Hospitalera Day 2

I won’t bore you with the same details every day. Today the clean up was a bit quicker though, so I had time to walk around the village.

Also, the weather is much more pleasant today, so I can show you our garden. It is quite large and would be a wonderful place to relax later in the season.

During my walk about I did a bit of shopping at two of the three small tiendas in town. I found peanut butter (which is rare in Spain) and a thermal shirt (which I have been desiring). They say the Camino provides. Happily, it is true.

Here’s some history. In about 1990, a couple of British friends were walking the Camino and there was nowhere to stay between Astorga and Ponferrada. That is about 50 km! So they had the idea to build an albergue in Rabanal del Camino (not quite half way, but a great stopping point). Together with the Confraternity of St James (UK pilgrim group) and the bishopric of Astorga, a building was renovated. Gaucelmo is named after a hermit from the area.

Now there are at least ten places for pilgrims to sleep, from tents in the public garden to private rooms in the Posada. There are at least two churches, three tiendas (shops) and several bars/restaurants. And it started with Refugio Gaucelmo!Read more