When on day 4 I consumed about the 20th egg on the Camino Inglés (from Ferrol to Santiago with a stop in Neda), I made a promise to post some information about vegetarian options on the Camino Inglés.
In short: be prepared because they barely exist.
I stayed in hotels, so my experience does not include any food options at albergues, but vegetarian dishes at restaurants on the way were next to non-existent.
From day two, I started to research in advance, because it became apparent that getting nutrients and a nice meal would be a huge struggle - and it was. The dishes most available were the tortilla de Espana and French fries (patatas fritas). Now, try eating that for six days and walk 25-35 kilometers day after day - I promise you, you won't feel good.
I could have had a salad in Ferrol, but went to the O Pincho tapas place, where I got a spinach-egg dish (without the tuna). I also got bread. Be prepared, you will survive mostly on pure bread in the next days.
The hotel breakfast sorely missed fresh vegetables, but at least I got pieces of bread (you guessed) with butter and cheese and probably some scrambled eggs.
In hindsight, I wish I would have researched a lot more for that first night, as Ferrol was big compared to other towns that followed.
I was refused to be sit and serviced at a restaurant in Neda, so I walked further to a Döner place. They had a vegetarian option, so I had French fries (you guessed) and two burritos (or at least they resembled burritos).
For dinner, I really struggled. I stayed in Narón. All the options I preGoogled and were said to be open were closed. I found a burger place and had a vegan burger. Ah, those were the days.
Breakfast was at a café next door (arranged by the hotel). I got two toasts with the "usual" tomato spread and a tea. If you don't drink coffee, you'll be somewhat of a spectacle on the Camino, but being vegetarian already put me into the crazy category, so what did I care. No fresh vegetables, no fresh fruits, no second helpings.
Thankfully, it was Monday and the supermercados were open again, so I could buy a banana on my way. I stopped at a café for a second breakfast and got...a piece of tortilla. Lucky me! I had lunch at Pontedeume (racing against the clock to reach it) in Restaurant Luis. I had a full tortilla de Espana (consisting of about 8-10 eggs)...and that was it.
At this point I was desperate. Having walked about 18 kilometers and getting only the tortilla for lunch really made me wonder how on earth I will continue walking when I simply cannot eat properly. I googled and found a restaurant that offered grilled vegetables for dinner! Hallelujah.
I walked there for their opening time, they were open and had the grilled vegetables. The meal itself looked like a joke, a leaf of salad and a few grilled vegetables, so I also had (you guessed it) French fries, eat the bread that was offered as an appetizer and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel room.
I bought a yoghurt, a zucchini (courgette), a tomato, some more banana etc. However, it was also close to 10 PM when I got back, so I could eat a lot less than I wished. (Restaurants open at around 8 - 8:30 PM, making it impossible to get back to your room before 10 PM.)
The next morning, I had - at this point, you probably know - bread with the usual tomato sauce and cheese (nicely arranged with jamón personally for me despite being indicated as a vegetarian). But, luck shone on me here, because I got second helpings of the bread! What a nice upgrade from yesterday's breakfast. I also grabbed an additional banana and some cake, which ordinarily I never ever eat.
However, at this point, I was effectively starving.
As you can imagine, I researched even more and found that I could have some vegan meals at Pizza Mino. I got there early, the kitchen only opened at 1 PM, but I gladly waited 40 minutes for my order to be taken. I had the (mid-sized) vegan pizza (I'm also lactose intolerant, but not vegan) and ate it all with the exception of one slice. In hindsight, I should have eaten it all, but little did I know, how the trip will continue.
At Betanzos, I found 3 places that were supposedly opened and had vegetarian dishes. The first two places were not even open. (Google said that there are a lot less people there than usual...yeah, because the place was not even open in the first place.)
I finally ended up at another burger place instead of a restaurant that was not where Google told me it was supposed to be. Had a complete vegan burger. I thought it would come with French fries, but no, it only meant more toppings (cheese and a leaf of salad and a slice of tomato).
Had a brief follow-up meal of zucchini, tomato, orange in my room, but again, it was late.
Breakfast was wonderful compared to previous days, but I also stayed at a really good hotel. There was fresh fruit, and of course bread with butter and cheese and some eggs involved.
The next day I had a piece of tortilla (again) at noon at a bar. At this point I felt nauseous even when seeing the word huevos (eggs in Spanish). I decided to skip tortilla unless there was no other option. For lunch, I had a cheese sandwich at Meson-Museó. This means two huge pieces of bread stuck together with some processed, presliced cheese. A piece of jamón got stuck at one piece of bread...
