"I checked into the Hospedería Oviedo, the albergue I’d booked back in April when I first made the decision to walk the Camino Primitivo. “Suzanne?” the hospitelera said when I walked in. She smiled warmly as I handed her my passport and she stamped my credencial for the first time. I wondered how it was that she knew my name.
She showed me to a room right off the main entryway, a small rectangular room filled with 4 bunk beds, eight bunks in all. She pointed me to an unassigned lower bunk and I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d learned on my first Camino that I’m not a top bunk kind of gal. The room was empty of pilgrims but evidence of my bunkmates was everywhere. The bunks were full of Camino gear, bedsheets and power cords. Backpacks lined the floor.
I spent the afternoon wandering through the beautiful cathedral and sampling empanadas from the street fair that filled the main square. I sat down at a café table and nursed a glass of vino blanco. I was anxious. Nervous even. Tomorrow I would begin walking.
When I returned to my room at the albergue my bunkmates were all in bed. In the hours since I’d checked in, the room had filled - and I now understood why the hospitalero had known my name when I first walked in. I was the only woman in the room." - Journal Entry, 5/25/2022
Oviedo is a beautiful city, the capital city of the region of Asturias. As is true with all the cities on the Camino, albergues are situated around the old town. My albergue is a few steps from the central plaza and the Cathedral de San Salvador which was built in 1388 to replace the original structure built in the 8th century. It’s too early to check into the albergue so I pay my 4 euros and hand over my brand new credential to receive my first stamp and head into the cathedral.
Outside the cathedral, the square is full of vendors, selling cheeses and sausages, empanadas, local cider and glistening jars of honey. It is the feast of the Ascension, and the town is alive with celebrations. Outside the cathedral a group of musicians dressed in historic costumes plays music as a crowd gathers. I grab a glass of vino blanco and sit at a small cafe table to watch the festivities.
Back at the albergue I find myself in a room full of men. A quick introduction lets me know that none of them speak English. I do the first of many hand washings of my clothes and sit down in the garden to write in my journal before heading back out into town to find something to eat. By the time I return the lights are out and, despite the still early hour, my roommates are all asleep. I climb into bed, still fully dressed, and try to settle in. Inside I am both excited and nervous. I am ready to begin.
