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June 24th
San Esteban to Monastario We started the day out slowly, we were one of the last to leave the yucky albergue. We took the peregrino route. It was a very calm morning as it warmed up slowly.
We rode thru trails for many kilometers, stopping in Colugnato to have a couple of café’s with panatela, this was at a hotel where many pilgrims were doing the Camino but supported by a van, they would walk and a company would carry their items, they never stayed at albergues only at nice hotels and have nice dinners every evening. The panetela was similar to the one my mother used t make when we were younger, it was like a cake but without any frosting at all. After spending almost an hour there getting warmed up from the morning rain we rode out to the rain again taking the main highway to the town of Villaviciosa. Carmen had to put on my cycling pants because she was so cold and wet. We had lunch in the town of Villaviciosa, Carmen bought few pastries and we rode out calmly on the pilgrim’s road. After an hour of following yellow arrows up and down hills we were headed further south than what we needed. Now lost, we just hoped to find a main road to head back to Villaviciosa when we came to an intersection with three choices on the road to take, There was a monastery on our left and we went in to ask directions. |
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The Monastery Villadedios, where we were just hoping to find directions, but we saw a sign that they accepted peregrinos for the night. So now almost three in the afternoon we decided to stay, it was just about completely empty and very quiet with noone around with the exception of a couple on a tour of the church chapel.
After we paid the lowest price of any albergue of just 5€ and were invited to attend a mass and ceremony where 3 nuns would be joining the Carmelite Order. We were too far from any town, we thought we would not have much to eat so we ended up buying the pilgrims dinner but ended up eating it in the morning.
There were many people at the chapel, with family and locals. We sat in the back and witnessed the beautiful singing and praying during the ceremony.
They invited us to join them for the celebration where they all gathered and talked with the guests, there was lots of food on the table for us to eat. It was a lovely time with the sisters. As the evening wound down they asked us to go into their kitchen and get our dinner but since we had eaten during the celebration we ended having our bought dinner for the morning as there would not be anyone to tend to us at the time we would be leaving in the morning.
As usual in the Camino, we were lost today and in need of help and it turned out to be one of the best evenings of our tour.
After we paid the lowest price of any albergue of just 5€ and were invited to attend a mass and ceremony where 3 nuns would be joining the Carmelite Order. We were too far from any town, we thought we would not have much to eat so we ended up buying the pilgrims dinner but ended up eating it in the morning.
There were many people at the chapel, with family and locals. We sat in the back and witnessed the beautiful singing and praying during the ceremony.
They invited us to join them for the celebration where they all gathered and talked with the guests, there was lots of food on the table for us to eat. It was a lovely time with the sisters. As the evening wound down they asked us to go into their kitchen and get our dinner but since we had eaten during the celebration we ended having our bought dinner for the morning as there would not be anyone to tend to us at the time we would be leaving in the morning.
As usual in the Camino, we were lost today and in need of help and it turned out to be one of the best evenings of our tour.
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Carmen -