At the hotel in the evening (again, indicated upon booking that I was a fully-fledged vegetarian, no jamón, no carne, no atún), I was offered a big salad as a first meal and French fries with two eggs sunny-sides up and a fruit salad as dessert. At first I thought I would only get the big salad and asked an English and Spanish speaking kind girl to talk to the waiter, but it turned out that there was a second dish. The waiter was the only person, who really tried to offer me fresh vegetables and fruits to the extent he had any during the entire trip. I was grateful! The salad itself was cold and not that big, but compared to what I had had until then on the Camino, it was the best salad on the road!
Breakfast was less nice, bread with butter and cheese and some cake, no fresh vegetables and only fruits that you wouldn't carry on the Inglés.
From Bruma to Sigüeiro, we stopped at a bar for lunch. I had two sandwiches (fake ham and cheese) and had a pre-heated pasta and soup for dinner at the lodgings. At that point they felt like heaven.
Breakfast was toasted bread (multiple helpings), cheese, tomato sauce, some cake and butter.
I tried not to feel the lack of vitamins, protein and all other nutrients my body was screaming for.
I had a cheese sandwich (bread and cheese only, again) for lunch and finally, finally arrived at Santiago!
The vegan restaurant (The Green House) that was supposed to be open until 4 PM was closed at 3:20, so I simply went to my hotel and napped. At that point, it did not matter anymore if I got a proper late lunch or not. I did not miss one meal, I missed a week's worth of proper meals!
I went back for their opening time at dinner and had a normal, proper vegetarian dinner: rice (which does not seem to exist in Galicia) with an Indian "curry" and it was wonderful!
I ate at another vegan place (A Porta Verde) the next day for lunch and dinner and finally started to feel like myself again.
Asking people to survive on bread, (bad) cheese, French fries and eggs is not okay. I understand we are talking about small towns. I do not regret completing this Camino, but when you read elsewhere that "you'll survive", please know that it means just that: you will survive, you won't die, but it will be among the most difficult weeks of your life eating wise.
Especially considering that I ended up walking 30 kilometers per day on average as the official mileage hugely differs from the miles you actually walk.
Official mileage: 16-13-20-24-24-16 (in kilometers). In total: 113 km.
Kilometers I walked: 25-21-34-34-33-33. In total: 180!
Yes, my trips to the restaurants and the supermarkets are included in that, but be assured, they did not total 67 kilometers...
This is a pilgrimage, sacrifice is included by definition. If you are a vegetarian, I hope my post helps to shed some light on just how big and significant your sacrifice will be... It was worth it, but I have very serious second thoughts about going back to Spain even ever again.
In short: be prepared because they barely exist.
I stayed in hotels, so my experience does not include any food options at albergues, but vegetarian dishes at restaurants on the way were next to non-existent.
From day two, I started to research in advance, because it became apparent that getting nutrients and a nice meal would be a huge struggle - and it was. The dishes most available were the tortilla de Espana and French fries (patatas fritas). Now, try eating that for six days and walk 25-35 kilometers day after day - I promise you, you won't feel good.
I could have had a salad in Ferrol, but went to the O Pincho tapas place, where I got a spinach-egg dish (without the tuna). I also got bread. Be prepared, you will survive mostly on pure bread in the next days.
The hotel breakfast sorely missed fresh vegetables, but at least I got pieces of bread (you guessed) with butter and cheese and probably some scrambled eggs.
In hindsight, I wish I would have researched a lot more for that first night, as Ferrol was big compared to other towns that followed.
I was refused to be sit and serviced at a restaurant in Neda, so I walked further to a Döner place. They had a vegetarian option, so I had French fries (you guessed) and two burritos (or at least they resembled burritos).
For dinner, I really struggled. I stayed in Narón. All the options I preGoogled and were said to be open were closed. I found a burger place and had a vegan burger. Ah, those were the days.
Breakfast was at a café next door (arranged by the hotel). I got two toasts with the "usual" tomato spread and a tea. If you don't drink coffee, you'll be somewhat of a spectacle on the Camino, but being vegetarian already put me into the crazy category, so what did I care. No fresh vegetables, no fresh fruits, no second helpings.
Thankfully, it was Monday and the supermercados were open again, so I could buy a banana on my way. I stopped at a café for a second breakfast and got...a piece of tortilla. Lucky me! I had lunch at Pontedeume (racing against the clock to reach it) in Restaurant Luis. I had a full tortilla de Espana (consisting of about 8-10 eggs)...and that was it.
At this point I was desperate. Having walked about 18 kilometers and getting only the tortilla for lunch really made me wonder how on earth I will continue walking when I simply cannot eat properly. I googled and found a restaurant that offered grilled vegetables for dinner! Hallelujah.
I walked there for their opening time, they were open and had the grilled vegetables. The meal itself looked like a joke, a leaf of salad and a few grilled vegetables, so I also had (you guessed it) French fries, eat the bread that was offered as an appetizer and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel room.
