The Austrian
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- CF Nov 11, 2016
CF Oct 31, 2018
CF Oct 22, 2022
Part one from my walk two years ago is here (for reference):
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/the-good-the-bad-the-ugly.46053/
I went along the Camino Frances again, almost exactly two years to the date of last time. Funny how little has changed really, maybe a bit more of the ugly this time? Still mostly good though.
Some of the pictures I took are here:
https://www.instagram.com/austriannomad/
Fellow pilgrims top the good again, with no exception I met the nicest crowds over the 32 days I spent on the Camino. I chose to be even more independent than two years ago while walking, but the evenings catching up with familar faces along the way was very nice.
One of my changes to my first Camino was an upgrade in my lodging budget which allowed me to get a few more private rooms as well as stay at privately run hostels this time than last. It does one good to just every few nights have a good, private sleep, sans interruption. Not that there were summer size hoards of people, but especially in smaller towns, when many Albergues are closed, 30 people is a crowd when they all sleep at the Municipal place.....Overall I think there is a new breed of Albergues cropping up? Though maybe sterile and too modern for some, I can;t help but say they are a huge improvement over some of the out of date "old school cool" ones? La Casa Del Peregrino in El Acebo would be an example. I mean, who built this thing?? In the middle of nowhere, such a large, yet perfectly designed place. There were only five of us that night, which made it even nicer.
Let me point out a few of the great places that stood out this time:
-The Stone Boat in Rabanal. A Camino Cocoon. From Kim, the very caring host, to perfect bedding, this is my top pick this year. And if you love your stamps collected along the way, wait for the surprise you get here as a stamp.....Rabanal del Camino as a whole has had more of an impact on me than Foncebadon last time. The evening mass with Gregorian chants, outstanding food at El Refugio and this top shelve B&B made for a perfect package.
https://www.thestoneboat.com/
-Estrella Guia in Puente La Reina. Brazilian hospitality!! Joyful place to sleep at. Plenty of personal touches. Great set up with smaller rooms, functional kitchen. A fantastic terrace overlooking the roof tops and gardens of the neighborhood. CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN.
I really did not like the Muni place two years ago and knew I'd need a better place in this town.
https://www.facebook.com/Albergue-Estrella-Guia-723219327760570/
-Albergue San Marcos in Palas de Rei. I'd like to add this one as an example of the present and future of lodging on the Camino. While it may feel institutional to the hard core Camino fan, with staff instead of a hospitalero who tends to your wounded knee, one can't deny the every increasing nubers of pilgrims and for that, you need new ideas in lodging. Some of them may seem interchangable with Albergues the next town over (Casona de Ponte in Porto Marin for example.....), but yes, keep opening them.
http://alberguesanmarcos.com/
Caloric intake along the Camino was a highlight again, at the top of this (too long) post you can see a link to my Instagram where you'll find plenty of images, food included.
Best small town eatery: https://elrefugiohosteria.com/ in Rabanal
Such a small town, so full of surprises. Even the cakes are home made here. And they stand up to Austrian ones....
Best big town eatery: http://www.otobodolobo.com/ in Melide. Forget Pulpo, really. Stop the cliché and go eat here.
Their 40 day dry aged Entrecote was maybe the best steak I have ever had, including Morton's in the US. Chef owned, honest and pure cooking. Affordable private rooms for a good night's sleep are an added bonus. Yes, STOP IT with the Pulpo in this town. I've had better in La Coruna at much lower prices.
Other good things:
My shoes. Lidl special, 19.99 trail runners. NOT ONE BLISTER. No shin splint, no pain at all. Compared to my last shoes for which I paid around 150.00.....what a surprise.
The spiritual. Evening mass in Rabanal (can you see why this is my favorite stop on the Camino). Not too much telling, just stay overnight and experience it.
Locals along the way. A couple of times, deep in thought, I was stopped by ordinary folks to point out that I am off track. The backpacks sure do give us away. Or is it the smell? One time on my way out of town a very nice couple walked with me to get me back on the very well marked Camino.
Finisterre by bus. Two years ago, for no reason I refused to even consider going on to there, but I had time this go around and took the bus to the end of the world from where I walked to Muxia before heading back to Santiago for good (by bus). I am glad I did, with glorious weather it was a magical day.
The bad:
Weather in November. Not much to moan about, it is a gamble. Two years ago it paid off, not so in 2018. More rain and snow (twice, Roncesvalles & Alto do Poio) than I wanted, but that is something we can't change.
The ugly:
Fun fact: Parochial Albergues and donativos are excempt from mandatory bedbug disinfection as well as legionaires disease testing (unconfirmed, please correct me if info is wrong)
I had ZERO problems with bugs, maybe it's my attitude of not caring, or they do not like my blood type. Not one incident. In Santiago though, three pilgrims showed me their bites and it can be ugly. They all narrowed it down to the places they think or know it happened and well, what do you want me to say.....duh. I really think time has come to put some of those hostels out to pasture.
