- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2006 to date: Over 21 Caminos. See signature line
Again, a few sporadic notes I took along this walk:
Alburgue de Jesus in Vila de Mazariffe was a wonderful place to stay! A fully equipped kitchen. A SWIMMING POOL!!! 3 or 4 places to do laundry. Sleep in dorms or out on the veranda where it's cool. Very cool art all over the walls done by pilgrims. No exit time. Sleep all day if you want! We just loved this place!
We visited the "Camino Museu" which turned out to be a studio for a local dying artist. It was sad to see him, oxygen tube in his nose, and I felt guilty that I did not have the cash to purchase anything or the desire to carry it. I felt a little "lied to" because I thought I was going into a museum, and instead it was a gallery where they strongly encouraged you to buy his works.
We attended Mass here. It was very short but lots of standing I find it interesting that Mass is different in each parish, unlike in the USA where it's pretty standard everywhere I've been.
Hospital de Oribiga. The parochial Refugio here is INCREDIBLE! Beautiful, clean, shaded courtyard, murals, stoneworked floor, comfie seating, and free fruit for only $5. Our nice hospitalera was a sweet woman named Frida. I slept out in the yard in my screen tent under the Full Moon. Beautiful! Lots of beds, about 8 to a room, if I recall. A very nice, but small, kitchen. Several grocery stores in town. The bar at the end of the bridge is open for coffee in the morning.
Astorga. We were not very happy with St. Javier when we discovered they KNEW they were infested with bedbugs and yet continued to let people in. They actually sheepishly gave me back my money when I decided to go elsewhere after finding bugs in my bed!
We slept in the Municipal Alburgue which was very clean, and nice. They have a wonderful kitchen and a beautiful veranda where you can eat or drink and look out over the valley. Astorga has some great sight seeing. There is an archeological museum which is very nice, several Roman "digs", a great park, and lots of good places to eat. Several grocery stores.
Santa Catalina de Somoza We stayed in the first Alburgue on the right "El Caminante" at Calle Real No 2. It was $5 and there were 6 beds to a room. Dinner was $8 and included soup, pork steaks, potatoes, bread, ice cream and wine. Very good food!
Rabanal Stayed at Guacelmo Refugio. Opens at 2 pm. Bought 2 beers and a pincho of tortilla for $4.40 and groceries for a fish dinner for $6.60 at the little store down the street. The Alburgue is $4 and includes breakfast. This is a nice alburgue and we enjoyed it very much. The monks were "on holiday" so there was no singing, but a Czech priest who was walking did Mass in the back yard. It was very sweet.
Molinaseca had chinchas for $5 so we slept outside.
Manjarin. Not to be missed, in my opinion. Not for the squeamish or prissy. No water, outdoor squat toilet. You sleep up in the attic on mattresses. Cozy. Not pristine. A lovely dinner and generous breakfast given by a sweet spirited Templar named Tomas. Interesting and a very positive experience.
Cacabellos has a very cool alburgue encircling the church with 2 beds in each chamber. Nice but many people with chinchas. We sprayed and prayed... and slept very well. They have a computer but it is not running well this trip. There are grocery stores around. No kitchen here.
My notes are a little confused here because I note that Elizabeth thinks her purse is stolen but this is in another place where there is a bridge and we slept outside on bunkbeds... was it Molinaseca?
Leaving Cacabellos, you come across a little cafe in a garage at Valtuille de Arriba. The walk is gorgeous through vineyards and farmland.
Ave Felix in Villa Franco del Bierzo is a very cool alburgue, but alas, they were infested with bedbugs. The hospitalero was so frustrated because just two days ago they had taken all the mattresses out, sprayed them, and literally burned the metal frames with a blowtorch in their attempt to get rid of the bugs.. But traveling pilgrims continue to bring them in, probably from irresponsible alburgues such as the one at St. Javier in Astorga! There's really not much they can do, I guess... it's a Camino experience. The bugs are avoidable, however, if you want to take the time, which we did. The hospitalera gave us the name of a couple who hosted pilgrims and this couple picked us up. We had a lovely stay with Andreas and Frederika. Slept on a n old sheepwool mattress and except for falling into the middle it was great! We had breakfast, then he took us back to the Camino where we'd left off. They have horses, and help pilgrims who want to do the Camino with horses.
Vega de Valcarce was a nice municipal. There is another nice clean Brazilian alburgue here which is very popular, but we didn't want to spend the money (which is worth the dinner she serves). There is a grocery and a bar. The kitchen here is nicely stocked. Be sure to watch as the elderly people of the village walk UP UP UP the mountainside to their little den to hold "Parliment" each evening and watch the sunset. It's a sweet experience to see. The hospitalera here has a funny little chihuahua who walks on his front legs only. Nobody taught him, he just does it. He entertained us for hours!
O'Cebreiro. KOWABUNGA! Don't make me EVER do that climb again! The village is charming. The alburgue is clean but the kitchen is NOT stocked at all, I imagine to encourage you to eat in the village. We had Caldo Verde in town and it was very good. There is also barbecue and many nice restaurants. We bought local cheese, membrillo (quince jelly), salcichon and ate in after eating the soup for lunch. It gets cold as the sun goes down here. There was a man working, making thatching for the roof. Be sure to go and see inside a thatched roof house.. they have a 1 Euro tour.
