Samos - Monastic Disapointment

A short day today, only 11kms (3hrs) walked today into the village of Samos. Franz (from Germany 🇩🇪) and I opted for some religious immersion. Go to the monastery and rough it in a very basic Albergue, while witnessing the life and chants of the monks. Well disappointing was our experience ! We paid for a sanitised tour (the tour guide was an excellent young women) but we saw very little. The monastery is huge, but in serious decline with only 10 men in residence. So...onto the Albergue de Perigrinos Monasterio de Samos which we discover is separate from the Monastery and simply is housed in the same building. Despite both our guide books indicating the Albergue organised tours of the monastery and benediction - it does not. It is one long vaulted space full of hobbling pilgrims, snoring, and laughing!!! Well we arrived early and we're told in welcoming terms it didn't open until 1pm and NO we could not leave our packs at 12.30pm. So, Franz and I visited the 11th Century Capilla del Cipres, one of the oldest surviving buildings on the Camino. Simultaneously we received wisdom, and decided not to rough it, but to book into the Albergue Alboroque (across the road from the Monastery Albergue) who's welcome was genuinely warm. We were told to just go up and select our beds and then come down and pay. A small bedroom of some six beds we cherry picked the best and set out our packs etc. We ate at the restaurant with two very nice Australians and over some Galician food we put the world to rights. Franz and I went to mass at 7.30pm and then ate at the neighbouring restaurant where the internal issues of Catalan were being played out on the telly, and with an amazing multi-lingual German I enjoyed the translation. Bed and lights out followed a brief conversation with my beautiful Emma. Another day closer to being together again.Read more