Different Sorts of Pilgrims

 Keen eyed observers will have noticed we sometimes go a little way back on ourselves. Some careless people may assume that this is due to over hasty ‘ploughing on’ with on a vague idea of where we are going to end up. They would be wrong. Clearly the Plaza of Triacastela is so worthy of respect that it was but simple decency to come down and look at it.



Streetview claims to follow our route but seems to be having a sulk so we will have to max out on the two things we go near and the one thing we pass. Cachenas de San Breixo have four 5 star reviews for their meat raising and selling business. http://www.cachenasdesanbreixo.com/
 They will sell you 10 kilos of chops, burgers and barbeque fodder for 150 euros.



The Albergue Ecologico El Beson is pet friendly and has a bar. https://elbeso.org/
 They opened a year a go and do organic vegan community dinners, Should you fancy it they do hammocks amongst the chestnut trees. Two months ago Mary Sanders wrote ‘An oasis on the Camino! What a magical place. We felt so at home here and so welcomed by the whole family. The house is beautiful and so lovingly restored. The food was DELICIOUS!! So wonderful to find an all-vegan alburgue. I will definitely be back on my next Camino! Thank you for having us!’
Neither Kori Cippitelli nor the owner were happy. I shall give both responses. I feel a clash of cultures were occurring.
We chose the hostel because of the good comments it has. Inside it is nice and rustic but it is not comfortable. The wooden planks are noticeable in the beds and the cushion leaves something to be desired. It is made of plastic and has little padding. A friend used a sweatshirt so he could use it as a cushion and I folded it in half. You can hear the footsteps from the upper floor! The blanket had a tree branch spike on it which makes me think it hasn't been washed. Other hostels offer shampoo and other personal cleaning products, but this one does not, and there is no way to collect the water that is there when you finish showering. Because showers don't swallow the water and it comes out. When you enter the bathroom there is water on the floor so much that we get our shoes wet. Which means that the hygiene conditions are not optimal.That would improve it!
The soup kitchen is practical and well-kept. Unlike the surrounding garden. They have a solidarity suitcase in which you pay for what you consume, and that seems like a good idea to me. Although the price of the coffee does not seem correct to me because it tells you that you have to pay €1.5, which is the price of a normal coffee shop. It is oneself who has to prepare it and wash the cup. About dinner, it is served at 7:00 p.m. and we arrived at 8:00 p.m. and they didn't want to save dinner for us. We understood it, because the kitchen closes. But they told us that we could not bring food that was not vegan. We had to go to a bar in town for dinner and it was almost 10 p.m. About that, they almost left us without entering the hostel because it closes at that time. After 30km we needed dinner.
The truth is that we will not return as there is a greater variety of hostels for the same price and that offer more facilities and with swimming pools.
The owner replied
Thank you for choosing our hostel on your first Camino de Santiago. We are all human beings but not all pilgrims, so I understand that you did not connect with the lifestyle of our hostel. Much better is a small hotel with a swimming pool and freshly cut grass, where you can sleep between feather pillows and have breakfast in bed without having to wash anything afterwards. We choose our perceptions so I also understand that you didn't see the organic soap in the bathroom (when you use it the planet smiles) and the mop bucket in the laundry room (ready to use). We are glad that you have decided not to return, our hostel is for pilgrims in spirit. Surely you have heard this saying that the tourist demands and the pilgrim thanks. Greetings to the group of four.
Best move on then.


The last thing to look at is the Fonte De Os Lameiros. The picture tells it all. On again tomorrow.



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Abigail Ortiz, Jillian Burton and 6 others

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