Yesterday was a short day, we walked only 11 km from Belorado to the town of Villafranca Montes de Oca, which is kind of too bad, because for some reason the sun decided today to quit being a demon, hung up its devil horns for a while, and even allowed a nice cool breeze to blow. But we reliquished the pleasant weather anyway because we read that in Villafranca there was a luxury hotel, San Anton Abad, that set aside a section for pilgrims to spend the night, and we definitely wanted to check it out. The site of the hotel and parts of the current building date back to 1377, when it was built as a hospital for pilgrims and the poor. San Anton Abad turned out to be probably the most upscale accomodations we´ll enjoy on the Camino. For 5 euros we could have shared bunkbeds in a very big 20-person room or for 8 euros we could have shared bunkbeds in a very big 8-person room, but we sprung for the "luxury suite": for 10 euros we got to sleep in non-bunk beds in a long room lined with non-bunk beds. It was a pretty, sunny room, the walls hung with floral paintings, very pleasant. Each bed was in its own semi-cubicle with a bedside table. Since Daddy and I are married the hospitaliero gave us a two-bed cubicle, which gave us the impression of having our own private room. Sort of. Outside our room there was a big glassed-in sitting room with tables and chairs that looked out over a terrace, a church stteple and the mountains in the distance. Even the clothesline area was pleasant, located on a big meadow behind the hotel. The lobby of the hotel was just beautiful, done in stone and pink and yellow stucco and stonework with a big stone fireplace, a skylight for the ceiling coats of arms hung on the wall, heavy burgundy curtains and pieces of Spanish folk art all around. There were giant floral arrangements and out on the terrace there was a peahen (a girl peacock) strutting aroung. Thereś also a big painted screen behind the reception desk that depicted a baroque musical evening. So you can imagine all of us pilgrims milling around the lobby and the sitting area, "ooo-ing" and "ahhh-ing". The hotelś pilgrim was a little pricier than usual, butr the food was sumptuous. I wanted to try the garlic soup since I seen it on so many menus but couldn conceive of the concept of garlic soup. Having tried it here I concluded that garlic soup is, in deed, a concept better left unconceived. For my next course I had meat-stuffed eggplant with the ubiquitous french fries - very good- and for dessert, my usual favorite, rice pudding with cinnamon. Tom had the salad, baked fish with fries, and ice cream. He really liked his meal, and the other pilgrims we talked to gave their meals rave reviews. The bread was the best we´ve hjad so far. So I fivweOne exception: the womenś shower stalls (the bathrooms actually weren´t coed for a change!) left something to be desired on a number of levels, but then the water was hot and plentiful, so whatś to kvech about? But hereś the quandry: The town of Villafranca Montes de Oca is hands down the pits-iest place we´ve seen in Spain so far! Besides the hotel the town basically consists of a highway with about two feet of sidewalk on either side, a kind of rough truck stop ( used the menś room there. The ladies' room was occupied and I didn´t want to hang around in there, so I zipped into the menś. Why not? Theyŕe both the same. Except that the menś room really smelled like a menś room. Maybe the ladies room did, too.), a grocery store, and a beautiful church that also appears to be centuries old. And thatś about it. Which begs the question: who comes to the luxury hotel part of the hotel? One of the mysteries of the Camino. Have a beautiful sunny day, but may the sun where you are not be as hot as the sun on the Camino! Love, Patti 8)
3 Comments
Claire
9/28/2013 06:12:25 am
Garlic soup and a peahen? Sounds like a successful day to me! Hope the weather stays nice for you!
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Romaine
9/28/2013 12:47:21 pm
Cool Walkings!!
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Dave Kleshinski
9/29/2013 01:13:23 am
Enjoying your updates! After two weeks you are becoming athletes in your own way. I recommend chocolate milk in the evenings if you can find it. The protein helps your muscles rebuild. A protein bar a day also works. Also, a daily dose of electrolytes helps the body. Tablets are usually available to add to water. El Gatorade will work too. At our age, our bodies need all the help they can get.
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Patti Liszkay
My husband Tom and I will be walking the 490.7-mile Camino de Santiago from St. Jean Pied de Port, France, to Santiago, Spain. We leave Columbus 9/11/13 and return 10/30/13. God willing. ArchivesCategoriesThe sequel to "Equal and Opposite Reactions" in which a woman discovers the naked truth about herself.
A romantic comedy of errors. Lots and lots of errors. "Equal And Opposite Reactions"
by Patti Liszkay Buy it on Kindle: http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa or in print: http://www.blackrosewriting.com/romance/equalandoppositereactions or from The Book Loft of German Village, Columbus, Ohio Or check it out at the Columbus Metropolitan Library
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