LIVE from the Camino New Hip on an "Old" Camino

[Camino Chrissy]

I'm also looking forward to seeing the new albergue in Oseira.

You will find the new Albergue in Oseira to be exceptionally nice, but I didn't do any laundry there, so can't comment on the stone basin.

 

[alansykes]

You will find the new Albergue in Oseira to be exceptionally nice

I seem to be one of the few people who really liked the old albergue at Oseira, a huge and rather beautiful tithe barn. Haven't stayed in the new one (yet - it was still shut for covid last time I walked the Sanabrés, in November 2021), but the 4 or 5 times I slept in the old one (mostly in late November and December) I was always the only person there, and the brother hospitalero (the artist Fray Luis de Oseira, chatty as every Trappist monk I've ever met) put me in the snug little cabin-like room on the left by the entrance.

 

[LTfit]

Day 10 July 5, 2024
Xunqueira de Ambía - Ourense 22.5 km

Last night at least until 19.30, there were only 3 of the in the albergue, the Spanish/Swedish couple I had met while walking and myself. At 19.30 when the hospitalera appeared to stamp our credentials an extremely scruffy man also entered the premises. The hospitalera was reluctant to sign him in but since he had a credential, there was no other option. When he left to go shopping the hospitalera told me to move to the dorm with the couple and that we should call the Guardia Civil if there is a problem. No incidents to report ,

I've been having an awful time sleeping and wake up constantly. By 4 a.m. I'm wide awake. So as not to disturb the others, I always pack up my backpack the night before and sneak out of the dorm by 5.30. I'm usually out the door by 6.15 and today was no different. Once again I had the whole Camino to myself.

After a few ups and downs the rest of the way was one long gradual downhill. How cool would it be on a bike! After 3.7 km in A Pousa (before 7 a.m.) and 8 km there were open cafés. I choose to wait till 15 km. At 19.5 km I finally saw the Peugeot dealership building which was the sign to take a left and follow the Paseo Fluvial into the city (you see the sign right after the turn). The path was almost 2 km long, first dirt then mostly of sand. At one point it becomes a harder surface (improvement?) and I had to cross over to the other side. The river is now on your right. I followed Alan's instructions and took it to the end. The Albergue de Peregrinos was in fact 700 meters from that point.

It was only about 10.00 when I arrived (the albergue opens at 13.00) so I wandered about town and treated myself to my first tostada con tomate y aceite . Simple pleasures.

While sitting at a café across from the albergue Ramón appeared, a pilgrim I met in Lubián and was also in A Gudiña. I hadn't seen him for 2 days since he took the Verín variation but then took a bus this morning to Ourense. Nice to see a friendly face. We shared a washing machine and dryer (second luxury of the day) and I joined him for lunch. I wasn't really hungry but had one of my favorites - pimientos de padrón. There were so many that I have enough for dinner too!

Ourense is quite a lovely city but it's known for its microclimate. It's warm, 35 degrees

The couple arrived later and since then three cyclists from Barcelona.

All is well. Tomorrow to Oseira and it's monastery.


Turn left here

Sign

Plaza Major

Albergue de Peregrinos. Great location! There are many floors and many stairs but there is a lift if necessary.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I seem to be one of the few people who really liked the old albergue at Oseira, a huge and rather beautiful tithe barn.

I love old monasteries and would have been interested in staying in the old one, but never had opportunity. When I'd heard the old albergue was "no longer" and had been replaced with a new building, I was disappointed. At least I got to take a tour of the monastery and go to vespers.

 

[VNwalking]

pimientos de padrón. There were so many that I have enough for dinner too!

That would never happen to me. When if I get around to walking the Sanabrés I'll have to make sure to check out where you got 'too many' pimentos.

Really enjoying your posts, Lee. Sounds like a nice option to enter Ourense, and I hope the leaving is on the nicer route, too. (May you enjoy the monastery!)

 

[LTfit]

I seem to be one of the few people who really liked the old albergue at Oseira, a huge and rather beautiful tithe barn. Haven't stayed in the new one (yet - it was still shut for covid last time I walked the Sanabrés, in November 2021), but the 4 or 5 times I slept in the old one (mostly in late November and December) I was always the only person there, and the brother hospitalero (the artist Fray Luis de Oseira, chatty as every Trappist monk I've ever met) put me in the snug little cabin-like room on the left by the entrance.

I still have the little painting of Jesús that Fray Luis gave out to all the pilgrims taking the tour of the monastery. Does he still do that?

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I still have the little painting of Jesús that Fray Luis gave out to all the pilgrims taking the tour of the monastery. Does he still do that?

We assembled in the "store" where they sold beer, honey, etc. to pay for the monastery tour in May 2024. There were about eight of us gathered and unfortunately we were never offered any paintings.