I'll continue in another post.
Alburgue de Jesus in Vila de Mazariffe was a wonderful place to stay! A fully equipped kitchen. A SWIMMING POOL!!! 3 or 4 places to do laundry. Sleep in dorms or out on the veranda where it's cool. Very cool art all over the walls done by pilgrims. No exit time. Sleep all day if you want! We just loved this place!
We visited the "Camino Museu" which turned out to be a studio for a local dying artist. It was sad to see him, oxygen tube in his nose, and I felt guilty that I did not have the cash to purchase anything or the desire to carry it. I felt a little "lied to" because I thought I was going into a museum, and instead it was a gallery where they strongly encouraged you to buy his works.
We attended Mass here. It was very short but lots of standing I find it interesting that Mass is different in each parish, unlike in the USA where it's pretty standard everywhere I've been.
Hospital de Oribiga. The parochial Refugio here is INCREDIBLE! Beautiful, clean, shaded courtyard, murals, stoneworked floor, comfie seating, and free fruit for only $5. Our nice hospitalera was a sweet woman named Frida. I slept out in the yard in my screen tent under the Full Moon. Beautiful! Lots of beds, about 8 to a room, if I recall. A very nice, but small, kitchen. Several grocery stores in town. The bar at the end of the bridge is open for coffee in the morning.
Astorga. We were not very happy with St. Javier when we discovered they KNEW they were infested with bedbugs and yet continued to let people in. They actually sheepishly gave me back my money when I decided to go elsewhere after finding bugs in my bed!
We slept in the Municipal Alburgue which was very clean, and nice. They have a wonderful kitchen and a beautiful veranda where you can eat or drink and look out over the valley. Astorga has some great sight seeing. There is an archeological museum which is very nice, several Roman "digs", a great park, and lots of good places to eat. Several grocery stores.
Santa Catalina de Somoza We stayed in the first Alburgue on the right "El Caminante" at Calle Real No 2. It was $5 and there were 6 beds to a room. Dinner was $8 and included soup, pork steaks, potatoes, bread, ice cream and wine. Very good food!
Rabanal Stayed at Guacelmo Refugio. Opens at 2 pm. Bought 2 beers and a pincho of tortilla for $4.40 and groceries for a fish dinner for $6.60 at the little store down the street. The Alburgue is $4 and includes breakfast. This is a nice alburgue and we enjoyed it very much. The monks were "on holiday" so there was no singing, but a Czech priest who was walking did Mass in the back yard. It was very sweet.
Molinaseca had chinchas for $5 so we slept outside.
Manjarin. Not to be missed, in my opinion. Not for the squeamish or prissy. No water, outdoor squat toilet. You sleep up in the attic on mattresses. Cozy. Not pristine. A lovely dinner and generous breakfast given by a sweet spirited Templar named Tomas. Interesting and a very positive experience.
Cacabellos has a very cool alburgue encircling the church with 2 beds in each chamber. Nice but many people with chinchas. We sprayed and prayed... and slept very well. They have a computer but it is not running well this trip. There are grocery stores around. No kitchen here.
My notes are a little confused here because I note that Elizabeth thinks her purse is stolen but this is in another place where there is a bridge and we slept outside on bunkbeds... was it Molinaseca?
Leaving Cacabellos, you come across a little cafe in a garage at Valtuille de Arriba. The walk is gorgeous through vineyards and farmland.
Ave Felix in Villa Franco del Bierzo is a very cool alburgue, but alas, they were infested with bedbugs. The hospitalero was so frustrated because just two days ago they had taken all the mattresses out, sprayed them, and literally burned the metal frames with a blowtorch in their attempt to get rid of the bugs.. But traveling pilgrims continue to bring them in, probably from irresponsible alburgues such as the one at St. Javier in Astorga! There's really not much they can do, I guess... it's a Camino experience. The bugs are avoidable, however, if you want to take the time, which we did. The hospitalera gave us the name of a couple who hosted pilgrims and this couple picked us up. We had a lovely stay with Andreas and Frederika. Slept on a n old sheepwool mattress and except for falling into the middle it was great! We had breakfast, then he took us back to the Camino where we'd left off. They have horses, and help pilgrims who want to do the Camino with horses.
Vega de Valcarce was a nice municipal. There is another nice clean Brazilian alburgue here which is very popular, but we didn't want to spend the money (which is worth the dinner she serves). There is a grocery and a bar. The kitchen here is nicely stocked. Be sure to watch as the elderly people of the village walk UP UP UP the mountainside to their little den to hold "Parliment" each evening and watch the sunset. It's a sweet experience to see. The hospitalera here has a funny little chihuahua who walks on his front legs only. Nobody taught him, he just does it. He entertained us for hours!
O'Cebreiro. KOWABUNGA! Don't make me EVER do that climb again! The village is charming. The alburgue is clean but the kitchen is NOT stocked at all, I imagine to encourage you to eat in the village. We had Caldo Verde in town and it was very good. There is also barbecue and many nice restaurants. We bought local cheese, membrillo (quince jelly), salcichon and ate in after eating the soup for lunch. It gets cold as the sun goes down here. There was a man working, making thatching for the roof. Be sure to go and see inside a thatched roof house.. they have a 1 Euro tour.
I'll continue in another post.