the other way and he posted pictures and the monestary is beautiful

 

[paladycamino]

To be honest I was not impressed with San xii because I was hungry and many of the towns were two or three buildings and no bars. Also lots of hard rocky paths. If I do it again I would not take this way. One of my least favorite parts.

 

[indyinmaine]

With the exception of the town of Samos I was going to say the same thing as palady said about the San Xil route. While the walk via Samos was pleasant, with the exception of a bar and shelter from the rain as I entered the town, I certainly was glad to have some "food" along. But then I thought, for the most part, that the Camino beyond Samos and Sarria was very different from what went before anyway.

 

[StuartM]

I remember being very hungry by the time I reached Samos. If you're aiming to end in Sarria then bear in mind that the monastery tours only happen at certain times. Can make for a very long day if you time it wrong. I ended up having to miss the tour or it would've been a bit late by the time I reached Sarria. Very impressive place though, kind of regret not staying the night at the monastery.

 

[petro]

I loved the San Xil route!

 

[Carol06]

We had the "day from hell" on the San Xil route. It was steep and endless. The villages (?) were so tiny and we never saw a local the whole time. The map book showed a number of villages but they were so small we did not recognise them as such and it made it difficult for us to know how much ground we had covered. We had obviously over estimated the facilities on this route. You need food and water. Mind you, when we reached our destination we were told it was the hottest day in Galicia for forty years. This was the day I found some shade on the side of the trail and told the others to go on without me. A Scott and Oates moment. Looking back on it I was probably dehydrated.

 

[annakappa]

Thinking about it, last time on the San Sil route, I tripped over a mini inch high step, fell flat on my face and broke a rib! Anne

 

[Icacos]

......kind of regret not staying the night at the monastery.

I wouldn't regret it if I were you! I took the monastery tour last year and, although it was extremely interesting, it was freezing cold in there - and this was in mid-May, and the weather was gorgeous. The tour was conducted in Spanish but we were fortunate in that we were with a Spanish woman who also spoke English and she gave us a quick translation of what the guide was saying. My recollection is that there is no heat in the rooms, no matter what. As to whether there is hot water, I don't recall hearing about that. The warmth of the sun was never more welcome than it was that day when I emerged from the monastery.

From the monastery museum - a picture of a medieval credential.

 

[Canucks]

Samos and the monastery, attending the evening service, was our most unexpected evening. Also, the excellent homemade paella in a restaurant outside of the gas station side of the monastery. We were soaked but it was memorably magical.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

I find the grumpy brothers at Samos to be a bit annoying. Nice local guide at the albergue though. Friendly people too at the bar across the street from the albergue.

I still like San Xil better. For those that get hungry, have a bigger breakfast, you can make it to Casa Franco, which is less than 3 hours down the road!

 

[promessi]

Watch the signs carefully. I tried to go to Samos and ended up getting lost for four hours, trying to follow the river (wrong bridge to wrong river). There were Camino signs and plastic gold/white flags on trees to show the way and along old paths, rock walls but it hadn't been used for a while. I've never seen anyone else post that they got lost there, so it must be unusual, but it was very scary. So the next day I went the San Xil route which was beautiful, but as people have said there were no bars/food/drink, so be prepared if you go that way. I can post my 'lost' day journal entry if anyone wants to see it.
Just watch the signs. Buen Camino!

 

[tpmchugh]

Between Triacastela and Sarria there are two routes, I personally find the one through San Xil nicer; but you would miss Samos.

I walked the San Xil route last September and my son walked the Samos route the year before. Going on his recommendation I think I will be walking the Samos route next year. Sorry but thats the best I can offer. Btw, how do you pronounce San Xil

 

[StuartM]

I wouldn't regret it if I were you! I took the monastery tour last year and, although it was extremely interesting, it was freezing cold in there - and this was in mid-May, and the weather was gorgeous. The tour was conducted in Spanish but we were fortunate in that we were with a Spanish woman who also spoke English and she gave us a quick translation of what the guide was saying. My recollection is that there is no heat in the rooms, no matter what. As to whether there is hot water, I don't recall hearing about that. The warmth of the sun was never more welcome than it was that day when I emerged from the monastery.

From the monastery museum - a picture of a medieval credential.

That's kind of why I regretted not doing it. I'd like to have had that monastic experience, I'd heard the same thing about the conditions. I'm not a fan of unnecessary discomfort for its own sake but I think as a means of appreciating monastic life it would have been interesting. Instead I ended up in a dump of a hotel in Sarria that was full of drunks. I got about 2hrs sleep so a freezing monastery doesn't sound too bad.

 

[staciesthings]

I "accidentally" went to Samos and am so glad I did. Absolutely beautiful. I couldn't believe my eyes when we were walking into town. ... an amazing site.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

I walked the San Xil route last September and my son walked the Samos route the year before. Going on his recommendation I think I will be walking the Samos route next year. Sorry but thats the best I can offer. Btw, how do you pronounce San Xil

San 'Shil'

 

[Icacos]

That's kind of why I regretted not doing it. I'd like to have had that monastic experience, I'd heard the same thing about the conditions. I'm not a fan of unnecessary discomfort for its own sake but I think as a means of appreciating monastic life it would have been interesting. Instead I ended up in a dump of a hotel in Sarria that was full of drunks. I got about 2hrs sleep so a freezing monastery doesn't sound too bad.

Well Stuart, you get top marks from me if you are willing to endure that cold, and I'm sorry you had that less than pleasant experience in Sarria. However, if I had had to spend that night in that freezing monastery (if I would have been permitted, that is) I would have been some sorry soul.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Well Stuart, you get top marks from me if you are willing to endure that cold, and I'm sorry you had that less than pleasant experience in Sarria. However, if I had had to spend that night in that freezing monastery (if I would have been permitted, that is) I would have been some sorry soul.