Let's take Astorga as an example. This time of year your two budget sleeping options are ugly one and uglier two. Hear me out, this may take a while. My issues with basic cleanliness or incapable volunteers aside, not much has changed within the hierachy of the Catholic church in the last couple hundred years? On the one side you have one impressive place of worship (for which you have to pay to see???), on the other side, the peasants (us) who helped build those places with financial or manual contribution, are still being treated as such when on Pilgrimage in 2018. Those Albergues should be tented up and fumigated for a month then renoed from ground up before letting any more pilgrims stay there. And get some better volunteer training while you are at it. 12 people cannot sleep in a room with only 10 beds. The Pope's annual travel budget is higher than what it would cost to renovate and clean up those places.
Pilgrims menu: By far my biggest pet peeve last time and even more so this go around. I am just not sure where to point the finger, it really is a chicken or the egg sort of question. Is it lazy and unimaginative chefs who came up with it, or are Pilgrims on a Salvation Army budget to blame for this culinary disaster. Seriously, if you moan with joy while eating your frozen, microwaved Lasagna and tell me how good it is, what in the world are you eating at home? Canned Spam? You can;t be that exhausted from walking 25 km to not taste the crap they feed you?
Mansilla de las Mulas. THAT restaurant. Albergue recommended. Oh boy. Walking in, seeing all the newspaper clippings and really nice decor, oh how misleading of an entry.
We were presented with a specky, grubby menu that listed the typical four choices per course, except here, the only two appetizers available were canned asparagus with Mayo and mixed salad. Not very imaginative. Main course got worse, not one traditional Spanish dish to be had. Eggs with bacon does not dinner maketh just because you add undercooked fries to it. The owner insisted there is no other menu to be had. Maybe it is seasonal, but screw me if you got all those glorious reviews on canned veggies and frozen entrees.
Needless to say, I paid for the vinegarish wine and left. At the entrance I prevented a group of unsuspecting pilgrims from being ripped, took them me to the gas station where we made sad but tasty Bocadillos with the help of freshly baked baguettes and any cold cuts they had. Still a better and more memorable meal than that sad sack restaurant.
And really, that's just one of many observations I have about this issue. Walking makes you think. And this is the one I thought about a bit. How to change this or just let it go.
Clever industrial food suppliers have come up with frozen food options in many nations, I know. It takes the heat off labor cost as well as cost of goods on your balance sheet, but I am sure as consumers we could change that trend. But until we care enough to get proper food......I see a worsening of it all.
Feel free to snark if you have a different opinion, just don;t ask for a dinner invite at my house....
To sum it up, a really great Camino again, with minor first world lodging and foodie issues.
Here is my Instagram feed:
https://www.instagram.com/austriannomad/
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/the-good-the-bad-the-ugly.46053/
I went along the Camino Frances again, almost exactly two years to the date of last time. Funny how little has changed really, maybe a bit more of the ugly this time? Still mostly good though.
Some of the pictures I took are here:
https://www.instagram.com/austriannomad/
Fellow pilgrims top the good again, with no exception I met the nicest crowds over the 32 days I spent on the Camino. I chose to be even more independent than two years ago while walking, but the evenings catching up with familar faces along the way was very nice.
One of my changes to my first Camino was an upgrade in my lodging budget which allowed me to get a few more private rooms as well as stay at privately run hostels this time than last. It does one good to just every few nights have a good, private sleep, sans interruption. Not that there were summer size hoards of people, but especially in smaller towns, when many Albergues are closed, 30 people is a crowd when they all sleep at the Municipal place.....Overall I think there is a new breed of Albergues cropping up? Though maybe sterile and too modern for some, I can;t help but say they are a huge improvement over some of the out of date "old school cool" ones? La Casa Del Peregrino in El Acebo would be an example. I mean, who built this thing?? In the middle of nowhere, such a large, yet perfectly designed place. There were only five of us that night, which made it even nicer.
Let me point out a few of the great places that stood out this time:
-The Stone Boat in Rabanal. A Camino Cocoon. From Kim, the very caring host, to perfect bedding, this is my top pick this year. And if you love your stamps collected along the way, wait for the surprise you get here as a stamp.....Rabanal del Camino as a whole has had more of an impact on me than Foncebadon last time. The evening mass with Gregorian chants, outstanding food at El Refugio and this top shelve B&B made for a perfect package.
https://www.thestoneboat.com/
-Estrella Guia in Puente La Reina. Brazilian hospitality!! Joyful place to sleep at. Plenty of personal touches. Great set up with smaller rooms, functional kitchen. A fantastic terrace overlooking the roof tops and gardens of the neighborhood. CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN.
I really did not like the Muni place two years ago and knew I'd need a better place in this town.
https://www.facebook.com/Albergue-Estrella-Guia-723219327760570/
-Albergue San Marcos in Palas de Rei. I'd like to add this one as an example of the present and future of lodging on the Camino. While it may feel institutional to the hard core Camino fan, with staff instead of a hospitalero who tends to your wounded knee, one can't deny the every increasing nubers of pilgrims and for that, you need new ideas in lodging. Some of them may seem interchangable with Albergues the next town over (Casona de Ponte in Porto Marin for example.....), but yes, keep opening them.
http://alberguesanmarcos.com/
Caloric intake along the Camino was a highlight again, at the top of this (too long) post you can see a link to my Instagram where you'll find plenty of images, food included.
