Managing a Hostel on the Camino del Norte Part Three: MIRAZ, Galicia, 25th to 30th September 2025

Описание: This video represents the last six full days of our two-week hospitalero shift. The daily routine is rather like Groundhog Day, so after our morning chores, and before opening at 2pm, we would jump in the hire car and visit local areas of interest dotted around glorious Galicia.

Our visits included (in this video) the 12th-century Romanesque church of Santa María de Mozonzo (all that is left of the former monastery), waterfalls of Gándaras (Batán) and Reixidoira (Ozas-Cesuras), the beautiful cathedral at Mondeñedo, a day trip to Santiago, the Fuente de San Juan at the IBERIK spa hotel (Guitiriz), the Sunday market at Parga, and the ancient granite rock formations (the arrangement and traces of manipulation of which suggest human involvement thousands of years ago) at Penas de Rodas, followed by a hike up to the Mirador de Terra Chá.

The 1st October we handed over to the three incoming hospitaleros, after which Jane and I spend our final week in Spain touring Asturias and southern Galicia/Ribeira Sacra, from Parador to Parador.

Music:
1. An instrumental version of the song 'Beanie', by Chezil (New Mexico, 2024). While my appreciation of music is firmly in the past (I am old, after all), occasionally I come across an artist that restores my faith in modern music. This exquisite piano version reminded me of falling and tumbling water, the perfect accompaniment then for our visits to two local waterfalls. A recent bio says, "With raw emotion and infectious vibes, 'Beanie' has skyrocketed to the zenith of Spotify and TikTok's global viral charts, igniting a frenzy among fans craving authentic musical experiences."

2. A transcription for guitar and violin of A Coruña band Luar na Lubre's 'O Son do Ar' ('The Sound of the Air', 1997).

3. To finish, we have three pieces by Ravel (whose mother was Basque):
a) Mondeñedo Cathedral: The exquisite, final scene from his one-act opera 'L'Enfant et les Sortilèges' ('The Child and the Apparitions', 1925). Colette's libretto describes a naughty child who, after a tantrum, is reprimanded by the objects he has destroyed in his bedroom. The final scene shows the child's redemption; after tending to a squirrel's injured paw, the animals collectively sing, "He is gentle and wise, he is good, the child."
b) Penas de Rodas and the Mirador: Two selections from Ravel's 'Ma mère l'Oye' ('Mother Goose', 1911): the Prélude and the Satie-esque 'Les entretiens de la belle et de la bête' ('Dialogue of Beauty and the Beast').