 

[LTfit]

We assembled in the "store" where they sold beer, honey, etc. to pay for the monastery tour in May 2024. There were about eight of us gathered and unfortunately we were never offered any paintings.

This was in 2013.

 

[Wendy Werneth]

I edited my post. He is the editor, not the author.

I wasn't familiar with him by name, but I do know about the encyclopedia. It seems he founded the publishing company that published it. What an honour for you to meet him, and right in front of the house where he was born and grew up!

I wonder if it's strange for him to see that plaque with his own face every day. I always imagined that those types of plaques were erected only after the person had died.

 

[LTfit]

I wonder if it's strange for him to see that plaque with his own face every day. I always imagined that those types of plaques were erected only after the person had died.

I thought the exact same thing!

 

[LTfit]

Day 11 July 6, 2024
Ourense - Cea - Oseira 31 km

The location of the albergue is excellent but not for a restful night. Of course it didn't help that it was Friday night nor that Spain was playing against Germany and won. Across from the albergue there is also a bar. Add this up plus the fact that it was still 29 degrees at 21.00 equals a very disturbed sleep. It was so loud in the street that someone closed the windows in the middle of the night.

Good news was that Alberto and Eva from Barcelona arrived unexpectedly in the afternoon. I heard someone say "Señora Lee!" and there they were. We meet on my day 2 in Tábara and were together in Rionegro for that wonderful meal. For the past week they have been a stage behind me and due to the heat took the bus to Ourense where they will stay for a few days. Our reunion was therefore short.

Determined to leave early, I prepared everything in advance and was out by 5.50. I wanted to do the long incline in the early morning. I felt strong and so I didn't stop for coffee until Cea after 22 km. As the town is famous for its bread I of course had to have a tostada con tomate y aceite, this time served with a whole tomato! The place was hopping! Everyone came in for breakfast. It was an eclectic place and actually looked like a second hand store, every inch covered with paraphernalia.

The last 8.5 km were mainly through a wooded area, paths with large stones which Galicia is famous for. It didn't look like many used the route as I had to crawl a few times under tree branches. It was another climb. My Garmin by now said that the accumulated altitude change was more than 800 meters. A good days work.

The weather has changed considerably. Most of the day was a cool 17-20 degrees and we even got a few sprinkles. Great walking weather. What a change in one day!

The albergue is quite modern and has been build very discreetly behind the monastery so out of sight to visitors. I of course had to see the old one and its stone basin. One other pilgrim - again new - was here when I arrived and about an hour later Ramón strolled in. He had taken the road from Cea rather than following the Camino.

It's now almost 17.00 and no other pilgrims have arrived, just the 3 of us.

The surroundings have changed a bit, the only previous bar has closed and there is now a new restaurant/bar which I assume caters to tourists, definitely not pilgrims with their Menu del Día for €25! They even refuse to make a bocadillo ("I didn't study to do that") and have their diplomas from the University of Santiago hanging on the wall!

Monastery tours are still given but I've done that twice so I'll wait for vespers at 19.15.And the friendly Fray Luis, the painter and quite the talker is now in Palencia.

Will post pictures later (using the bar wifi).

 

[LTfit]

And you keep climbing

Incredible clouds



Cea

 

[LTfit]

The old albergue

Where we washed our clothes


The choir before Vespers

The old and the new

 

[Sue127]

Love the photos

 

[Camino Chrissy]

The surroundings have changed a bit, the only previous bar has closed and there is now a new restaurant/bar which I assume caters to tourists, definitely not pilgrims with their Menu del Día for €25! They even refuse to make a bocadillo ("I didn't study to do that") and have their diplomas from the University of Santiago hanging on the wall!

I really enjoyed that bar. We arrived on a warm, sunny afternoon and had a glass of white wine outside the bar. We made a reservation for dinner at 8:30pm as the owner has only a few tables inside and we knew it would be getting chilly by then so we returned after vespers. We opted for the €25 splurge on dinner and it was wonderful! Each course was special and quite different than what we had usually been eating elsewhere on the Sanabres.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Love the photos

Me, too, and all of her photos bring back my own very recent memories.
Cea was a nice surprise with its upscale looking renovated main street and beautiful town square with the tall tower clock surrounded by many lovely flowers.


We stayed overnight at "Casa Manoso" in town as 22km was enough for me in a day. It is an Old World looking, classy renovated property and our ensuite room also had a sitting area. We had breakfast the next morning at the same quirky, kitchy bar as @LTfit had stopped at. I really liked the clever bottles turned into light fixtures hanging from the ceiling in her picture.

 

[Sue127]

Me, too, and all of her photos bring back my own very recent memories.
Cea was a nice surprise with its upscale looking renovated main street and beautiful town square with the tall tower clock surrounded by many lovely flowers.
View attachment 173987

We stayed overnight at "Casa Manoso" in town as 22km was enough for me in a day. It is an Old World looking, classy renovated property and our ensuite room also had a sitting area. We had breakfast the next morning at the same quirky, kitchy bar as @LTfit had stopped at. I really liked the clever bottles turned into light fixtures hanging from the ceiling in her picture.
View attachment 173986

I, at some stage, want to continue the Mozarabe (I only got as far as Cordoba) and then onto VdP, so am following with interest.