Best small town eatery: https://elrefugiohosteria.com/ in Rabanal
Such a small town, so full of surprises. Even the cakes are home made here. And they stand up to Austrian ones....
Best big town eatery: http://www.otobodolobo.com/ in Melide. Forget Pulpo, really. Stop the cliché and go eat here.
Their 40 day dry aged Entrecote was maybe the best steak I have ever had, including Morton's in the US. Chef owned, honest and pure cooking. Affordable private rooms for a good night's sleep are an added bonus. Yes, STOP IT with the Pulpo in this town. I've had better in La Coruna at much lower prices.
Other good things:
My shoes. Lidl special, 19.99 trail runners. NOT ONE BLISTER. No shin splint, no pain at all. Compared to my last shoes for which I paid around 150.00.....what a surprise.
The spiritual. Evening mass in Rabanal (can you see why this is my favorite stop on the Camino). Not too much telling, just stay overnight and experience it.
Locals along the way. A couple of times, deep in thought, I was stopped by ordinary folks to point out that I am off track. The backpacks sure do give us away. Or is it the smell? One time on my way out of town a very nice couple walked with me to get me back on the very well marked Camino.
Finisterre by bus. Two years ago, for no reason I refused to even consider going on to there, but I had time this go around and took the bus to the end of the world from where I walked to Muxia before heading back to Santiago for good (by bus). I am glad I did, with glorious weather it was a magical day.
The bad:
Weather in November. Not much to moan about, it is a gamble. Two years ago it paid off, not so in 2018. More rain and snow (twice, Roncesvalles & Alto do Poio) than I wanted, but that is something we can't change.
The ugly:
Fun fact: Parochial Albergues and donativos are excempt from mandatory bedbug disinfection as well as legionaires disease testing (unconfirmed, please correct me if info is wrong)
I had ZERO problems with bugs, maybe it's my attitude of not caring, or they do not like my blood type. Not one incident. In Santiago though, three pilgrims showed me their bites and it can be ugly. They all narrowed it down to the places they think or know it happened and well, what do you want me to say.....duh. I really think time has come to put some of those hostels out to pasture.
Let's take Astorga as an example. This time of year your two budget sleeping options are ugly one and uglier two. Hear me out, this may take a while. My issues with basic cleanliness or incapable volunteers aside, not much has changed within the hierachy of the Catholic church in the last couple hundred years? On the one side you have one impressive place of worship (for which you have to pay to see???), on the other side, the peasants (us) who helped build those places with financial or manual contribution, are still being treated as such when on Pilgrimage in 2018. Those Albergues should be tented up and fumigated for a month then renoed from ground up before letting any more pilgrims stay there. And get some better volunteer training while you are at it. 12 people cannot sleep in a room with only 10 beds. The Pope's annual travel budget is higher than what it would cost to renovate and clean up those places.
Pilgrims menu: By far my biggest pet peeve last time and even more so this go around. I am just not sure where to point the finger, it really is a chicken or the egg sort of question. Is it lazy and unimaginative chefs who came up with it, or are Pilgrims on a Salvation Army budget to blame for this culinary disaster. Seriously, if you moan with joy while eating your frozen, microwaved Lasagna and tell me how good it is, what in the world are you eating at home? Canned Spam? You can;t be that exhausted from walking 25 km to not taste the crap they feed you?
Mansilla de las Mulas. THAT restaurant. Albergue recommended. Oh boy. Walking in, seeing all the newspaper clippings and really nice decor, oh how misleading of an entry.
We were presented with a specky, grubby menu that listed the typical four choices per course, except here, the only two appetizers available were canned asparagus with Mayo and mixed salad. Not very imaginative. Main course got worse, not one traditional Spanish dish to be had. Eggs with bacon does not dinner maketh just because you add undercooked fries to it. The owner insisted there is no other menu to be had. Maybe it is seasonal, but screw me if you got all those glorious reviews on canned veggies and frozen entrees.
Needless to say, I paid for the vinegarish wine and left. At the entrance I prevented a group of unsuspecting pilgrims from being ripped, took them me to the gas station where we made sad but tasty Bocadillos with the help of freshly baked baguettes and any cold cuts they had. Still a better and more memorable meal than that sad sack restaurant.
And really, that's just one of many observations I have about this issue. Walking makes you think. And this is the one I thought about a bit. How to change this or just let it go.
Clever industrial food suppliers have come up with frozen food options in many nations, I know. It takes the heat off labor cost as well as cost of goods on your balance sheet, but I am sure as consumers we could change that trend. But until we care enough to get proper food......I see a worsening of it all.
Feel free to snark if you have a different opinion, just don;t ask for a dinner invite at my house....
To sum it up, a really great Camino again, with minor first world lodging and foodie issues.
Here is my Instagram feed:
https://www.instagram.com/austriannomad/
