Güemes

A village in the hills of Cantabria with a population of 300 and one special albergue.

This very unique place has become a special part in my Camino to Santaigo de Compostela. I'd like to try and tell you why.

My arrival at Albergue La Cabaña del Abuelo Peuto was at the end of day 124. The first time I heard about this place was in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, about 20 days ago. In the Camino books and apps, this place is described as unique and an unmissable part of the Camino del Norte.

Which for me mainly translated to a bustle of many pilgrims. I'll be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to it, but my curiosity got the better of me.

I walked a reasonable distance of 26.4km this day. It rained. I practically walked from shelter to shelter. Found cover where I could during a heavy shower and continued walking when it was drizzling. I found shelter under garage roofs, the roof of a closed bar, with an old lady in the barn, under a large tree and by a church. But the real drop was the amount of asphalt today. It is so very hard to walk on, it hurts my knees and ankles. Completely exhausted, I was very kindly received in the albergue. I got a bed in a room with 10 places, of which one already had his snoring-orchestra turned on.

Rain, physically exhausted and sleeping with snorers. This day can be placed in my top 3 worst days on the Camino.

Thanks to the hot shower and the rest of that evening, this day eventually got Camino magic as well. Under the shower I washed off the day and then I walked to the Ermita. This is kind of a quiet house in the form of a yurt on the estate of the albergue. This place is made for pilgrims to find a moment of peace, to reflect, to meditate or to study the beautiful wall painting. You could call it a chapel, but the special thing about this place is that it is not connected to religion. Everyone is welcome here, regardless of your religion.

Despite the hustle and bustle in the albergue, a wave of tranquility washed over me as soon as I walked in here. I surrendered to the need I felt to meditate. This went well, despite pilgrims walking in and out whispering. Everyone was very respectful and this moment did me good.

The evening ritual in this albergue is that at 7.30 there is a meeting in which Ernesto tells about the history and philosophy of this albergue. Then there is a joint dinner for everyone, and after dinner Ernesto explains the painting in the Ermita.

The next morning there is breakfast between 7 and 8 and the pilgrims continue their way to Santiago. Hopefully a bit richer with Camino de la Vida philosophy, looking for the green arrows in life and not just the yellow ones.

For this experience, the overnight stay, the good care and nourishment, the pilgrims are asked to make a contribution to what they call the pilgrim bank.

This is slightly different from the other donativo accommodations, because this place is not subsidized by the church or the municipality. The entire albergue as it stands today was built, created and maintained by and with pilgrims.

The amount that the pilgrims leave behind today ensures that the pilgrims of tomorrow may receive the same care.

Long before this place became an albergue, Ernesto's grandparents lived here. They had 15 children. Ernesto's parents had 5 children and were also born in this house. The living area was upstairs and downstairs was the cowshed. This barn is now the living room / dining room for the pilgrims.

After a life as a traveler and a working priest, Ernesto returned to his childhood home and, piece by piece, transformed it into the beautiful albergue it is today.

This dear man is now 86 years old and offers shelter to pilgrims every day with the help of volunteers.

One of the wonderful features of this place is that it is never full. Every pilgrim who arrives gets a bed. On the busiest day of my week here, we hosted 119 pilgrims. On the quietest day there were 55.

Besides this beautiful mission, Ernesto is a priest in Güemes and Bareyo and he gives a mass on Sundays in both churches. Followed by a social mass in the bar.

He has made an agreement with himself not to retire until he becomes ill or dies.

One of the last trips he made was to visit the 3 other places in the world called Güemes. These are in Mexico, Argentina and America. He made this journey while he was 80 years old.

As one of the volunteers so beautifully described, 'this man has lived 3 lives in 1'. The travel virus is deep in his genes, which is very recognizable to me.

His big trip was with the Landrover. What was supposed to be 1 year sabbatical ended up being 27 months. Staying away longer than calculated beforehand also sounds familiar to me. The journey went through Africa, South America and then back through Europe, in the years 1979-1981. A later journey went through Asia and the Middle East. He calls all these trips he made with his Landrover the 'University of life'.

The diversity of pilgrims is enormous. Not only in terms of mentality, but also in terms of attitude, Camino spirit, gratitude or even demandingness.

Before his talk every day, Ernesto goes through the registration book and lists the number of different nationalities in house and looks at the professions of the pilgrims. On average, 14-18 different nationalities are present per day. The usual European countries such as Spain, France, Germany and the Netherlands are always present, but there are always a few people from special places, such as Mozambique, Suriname, Taiwan, Slovenia, Israel and the Sahara.

