Camino Day 21: León to Mazarife, 22km

Chef Gustavo and a delicious paella
in the dining room at Albergue San Antonio de Padua

I've discovered another favourite albergue on the Camino, Albergue San Antonio de Padua. I expect it will easily make my list of best albergues, along with the well appointed Albergue Santo Domingo. While the latter will make my list because of the quality of the facilities and services it possesses, the Albergue San Antonio de Padua makes the grade mainly because of Carlos, the albergue's fantastic hospitalario, who oversees all of the facility's operations - from registering guests, to cooking meals to cleaning and doing laundry.

Where meals were concerned, Carlos cooked us an unforgettable meal that included a delicious salad, pumpkin soup, paella and crêpes for dessert. Every dish was delicious and made with love - nothing was under or over cooked, everything was perfectly spiced and each plate's presentation suggested an attention to detail I have not encountered with meals we've eaten at any other albergues.

To top off the meal, he performed a traditional Gaelic ritual, A Queimada, featuring an alcoholic beverage and coffee beans set aflame in a large bowl. It turned out to be one of the most interesting cultural experiences we've encountered on the Camino.

In the morning, Carlos drove one of our friends to a doctor to have her injured ankle looked at and then onto the next town where she could catch a bus to our next stop on the Camino. I expect this made for a very busy morning as the albergue still needed to be cleaned and prepared for the next batch of tired and weary pilgrims, but he seemed more than willing to take on the extra burden. If that's not going above and beyond the call of duty, I'm not sure what is.

Fresh churros for breakfast!