Hospital de Órbego

A very long day of backpacking brought us away from the city to the tiny little hamlet of Hospital de Órbego. There, we stayed at the Albergue Verde, a delightful private hostel that was a little paradise for us. We recieved wonderful hospitality from the owner, who was warm and taught a multilingual (French, Spanish & English) free yoga class that evening (during which I teared up three times). One of his lessons resonated with us, "Richness is not defined by how much you have, but by how much you don't need." I feel this phrase is the best way to combat the culture of consumption.

We shared dinner with the other pilgrims, including two brothers from Uruguay and their wives, all about the same age as us. They plan to arrive in Santiago on the same day as us, June 1, and our similar itinerary mean we often cross paths. They're a really fun bunch. (: Dinner was accompanied by live music, another offering of the generous hospitalario, and lasted past 10pm.Read more