In terms of professions, it is always useful to know whether a doctor or nurse is present. If a journalist is present, they will be personally asked to write a piece in the guestbook.

Many people have a profession for which they went to university and earned a PHD.

Ernesto tells that he himself obtained a PHD at the university of life. The months, years he was on the road with his Landrover. You don't learn these experiences and life lessons in school or behind a PC.

The message, or lesson if you will, he wants to spread is that it is important in life to break away from great powers that manipulate us in life. Or at least have the realization that we are affected by this manipulation and therefore not free. The fact that we are walking the Camino tells him that we are already somewhat aware of that.

There are three powers that manipulate us and they are; the industry, making us want more and more and more. Politics and religion. Yes, religion is also a form of manipulation that affects our freedom.

The power of the Camino is to break free from these powers and to reconnect with being. Being part of nature. The feeling of togetherness and offering help to people in need. Turning inward and getting to know yourself. The search for light and liberation. Ultimate freedom.

He describes this as recognizing the symbolic green arrows on the Camino, and not only focusing on following the yellow Santiago marking arrows on the road. The green arrows represent hope, creativity and life.

This is so in line with my feeling, lifestyle and vision, I went all in. Every pilgrim will experience this talk in a different way, but I hope that everyone takes with them the pieces they need to continue on their way to liberation.

"For everyone who walks, there will be light after a dark night."

We all walk the Camino to find light. Not just the light of the rising sun representing a new day, but light in life after dark times.

With this poem, Ernesto closed the day in the Ermita. It was time to go to sleep, but i didn't look forward to the snoring orchestra in my room. I decided to pack my sleeping bag and slept on the couch in the ermita that first night. Wonderfully quiet and peaceful.

The next morning, day 125-1, after breakfast I decided to give my body some rest and spend an hour in the ermita. The longer I sat there, the more my body went into stillness and didn't want to move. I asked the volunteers if I could stay an extra night. The first reaction of the Dutch volunteer Birgit was, one night, or longer?

Uhh, I didn't know longer would be an option. She said that sometimes pilgrims stay for a week as volunteers. My extra rest day was no problem and I would think about staying longer.

I had already packed my things that morning and was assigned another bed. Put her in the Landrover, they said. Birgit took me to the dorm named the Landrover. She could read the disappointment off my face, did I think I was really going to sleep in the Landrover.

Nevertheless, I was happy with a bed and an afternoon nap of 2.5 hours was great.

Physically I was tired and my body could use some rest after those 2500 km. The past few days I felt that I had to keep pushing myself to walk through this fatigue, which made me walk with a little less pleasure. This turned my physical fatigue into a mental challenge.

But not walking for a week also felt like a strange idea. Isn't that kind of skipping school from this trip? Shouldn't I just keep walking and finish my Camino? I can come back when I'm done walking.

In recent months I have learned to listen more and more to my body and feelings, and less and less to my head.

My gut said stay here.

That evening after dinner, I asked Ernesto if I could stay for a week to volunteer. He read intelligence in my eyes and decided on that, that I could stay. Birgit helped translate and told Ernesto about my reaction to the Landrover. The 3 of us walked towards it on our way to the Ermita for his evening meeting. If I cleaned it really well I could sleep in it tomorrow!

My first morning as a volunteer started on day 126-2 at 8.15am with a communal breakfast at a large table. With about 15 volunteers and Ernesto, we ate together and discussed the issues of the day. Who was given which cleaning tasks, what time your lunch was and what check-in shift you worked.

The tasks of the volunteers include serving breakfast and dinner, clearing and setting the tables, cleaning the rooms, bathrooms and common areas. The pilgrims' check-in was divided into 3 time slots so that everyone had a few hours of free time in the afternoon.

After breakfast we cleared the table, music was played here and there and everyone cheerfully went to work with their cleaning tasks.

As soon as I had my first room ready I could start on the Landrover. Together with Ernesto and a few other volunteers we took out all the stuff that was still in there. He showed us different storage compartments, the door on the side that was the kitchenette and the secret compartment. Ernesto said that things had been stolen from the car several times, but that they had never discovered this compartment.

I wiped out all the old dirt, put the spiders outside and got to work with the high pressure machine. The pillow bench was rotted and molded over time so we went looking for a mattress and found one that fitted perfectly. Although this was just too short for my height, I would lie with my feet outside. So I decorated it creatively with pillows so that I could lie diagonal and this worked perfectly. Without a doubt, the best place to sleep in the albergue. Love it!

After lunch I had the first check-in shift together with Birgit. She did the paperwork and I was to show the pilgrims around and take them to the room.