 

[LTfit]

Day 12 July 7, 2024
Oseira - Castro Dozón - Silleda 40+ km

Given the kilometers I was going to cover today I decided to leave earlier than normal. Bad idea. I left at 5.30 but the terrain was quite rocky and steep in sections so it was not ideal even though I had a head lamp. In fact I went much slower due to poor visibility . Oh well.

It was cold this morning - only 8 degrees. It didn't start to warm up until about 9.30 when the sun came out through the mist. Hence very few pictures were taken and the ones I did are about 5 hours apart.

During the 40+ km I walked today there was not one café open, the 2 in Castro Dozón after 12 km were closed. The Taberna/bar in Botos after 22 km closed, the bar along the highway after A Laxe? Guessed right, also closed. It was not until my arrival in Silleda that I sat down to eat and drink something. By this time I needed something stronger than a coffee so I had my traditional after a stage drink: a clara (mix beer with lemon fanta). They served potato chips and nuts with it. I think it took me all of 10 minutes to eat everything up!

After about 2 hours Ramón arrived. The poor thing made a wrong turn taking him in the wrong direction. In the end he walked 30 km, 24 km (or double) to get to Castro Dozón . From there he took a bus to Silleda. He had had enough.

Today I passed 5 pilgrims, a first! The first was a young Spanish guy who had also stayed in Oseira but in the lodging in the monastery ( minimum stay 2 nights, max 7). He had left at 4.30.

As it's Sunday the only place to get a few supplies for tomorrow was a Repsol gas station. Supermarkets don't open on Sundays.

I will turn in soon. Having had no decent rest breaks with coffee made for a difficult day. Tomorrow looks better in that respect.







Potato chips never tasted so good!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

the terrain was quite rocky and steep in sections so it was not ideal even though I had a head lamp. In fact I went much slower due to poor visibility . Oh well.

Leaving Oseira, that rocky steep uphill often in a rather wet stream bed had me going much slower than my usual slow speed as I didn't want to slip and possibly break a limb, even with good visibility. Once it "ironed out" quite a bit later, we stopped for a drink and home-made tortilla filled with veggies on the way to Castro Dozon. I "think" the albergue there may have re-opened, but we'd made a reservation in Botos a couple of months earlier and was happy to end our day there at "A Taberna de Vento Hostel" after walking 21 km. We had a lovely room in their building next door and the dinner was excellent. In fact, they asked us what we'd wanted to eat without any menus, so it was "custom made" with our input. A younger waitress translated for us to the owner lady/cook. They were kind, attentive and treated us very well.
@LTfit, your new hip is totally amazing. I often broke your single stage in half, taking two days!

 

[VNwalking]

So, Lee are you going to make it from there to Santiago in one go? I wouldn't put it past you...moving right along as you are.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

So, Lee are you going to make it from there to Santiago in one go? I wouldn't put it past you...moving right along as you are.

If she ever needs a second new hip she will have super bionic legs and increase her daily kilometers to 50+ total each day!

 

[LTfit]

So, Lee are you going to make it from there to Santiago in one go? I wouldn't put it past you...moving right along as you are.

You'll just have to wait and see

 

[LTfit]

Leaving Oseira, that rocky steep uphill often in a rather wet stream bed had me going much slower than my usual slow speed as I didn't want to slip and possibly break a limb, even with good visibility. Once it "ironed out" quite a bit later, we stopped for a drink and home-made tortilla filled with veggies on the way to Castro Dozon. I "think" the albergue there may have re-opened,

Nope. Closed. It looked like a ghost town when I went through at about 8.30.

but we'd made a reservation in Botos a couple of months earlier and was happy to end our day there at "A Taberna de Vento Hostel" after walking 21 km.

I was hoping for a coffee in Botos (I recognized the place from years ago) but it was closed. In front of the door to the bar section there was a pail and mop and in the entry to the hostal there were key boxes which made it look uninviting.

We had a lovely room in their building next door and the dinner was excellent. In fact, they asked us what we'd wanted to eat without any menus, so it was "custom made" with our input. A younger waitress translated for us to the owner lady/cook. They were kind, attentive and treated us very well.

Glad you had a nice stay there.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

in the entry to the hostal there were key boxes which made it look uninviting.

It seems codes with key boxes are on the rise for private accomodations along the Caminos in more recent years, and I do have mixed feelings about them. On the one-hand, you let yourself in when you arrive, which is often more convenient than waiting around for the owner to show up, but lacks the personal touch of someone to greet you, hopefully with a smile and a few instructions.