We left the Atizenea (which is Basque for stone house) Albergue when it was still dark and went out for breakfast. Maggie and Martina took the main route. Maggie had a broken her toe some days ago and didn’t want any extra km. I took the alternative route to Samos to see the one of the oldest and largest Benedictine monasteries in Spain. The first part (3.5 km.) of the route was along the main road. The rest was mostly along the River Oribio. I really enjoyed the peaceful 9.8 km walk.

I passed this church along the way.

And this old building

 

Soon the Monastery came into view and I walked into Samos.   It was surprising to me that it was only 11:00 when I arrived.

I had planned to sleep in Samos. I took the tour of the Monastery and it was still only noon. So I decided to go on another 6.5 km to the Paloma y Lena private Albergue. What a delightful oasis.

There was a large area of grass with many chairs to use for relaxation along with a living room. I relaxed on the front porch with the free tea and biscuits until dinner time.

I enjoyed talking with a woman, Pam, from northern Florida. I loved the delicious lentil soup, salad, Quiche, tortilla, and almond cake that we had for our community dinner. I really thought I had come down with the cold that was going around because I couldn’t get 5 minutes away from the roll of toilet paper. I actually thought of staying another day at this wonderful place, but discovered that they were having a wedding there and booked for the whole weekend. Coming here instead of staying in Samos was a great decision. I had such a relaxing, enjoyable afternoon. The owner said if I didn’t feel well in the morning, I could hang out for a while and he would drive me someplace. What a nice offer. One of the young men at the Albergue played guitar for a while after dinner and then I was off to bed.