There are 15 different rooms ranging from 3 to 10 beds, 2 tippi tents and 4 cabins. These are distributed on a beautiful large estate decorated with lawns, flowers and beautiful trees. The rooms all have a name of a place with a special meaning in Ernesto's life. All rooms in themselves are a kind of mini museum with various souvenirs, but especially many photos taken by Ernesto at that location. There is also a library where a lot of information and photos can be viewed and where all old slides of Ernesto's travels are stored. Even his old cameras are there.

It was lovely to show the pilgrims around and to see and hear their reactions. Even I had not come across such a beautiful place as this on my long Camino.

After this shift we had a few hours of free time before the evening shift started at 7 o'clock. Birgit took Myrthe and me to the beach where we swam through the waves. Beautiful!

Now that we had the luxury of a car (from Birgit) we also went to the shop. With my toothpaste supply I wasn't going to make it for a week, so this worked out well.

The evening shift has two groups. You serve dinner for the pilgrims and then eat yourself afterwards. Or you eat with the pilgrims and then clean up and set the tables for breakfast. Both were fun to do and I really liked the variety.

Dinner consists of soup with bread, a main meal ranging from pasta, a stew or rice with vegetables. Water and wine on the table.

There is always a vegetarian table and one day we even had 32 pilgrims eating vegetarian. Very happy to see this. Green arrow 💚

Outside of the standard daily tasks, every day was a feast in itself with something new and something special every day. On Sunday, day 127-3, I was allowed to go with a few more volunteers to the churches where Ernesto gave the Mass. One of the volunteers could translate Spanish for me and through this it became clear to me that it was not just a standard mass, but that father Ernesto also added the lessons of the university of life into his masses and hand people some green arrows on their camino that we all walk in life. During the mass there was a young man from the village who gave a lecture about his volunteer work as a doctor in Bangladesh. How people live there and get sick due to pollution from the clothing industry, the industry that ensures that we buy more and more in European countries. Clothing that many people seriously suffer from. I will continue a little longer with my 2 underpants, 2 pants and 2 tshirts before I buy new ones. At the end of the mass there was a particularly beautiful Spanish song about the pilgrimage. The first mass was in Bareyo, the second mass in Güemes and the third was a social mass, which took place in the bar while enjoying a drink. A beautiful, educational and fun Sunday.

On day 128-4 we said goodbye to the Dutch volunteer Birgit in the morning. In the afternoon I had some time to write, but I also made sure that the place around the Landrover looked spick and span. It was my house now, as Ernesto said, and I had to take good care of it. I climbed into the tree to pick plums like Ernesto himself had done a few days ago. That time I already offered to climb in, instead of Ernesto. His reactions was that we were still young and had a whole life ahead of us. If someone had to fall, it would be better to be the old one. I put the plums on the table at check-in, so the pilgrims got a glass of water and freshly picked plums when they arrived.

Along the path to the dining room there was a rose bush with three roses opening up in these few days that I was here. Every time I walked by I stopped to smell it. They smelled incredibly good! If a volunteer was walking in front or behind me at that time and I asked if they had already smelled the roses, they all said no, but their reaction was lovely to see now that they did. "Take your time in life to stop and smell the roses"

Day 129-5 was already halfway through my week here, but this was a day to remember. The tasks as volunteers are not limited to cleaning and serving food. Maintaining the garden and cleaning and peeling vegetables is also part of it. As well as getting fresh drinking water from the source, a 3 minutes walk away. This morning, after cleaning a room I was assigned to do some work in the garden with volunteer Maria. Remove weeds and plant flowers. We planted flowers by the memorial cross of Julia.

Julia was a pilgrim from Switzerland who stayed in this albergue with 3 other pilgrimfriends in 2014. She died two years later. They suspect suicide.

The cross was brought by one of the three pilgrims and comes from a cleared cemetery, it has been given a new life. The fellow pilgrim from Italy brought his St. Jacob's shell and placed it with the memorial cross. The fellow pilgrim from America had now a baby son and during her visit to commemorate Julia, he was baptized by father Ernesto in the Ermita at the Albergue. Death brings life.