For the record, pilgrims are not really 'in' the monastery, and except at mass, you probably will not see a monk. The albergue is part of the monastery structure, but facing the busy road and there is very little spiritual feel there (bunk beds in a common hall with no access to the monastic areas). You are also facing a gas station, which is a bit odd.

That said, the monastery itself is pretty amazing and the town is quaint.

 

[mspath]

If you do decide to go via Samos you need NOT stay in the Samos monastery albergue in order to attend the evening Vespers service. Check the time for the service and wait on the high steps outside the west front of the monastery church. The door will be opened shortly before the service.

In addition to the monastery albergue there are two private albergues in Samos; this Eroski list has more info. Regular tourist accommodation is also available in the town. Once such place is the A Veiga; I have never stayed there, but often eat their Menu de Dia which is always a tasty bargain but not offered on Sunday.

Buen Camino,

Margaret Meredith

 

[Rambler]

That's kind of why I regretted not doing it. I'd like to have had that monastic experience, I'd heard the same thing about the conditions. I'm not a fan of unnecessary discomfort for its own sake but I think as a means of appreciating monastic life it would have been interesting. Instead I ended up in a dump of a hotel in Sarria that was full of drunks. I got about 2hrs sleep so a freezing monastery doesn't sound too bad.

We stayed in the monastary albergue
Two weeks ago and it is important to know that it is not a monastic experience, as it appears to be run by the lay staff at the Monestary and you really have no interaction with the monks except at vespers and mass in the evening. The albergue is in a basement room with nice painting on he walls and warm water. But there is no common area to speak of and most pilgrims meet in the restaurant across the street.
I would still recommend staying there, but I had thought you would be in the Monestary proper and have a chance to interact with some of the monks. This was not the case.
Still Samos is very nice.
Rambler

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Two weeks ago and it is important to know that it is not a monastic experience

That is typical of most monastery accommodations. The cloistered and semi-cloistered residents willingly extend hospitality, but the pilgrim is not invited to be part of the religious order. I don't think they view themselves as tourist attractions. They do not look for members among the pilgrims, and are not "quaint" for the purpose of entertaining outsiders. In a convent in Figeac, men had a section set aside off the kitchen. Women were invited to vespers, but that was all. I asked the nun who was doing the job of reception that day if she could recommend a good restaurant in Figeac. Her reply: I cannot. I have never eaten outside the convent.

I felt justifiably stupid and ham fisted. Pilgrim expectations are not the same as religious order expectations. The world, after all, was not just about me.

Men of all religions are invited for a minimum of 3 days to join the monks at Santo Domingo de Silos, days of silence, simple food, and contemplation. I doubt that they are interested in deeply philosophical discussions with outsiders. Eat and meditate with us, but please leave afterward unless you want to take the vows!

 

[Mark Schipp]

Earlier this week the basement albergue at Samos flooded due to the heavy rain. So everyone had to hop out of bed, pick everything up from the floors and start bailing - at 4am.

 

[Icacos]

...... and except at mass, you probably will not see a monk.

We saw a monk, even chatted with him. He was outside whittling a pilgrim staff when we emerged from the monastery tour. Our chat quickly became a one-sided conversation as neither my cousin nor I speaks much Spanish. The monk was very chatty; actually I think he was intrigued by my cousin, whose paternal ancestors hail from northern Spain, and she looks like she could have been a local. The monk continued whittling all the while, even trying out my Opinel knife and pronouncing it very adequate to the task.

 

[Magwood]

When I walked last year I took the San Xil route and stayed a couple of km's beyond Triacastela at the ecological albergue 'el Beso'. It had just opened and was recommended by a pilgrim friend. It was a lovely experience and I enjoyed the route the next day through to Ferreiros. Lots of photos in my blog post for the day.

 

[Canucks]

I looked back on my notes from last October in Samos.....this reflected my precise thoughts that magical evening:

"It was about 7pm so we walked across the street in the dark and rain to the Samos Monastery. The lady shut down her office and took the 2 of us on a personal guided tour through the huge Monastery. There are 19 Benedictine monks in residence. We ended up at the church hall and she said their mass would begin in 10 minutes if we wished to stay. So, we waited, alone in this church portion of the monastery. A couple of other people came in, then the monks arrived to organ music, played by a monk. The service was singing and was Most Amazing!! The music was simple, minor 7ths typically, with flute and tibia stops on the organ for a ghostly soft feel. Perfectly melded with the vocals, it was Truly Incredible. Then the main singer monk came to the podium and started doing his singing with the organ, then switching to speaking while the organ continued. Back and forth, singing to speaking…..the precursor to Rap. Really. I’m not kidding."

 

[Rambler]

That is typical of most monastery accommodations. The cloistered and semi-cloistered residents willingly extend hospitality, but the pilgrim is not invited to be part of the religious order. I don't think they view themselves as tourist attractions. They do not look for members among the pilgrims, and are not "quaint" for the purpose of entertaining outsiders.

Falcon:
That is a good point, and I guess my experience has been with Franciscan monks that are not cloistered and had a much more hands on approach to everything and welcomed the interaction.

One concern I have as a practicing devout Catholic is that the Church does not provide as much hospitality as it could and should along the Camino. This is not meant to try and convert anyone, but there are many opportunities to be role models or provide support that seem to be missed. The church seems to be there in structure and not in people (which may be a editorial on the Catholic church).
Having said that, I truly appreciate the parochial albergues and those churches that provide focused masses for pilgrims like in O Cebriero and Triacastela.

Sorry, I did not mean to get off onto religious issues. This is likely not the place. We all love the Caminos for their varied spiritual enlightenment.

Rambler