I bought a yoghurt, a zucchini (courgette), a tomato, some more banana etc. However, it was also close to 10 PM when I got back, so I could eat a lot less than I wished. (Restaurants open at around 8 - 8:30 PM, making it impossible to get back to your room before 10 PM.)
The next morning, I had - at this point, you probably know - bread with the usual tomato sauce and cheese (nicely arranged with jamón personally for me despite being indicated as a vegetarian). But, luck shone on me here, because I got second helpings of the bread! What a nice upgrade from yesterday's breakfast. I also grabbed an additional banana and some cake, which ordinarily I never ever eat.
However, at this point, I was effectively starving.
As you can imagine, I researched even more and found that I could have some vegan meals at Pizza Mino. I got there early, the kitchen only opened at 1 PM, but I gladly waited 40 minutes for my order to be taken. I had the (mid-sized) vegan pizza (I'm also lactose intolerant, but not vegan) and ate it all with the exception of one slice. In hindsight, I should have eaten it all, but little did I know, how the trip will continue.
At Betanzos, I found 3 places that were supposedly opened and had vegetarian dishes. The first two places were not even open. (Google said that there are a lot less people there than usual...yeah, because the place was not even open in the first place.)
I finally ended up at another burger place instead of a restaurant that was not where Google told me it was supposed to be. Had a complete vegan burger. I thought it would come with French fries, but no, it only meant more toppings (cheese and a leaf of salad and a slice of tomato).
Had a brief follow-up meal of zucchini, tomato, orange in my room, but again, it was late.
Breakfast was wonderful compared to previous days, but I also stayed at a really good hotel. There was fresh fruit, and of course bread with butter and cheese and some eggs involved.
The next day I had a piece of tortilla (again) at noon at a bar. At this point I felt nauseous even when seeing the word huevos (eggs in Spanish). I decided to skip tortilla unless there was no other option. For lunch, I had a cheese sandwich at Meson-Museó. This means two huge pieces of bread stuck together with some processed, presliced cheese. A piece of jamón got stuck at one piece of bread...
At the hotel in the evening (again, indicated upon booking that I was a fully-fledged vegetarian, no jamón, no carne, no atún), I was offered a big salad as a first meal and French fries with two eggs sunny-sides up and a fruit salad as dessert. At first I thought I would only get the big salad and asked an English and Spanish speaking kind girl to talk to the waiter, but it turned out that there was a second dish. The waiter was the only person, who really tried to offer me fresh vegetables and fruits to the extent he had any during the entire trip. I was grateful! The salad itself was cold and not that big, but compared to what I had had until then on the Camino, it was the best salad on the road!
Breakfast was less nice, bread with butter and cheese and some cake, no fresh vegetables and only fruits that you wouldn't carry on the Inglés.
From Bruma to Sigüeiro, we stopped at a bar for lunch. I had two sandwiches (fake ham and cheese) and had a pre-heated pasta and soup for dinner at the lodgings. At that point they felt like heaven.
Breakfast was toasted bread (multiple helpings), cheese, tomato sauce, some cake and butter.
I tried not to feel the lack of vitamins, protein and all other nutrients my body was screaming for.
I had a cheese sandwich (bread and cheese only, again) for lunch and finally, finally arrived at Santiago!
The vegan restaurant (The Green House) that was supposed to be open until 4 PM was closed at 3:20, so I simply went to my hotel and napped. At that point, it did not matter anymore if I got a proper late lunch or not. I did not miss one meal, I missed a week's worth of proper meals!
I went back for their opening time at dinner and had a normal, proper vegetarian dinner: rice (which does not seem to exist in Galicia) with an Indian "curry" and it was wonderful!
I ate at another vegan place (A Porta Verde) the next day for lunch and dinner and finally started to feel like myself again.
Asking people to survive on bread, (bad) cheese, French fries and eggs is not okay. I understand we are talking about small towns. I do not regret completing this Camino, but when you read elsewhere that "you'll survive", please know that it means just that: you will survive, you won't die, but it will be among the most difficult weeks of your life eating wise.
Especially considering that I ended up walking 30 kilometers per day on average as the official mileage hugely differs from the miles you actually walk.
Official mileage: 16-13-20-24-24-16 (in kilometers). In total: 113 km.
Kilometers I walked: 25-21-34-34-33-33. In total: 180!
Yes, my trips to the restaurants and the supermarkets are included in that, but be assured, they did not total 67 kilometers...
This is a pilgrimage, sacrifice is included by definition. If you are a vegetarian, I hope my post helps to shed some light on just how big and significant your sacrifice will be... It was worth it, but I have very serious second thoughts about going back to Spain even ever again.
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