Together with Maria we planted the colorful flowers so that the memorial monument looked beautiful again. That afternoon we were given a tour of the neighborhood with a group of volunteers. We visited the church in Bareyo and were given an informative tour from a woman who is a volunteer in this church. She told us all about the sculptures in the church of the Roman era. Subsequently we visited Ermita de San Juan. This church has an exhibition about pilgrims. The only exhibition in Spain made by pilgrims. All the stories and photos that can be viewed here come from pilgrims who stayed in the Albergue of Ernesto. The 'guest book' in which pilgrims can express their experience, thoughts and emotions, are bundled up and exhibited here to read. The Albergue already has 20 books full of messages from pilgrims. Finally we visited the library of Güemes. A free library with all donated books. If you borrow a book, write the title and your name in the registration book, once finished, bring it back. Simple. This library is also maintained by volunteers from the neighborhood and they organize a lot of other activities. Including concerts, theater performances, and other things. It really felt like a lively village, a kind of community.

Ernesto got a phone call and walked outside shortly afterwards, a humming noise was heard. The Landrover!

Paqui, Ernesto's friend, had gotten him running and came to surprise me with a ride through the village. Unbelievable!

With the group of volunteers we climbed in the Landrover and of course photos had to be taken. What a historic moment. A few in the front and 3 of us sat on my bed while Paqui drove us back to the Albergue. The rear tires were on the soft side, making it a pretty swinging trip! The Landrover normally comes from its place only once a year for a short trip so that the engine runs. That we where given a ride in it was a special moment. Camino Magic at its best!

On day 130-6 the volunteers were given a tour by Lena. She has been here for a number of weeks during the summer for 7 years in a row as a volunteer. She knows the place inside and out, but nevertheless she is still occasionally surprised with something about Ernesto's life that she did not know yet. She wanted to share the knowledge she had with us. Together we walked around the entire estate, looked at all the rooms and learned the history behind it. It was very fun and interesting. Nice to see that the other volunteers shared this enthusiasm with me. During the check-in that afternoon I heard several times that the knowledge gained was shared with the new pilgrims during the check-in tour.

My last day in Güemes, day 131-7, on August 10, was the annual San Lorenzo festival. The entire village unpacks, performances, bingo, stalls, drinks, snacks, air cushions, the whole shebang. The festival the people look forward to all year. How nice that I just happened to be here. In the evening after the chat in the Ermita, Kristina and I wanted to go to the village, many were already there. When we shared this to Ernesto, he said, okay, I'm waiting for you at the car. And so we went that evening with Ernesto to the San Loreno Festival in Güemes. Amazing.

It had been a while since I went to bed at 2 o'clock. When I set my alarm at 6 o'clock and my phone indicated that this was already in 4 hours, I was slightly shocked. Despite that, I slept very well on my last night in the Landrover.

Time to move on. Day 132 became another walking day after a 7-day break. A week of rest? I would not call it that, there were certainly moments of rest, but also a lot of activities. A week without a backpack did feel like rest, and with a load of positive energy I continue my way.

What a very beautiful and fun week this was. I am very happy with my choice to stay here and very grateful that this opportunity arose. This short time I was here I have seen volunteers come and go. All very beautiful and unique personalities. It amazed me how it is possible that you can build a bond in this short time, even with people with whom I could hardly communicate because of the language barrier. The whole thing had a strong community feeling. A sense of togetherness, of cooperation, and of the same kind of green arrows and freedom mentality, with a strong sense of responsibility and care at the same time. A very beautiful experience.

From day 1 I felt at home there. I loved having my own place in the Landrover. And I now understand that this week had to be part of my camino. I had to see the other side of the camino, the amount of pilgrims that passes every day. the different types of pilgrims. The large size of movement on the Camino del Norte. But on the other hand it was also very important for me to have this community feeling, to feel the bond and the collaboration with people. People with the same camino spirit. The connection with Ernesto was special. Because of the language barrier, I have not talked to him much, but as he said beautifully, words are not always needed to communicate.

By Bernard, his best friend, I was warned that sleeping in the Landrover could be dangerous. I could be infected with a virus. The travel virus.

Haha, I laughed, already got that virus in my blood. Ernesto enjoyed that I slept in his Landrover with so much pleasure. Perhaps without being fully aware of it, or perhaps he was..... Ernesto gave me the very appropriate nickname 'Nomada', early on in the week. The term nomads refers to people who travel around and do not have a permanent place of residence.

A feeling that is strong and sits deep inside. A lifestyle that does not fit in today's society. A nickname that I proudly carry and that gives me strength and energy. An experience that I now realize was not a cheat week, but an important part of my camino to Santiago and my Camino de la Vida.

It was a beautiful and emotionally warm goodbye without tears. Big hugs with everyone and a group photo. On my way out, Ernesto gave me some breakfast cookies and two apples for the journey. With a feeling of love, connection and freedom, I walked out of Güemes, as if I was floating.

The path of the nomad continues.