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Astorga

Astorga

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Traveler Camino Mixto
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- Apr 23, 2025, 7:03 AM
- 🌙 5 °C
- Altitude: 1,160 m
- Spain Santa Colomba de Somoza 42.481975, -6.2848842°28’55” N 6°17’6” W
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Day 16
Hospitalera Day 8
April 23 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 5 °C
Having a small group of pilgrims made the cleanup easier, and we were finished in record time.

The sun is shining today so I hung the washing on the line in the garden. It dried very quickly.

I went for a walk to the end of the village, that didn’t take very long. There are a couple more restaurants I could try. However, I would have to walk uphill to the albergue after eating, so I’m not sure if I want to do that.

Llew and I cooked dinner for ourselves today with a beef stew, just adding what we found in the pantry to the beef we bought. Tasty! Homecooking was a welcome change.

We have our youngest pilgrim to date; Helena is not quite two years old and traveling with Mom and Mom’s friend. She spends most of the walking time in the stroller but has been playing in the garden for much of the afternoon. Luckily we have a small room with two bunks that we can offer to families with small children. That keeps the baby out of the main dorm. Everyone is happy about that.Read more
Traveler Who is Diego’s friend?
2dReply
Traveler Llew brought the kiwi.
1dReply
Traveler Wow! Not quite 2? How has she been with travel?
2dReply
Traveler She has been great. They are just walking 5 days, but last year they walked the Camino Portuguese when she was less than one year old! She is a natural pilgrim.
1dReply
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Traveler Camino Mixto
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- Apr 22, 2025, 7:48 AM
- ⛅ 5 °C
- Altitude: 1,160 m
- Spain Santa Colomba de Somoza 42.481983, -6.28487242°28’55” N 6°17’6” W
1 1
Day 15
Hospitalera Day 7
April 22 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C
It’s hard to believe that we have been here for a week now! Today the sun is shining and the temperature is up to a balmy high of 14 degrees today!

Llew placed an order with our neighbouring tienda a few days ago, and today I picked up a Tarte de Santiago and fixings to make a beef stew. Yum!

The monastery/chapel is vey quiet today, all the monks and priests have left. Maybe something to do with the pope’s passing? Last time I went on Camino, in 2022, the queen died. Is there significance?

We have a small group today, just six pilgrims. Two young girls from USA offered to cook dinner for everyone ❤️. It was lovely, she even used some herbs from the garden. Which seems to be a friendly place for insects also.

I was asked about the tea. This albergue is managed by the UK organization Confraternity of St James. They stock with plenty of English tea at the start of the season.Read more
Traveler That's a load
3dReply
Traveler ☕️ That is a lot of tea!
3dReply
Traveler The Queen and the Pope would not want you to take it personally.
3dReply
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Traveler Camino Mixto
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- Apr 21, 2025, 9:00 AM
- ☁️ 6 °C
- Altitude: 1,160 m
- Spain Santa Colomba de Somoza 42.48198, -6.28487242°28’55” N 6°17’6” W
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Day 14
Hospitalera Day 6
April 21 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C
My family asked for more donkey 🫏 so I decided Diego could help with my chores today.

Most of our pilgrims were European today, but we did have one from Mexico 🇲🇽 and two bicigrinos from Argentina 🇦🇷. We also have a wheelchair pilgrim from the Netherlands. She has wheeled all the way from home over about 10 years (in stages).Read more
Traveler Hopefully Diego is well paid!
4dReply
Traveler Almost as much as I get paid.
4dReply
Traveler 😆
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Traveler Camino Mixto
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- Apr 20, 2025, 10:56 AM
- ☀️ 6 °C
- Altitude: 1,168 m
- Spain Santa Colomba de Somoza 42.482447, -6.28574742°28’57” N 6°17’9” W
Day 13
Hospitalera Day 5
April 20 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C
Happy Easter Sunday! The sky is much more clear today and we can see plenty of snow on the nearby mountains.

How many can say they have been to Easter Sunday service in a 12th century Benedictine Monastery? I can now claim that experience!

Today we had our first Canadian pilgrims, from Ontario. Also Spanish, French, Brazilian, American, Italian, United Kingdom, and Portuguese.
🇪🇸🇨🇦🇫🇷🇮🇹🇧🇷🇺🇸🇵🇹🇬🇧

If you are interested in our albergue, we have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/share/1FX8m8EVVS/?mibe…Read more
Traveler Great pictures and commentary.
4dReply
I loved this church service. Did the Priest sing it in Gregorian Chant? [Laurel]
3dReply
Traveler This was a regular mass and was in Spanish.
3dReply
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Traveler Camino Mixto
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- Apr 18, 2025, 4:33 PM
- ☁️ 11 °C
- Altitude: 1,169 m
- Spain Santa Colomba de Somoza 42.482372, -6.28632842°28’57” N 6°17’11” W
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1 1
Day 11
Hospitalera Day 3
April 18 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
Today started out with decent weather, then around 11:30 it started to rain and the temperature has dropped since then. There is more snow forecast tonight.

When we opened at 1:00 we had eight chilly pilgrims waiting at the gate, then only three more since then.

