The Albergue Experience

In the previous post realized we had not really said much about the experience of the alburgues, the bunk rooms run in many towns on the Camino and that make the whole enterprise possible by providing cheap places for pilgrims to sleep (with earplugs), get a shower (maybe with hot water, maybe not), wash their clothes (by hand usually) and generally survive on the trail. They tend to be noisy and fairly uncomfortable, especially for older folks who can afford a private room in a pension or hostel. But others are very good and all generally are run by volunteers or as small businesses by owners. When there is no room at the inn as there was for us, Sunday afternoon in a hailstorm, you learn a lesson in humility and gratitude for what really counts: being out of the rain; having hot water; having a place to lay down and get your boots off. Sharing two toilets with 34 other people no longer seems so important. And the risk of bedbugs becomes an acceptable hazard of the journey, given the alternatives..