A soft place to fall for pilgrims

My name is Iveta, I am originally from Latvia, however for the past four years I have lived in the North of Spain, Asturias.

Some of you walking Camino de Frances in June of 2018 and 2019, that stayed in the alberque of the Sahagun convent called me “Magic fingers”, because I knew how to relieve your hurting feet and backs. Back then I was a hospitalero – helper to all three padres: Daniel, Toño and Andre.

Those of you walking Camino del Norte have seen me bustle around a small, pink lodge and garden in the village of Muros de Nalon and Soto de Luinu, some of you have even rested, spent the night and enjoyed coffee in my garden.

In 2017 I heard Camino’s call. I was not looking, it found me. I answered it’s call, put on my backpack and started walking, not knowing where to. Perhaps because it was my first time on such a hike, the first stage from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles saw me accomplishing everything possible:

Next morning, I got up and, despite my hurting feet, felt energetic. It was at that moment it became clear to me that the rest of my life would be spent in Spain. The 18 day 460 kilometer walk only strengthened this idea. Therefore, after returning home, still not knowing the language, I started looking for ways to get a house of my own. I hustled and wondered to myself - why do I need it? I have a life, organized just the way I like it. But inside me a little bird sang - we need Spain, we need our own albergue.

In February 2018, I went to look at properties, and accepted the one offer selling rental rights. Unfortunately, this was my lesson that not all people are to be trusted. I remember a guide in Jerusalem once telling me: "A holy place for one, is a work place for another."

My heart was calling for Spain and the Camino so loudly that within a couple of weeks I found a hospitalero place in the newly opened monastery albergue of Sahagun, where I met some of you. That's how padres Daniel, Toño, and Andre entered my heart; they came to stay for life, just like the Camino and pilgrims.

Upon returning home, I started searching again, and already in February 2019 I met my pink house. I liked a totally different one, but the lodge pulled me close with invisible hands, using the strings of my heart. For thirty years, the shutters of the lodge were opened and people's voices could only be heard a few weeks of the year. At other times it stood empty.

A crazy twirl with house documents began. Basically there were hardly any available, and the ones that were, were incomplete or incorrectly drawn up. Then, finally, in January 2020, the news came that even though the Land Registry documents were not yet available, all other documents were in order. So I took my two cats, got into a car and drove to Asturias exactly ten days before Spain closed its internal and external borders due to the virus. It was a new challenge. Another decision had to be made:

I stayed because in the timespan of ten days I had coalesced with this place.

The big lockdown had begun. I used it to tidy up the house, clear a part of my garden of bushes, make flower beds. It was difficult at first because the only tools available to me were an old crooked handsaw and a half-broken hoe. When friends from Latvia mailed me a shovel, things started going more smoothly.

During these four years, changes have taken place both in the lodge and me. I am registered as self-employed, have submitted applications to all possible organizations, repaired the lodge at my own expense, and ordered a project for it. The garden is completely transformed, it blooms and flourishes, delighting both the residents of my village and the pilgrims passing by. Some of you have stood by the white picket fence and gazed at my gloriously blooming lilies.

During this time, I have started writing a blog, most of the texts in it are in Latvian, but there are also some that have been translated into English. Some readers of my blog came to visit me and the lodge, even though we were not acquainted personally. And every time I heard these words: "Everything is exactly as you wrote".

Since I'm still waiting for the documents on the lodge, I can't officially announce myself as a tourist entrepreneur, but my friends can come for a visit. I also welcome pilgrims who knock at my door. Every time pilgrims spend the night in the lodge is a celebration, because it is a sign that I'm on the right path, what I'm doing is necessary.

Unfortunately, the house is not doing so well. Quite a few problems have come to light that have not been addressed for years, the main one being heating. Anyone who has walked the Camino del Norte in autumn, winter or early spring knows how changeable the weather is and how important it is to come to a warm, dry albergue.

Another big problem is the incorrectly installed, thin aluminum windows, which not only do not keep the heat in, but also let water pass due to incorrect assembly. Those in addition to incorrectly built roof and gutter system are damaging the walls of the house.

These are the four things that distress me the most. I can handle daily bills and small repairs myself, but windows, roof, gutter system and heating are mission impossible for me.

A consultation with an architect, during which calculations of materials needed, costs of labour, and specialists' remuneration were made, revealed that the most superficial expenses would amount to more than 50,000 euros. And this is the reason for this fundraiser - a request for the world to join hands and come to my aid with your input to create a safe, warm environment for the pilgrims, where they can relax and gather strength after a long day's walk.

At the moment, I hope to finally get a tourism license by the end of spring, which will allow me to work in the field of tourism.

For the convenience of pilgrims, six double bedrooms are furnished with good mattresses, bed linen, quilts. I want to give those who choose to stay here a feeling of being at home. I also love to cook, so no one will go hungry. Since my lodge is only four kilometers from the beautiful town of Cudillero, those who want to stay for a couple of days or more, relax, enjoy Cudillero - the pearl of Asturias, climb the hill behind the lodge to the Santanna chapel – the focal point of many a legend - also have a possibility to hire me as your driver to take you high into the mountains, where you will feel the magic of Somiedo Park and be able to look at the world through Ojo de Buey, and of course to visit Cavadonga - the cradle of all Spain.

The possibilities are endless. Asturias is absolutely amazing! I will gladly welcome you to my lodge.

You can contact me by sending an e-mail or on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/iveta.laicena

More on my adventures in my website https://theway.lv/eng/.

I thank you for lending me a helping hand!