The weather in Rabanal is cold but the fireplace and the company is warm. Pilgrims from España, Switzerland, USA, Ireland, and Korea joined our tea party. ☕️🍪

I went out for a pilgrim meal this evening, very filling and tasty. 😋Read more
Traveler The fireplace and the company is warm. Beautiful picture.
1wReply
Traveler Interesting to see the pilgrims. 😌
1wReply
Traveler Nothing like a warm bowl of soup on a chili day🩷
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Traveler Camino Mixto
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- Apr 17, 2025, 10:45 AM
- ⛅ 5 °C
- Altitude: 1,160 m
- Spain Santa Colomba de Somoza 42.482145, -6.2849842°28’56” N 6°17’6” W
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4
Day 10
Hospitalera Day 2
April 17 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C
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
Traveler Love this picture.
1wReply
Traveler So do I ❤️
1wReply
Traveler Maybe for you and Greg
1wReply
Traveler I don’t think so.
1wReply
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Traveler Camino Mixto
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- Apr 15, 2025, 8:42 PM
- ⛅ 2 °C
- Altitude: 1,166 m
- Spain Santa Colomba de Somoza 42.482392, -6.28521742°28’57” N 6°17’7” W
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Day 8
Hospitalera Day 1
April 15 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C
Fiona and Peter left this morning so it is just Llew and me to run the show now. We had 14 pilgrims last night.

I get to clean the upstairs and Llew does the downstairs. My part includes the dormitorio (20 beds) 🛏️and the servicios (showers and toilets) 🚽

Also I do floors upstairs and laundry.

Meanwhile Llew cleans the kitchen, office, entryway, and the lounge, including floors. Then he takes out the rubbish and gets the fire started in the fireplace.

Together we count the money in the donativo boxes and do some minor record keeping.

Tea is served at 5:00 pm, and breakfast at 7:00 am.

That will be my routine for the next two and a bit weeks. The photos today are mostly a tour of the albergue.Read more
Traveler That is a lot of work!
1wReply
Traveler It’s not bad and I’m proud of our cleanliness standards.
1wReply
I think they have upgraded this room since I was there in 2013. I remember it as a dark room with wood or stone floors. It looks very nice with a good chance of keeping away bed bugs. [Laurel]
1wReply
Traveler Yes, improvements have been made. And the mattress covers are cleaned after each pilgrim.
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Traveler Camino Mixto
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- Apr 15, 2025, 6:32 AM
- ☁️ 1 °C
- Altitude: 1,160 m
- Spain Santa Colomba de Somoza 42.482159, -6.28498342°28’56” N 6°17’6” W
2 1
Day 8
Hospitalera Training Day
April 15 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C
Peter and Fiona, the outgoing volunteers, trained us for our duties today and introduced us to Susanna at the tienda (shop).

It was snowing when the first pilgrim left before light, and continues to be cold with alternating snow, rain and sun. Even inside it is cold but we do have a fireplace and some space heaters. 🌨️❄️🌧️🌦️🥶 I should have brought more clothes☺️.

I have added some photos of Refugio Gaucelmo, my temporary home.Read more
Traveler It is really inspiring Arlene
1wReply
Traveler Yes, I thought so also.
1wReply
I love the stork nests. [Laurel]
1wReply
Keep warm Arlene. [Laurel]
1wReply
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Traveler Camino Mixto
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- Apr 13, 2025, 9:46 AM
- ☀️ 10 °C
- Altitude: 884 m
- Spain Astorga 42.456787, -6.05850842°27’24” N 6°3’31” W
Day 6
Palm Sunday in Astorga
April 13 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C
I managed to watch the Palm Sunday procession here in Astorga this morning. This is one of the things I was looking forward to in Spain 🇪🇸 and I was not disappointed.

It wasn’t huge, two marching bands and several walker (some appeared to be local dignitaries). Then came Jesus carried by about 50 men walking close together and marching slowly, creating a rocking effect of the ‘float’ - it wasn’t like a parade in North America but I’d call it a float anyway, though it must have been very heavy.

Walkers and spectators clutched either olive branches or dried palm fronds.

The procession went along the narrow streets to the Plaza Mayor, where there was a short service, then the crowd dispersed.Read more
Traveler Quite the pageantry! Very unusual take on the Palm Sunday procession to Jerusalem. Thanks for sharing.
1wReply
Traveler Very typical for Spain 🇪🇸. some communities have processions every day of Semana Santa.
1wReply
Traveler Very impressive.
1wReply
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Traveler Camino Mixto
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- Apr 13, 2025, 8:45 AM
- ☀️ 8 °C
- Altitude: 874 m
- Spain Astorga 42.45525, -6.05294742°27’19” N 6°3’11” W
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Day 6
More Astorga
April 13 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C
Other than observing Palm Sunday, I spent some time wandering around, enjoyed a café con leche with a slice of Tarte de Manzana 🍎. This is a walled city and had lovely views from the wall. The view reminded me of Calgary with the mountains in the distance.

We also explored the Museo Romana which displays artifacts from when Romans occupied the area. Many over 2,000 years old!

Later on I had a cerveza and Patatas Bravas. Tonight we are having a communal meal at the albergue, Brazilian food prepared by our host. She walked the Camino in 2018, then opened her own albergue just a few months later.Read more
Traveler Haha
1wReply
Traveler Love the placemats 💗
1wReply
Traveler Very nice albergue.
1wReply
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