One of my true highlights of Camino has been the many fantastic ceña communal I have been privileged to attend. These are basically when pilgrims staying at the albergue choose to eat together, and share a meal prepared by the hospitaleros. They are great chances to meet new people who have usually walked many of the same kilometers as I have that day. It also, absolutely knocks the spots off the ghastly menu Peregrino that lingers at bars and restaurants along the Camino de Santiago. Just before I wax lyrical about some of the best ceña communal I have shared – let me just explain the pilgrim menu. Usually €10 – €12 it consists of three courses – mostly something like this
- Green salad or soup
- Chicken, pork or ‘fish’ with fries
- Yoghurt or ice-cream
- Wine and water
And this is the same from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago. Even if you are lucky enough to get good menu Peregrino it is boring. Some people eat it every day! Back to ceña communal – price about the same as pilgrim menu, although some albergue ask for donativo for dinner. This means leave what you can afford as it helps to pay for the next day’s pilgrims. The bell rings at 7 and the showered and relaxed travellers head to the comedor and sit down. Sometimes there are familiar faces, other times there may be not one face you recognise, these are the best as you get to hear a whole new set of stories. In some albergue the hospitaleros will join and sit for the meal. There is often a very informal introduce yourself round-the-table session, fortunately the common language of Camino is English. Sometimes a brief blessing is given, if the albergue is run by a faith-based organisation. Or even a song!
The food is often from the garden of the albergue and is surprisingly, mostly vegetarian. The environmental conscience of the Camino again shows in this. Fresh fruit and vegetables dominate and local wine is served. Each one has been a unique and enjoyable experience. I expect tonight’s will be equally nice … although there are chickens running freely round the garden!
As for today’s walk … it was a relatively short day – 24km – and mostly downhill from Fonfria. I started a little later than normal, just 10 minutes before sunrise and was welcomed by a wonderful light as the morning sun lit the wooded mountains. Then, as I rounded the hillside, I was treated to the incredible sight of a valley cloaked in cloud below me. Awe-inspiring. I walked down through the mist to the valley floor and the relentless sun soon burned off the cloud … normal hot sunshine was resumed. I passed a 200 year old chestnut tree, my first horreo, some tiny chapels as well as many, many cows.
Tomorrow I head for, and through Sarria. This is the starting place for many Spanish pilgrims, as it is the minimum distance required to get a Compostela in Santiago – 118km. I expect the Camino to get much, much busier but as an antidote to this I have booked into tiny albergues for my last few nights as I get closer to Santiago.
My Long Walk 2019 