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  1. Albertagirl

    Are you 70+ and still walking Caminos?

    My last camino, autumn of 2023, did not go well. I did not want to return. Now, looking into my future (my 76th birthday is two days from now), I am wondering if I shall change my mind and plan for another camino. It looks unlikely, with (minor) health issues to deal with for the next few...
  2. Albertagirl

    Shower/bathroom etiquette in the albergues?

    I prefer gender modesty in showers, but will sometimes choose not to shower at all if the shower room is very cold. Ancient dormitories in monastic settings will sometimes necessitate a choice between bodily cleanliness and simply freezing. I generally tell myself, "I can shower in tomorrow's...
  3. Albertagirl

    What are the Do's and Don'ts of Albergue Etiquette?

    These many posts about being able to sleep, and doing what one can to let others sleep, remind me of an incident which happened in a large albergue in a town about halfway through the Frances. There were two dormitories, available to whomever might choose a bed in either room. The dormitory...
  4. Albertagirl

    Carry your backpack please.

    I have always carried my pack and have chosen the less-busy routes when I can. I think that these things may go together, as it is more financially feasible for persons who transport backpacks and other luggage to do so when making a profit from the larger mass of luggage which they may fit into...
  5. Albertagirl

    Hospitaleros & The Pilgrim

    Najera is a large albergue and has undergone various changes over the years. My first visit was as a pilgrim. As an older woman, I was given a lower bunk to sleep on. In those days, hospitaleros sometimes decided who got which bed, in what was then a large room crowded with numerous beds and...
  6. Albertagirl

    Hospitaleros & The Pilgrim

    I have volunteered as a hospitalera half-a-dozen times, including twice at Najera and last spring at Easter at Calzadillos de los Hermanillos. I found it both challenging and rewarding, and quite different, depending on which albergue I was serving at. Last spring was both the first time that I...
  7. Albertagirl

    Celebrating my old age

    I turned seventy-five two days after Easter this year, and celebrated the occasion by volunteering as a hospitalera in the albergue at Calzadilla de los Hermanillos. I enjoyed each day of my two weeks there, particularly the times when I was priviledged to cross the street in front of the...
  8. Albertagirl

    Last night I learned I snore...

    Oh well, a soft, rustling sound at night could have turned out to be a creature that you definitely didn't want to hear in your sleeping area.
  9. Albertagirl

    Last night I learned I snore...

    I am surprised at the assumption that sleeping in a hotel provides silence against all the noises that you can hear coming from strangers when you're wanting to sleep. Hotels can be very noisy places. Last night I was just settling down to sleep in my "private" room when my nearest neighbour...
  10. Albertagirl

    Amount of euros

    For cashing large notes in Spain, which are generally given to me when I make a withdrawal at a cash machine; I cannot choose the denomination of those bills, I have found that I can purchase something in a grocery store, paying with a bill. So far, many Spaniards buy their food with cash, which...
  11. Albertagirl

    I didn't double stamp!

    I walk less busy routes in the late autumn and seldom can get two stamps a day. There are not two locations open as I walk. More are closing for the season as I am walking the last 100 kms approaching Santiago. I can always get a stamp, or just an initial, wherever I stay for the night. But...
  12. Albertagirl

    Knocking on doors to find a place to stay

    The discussion above has led me to the New Testament: Luke 10;29ff., and the question, "And who is my neighbour?" Jesus tells a story about a man who is in extreme need: those who ignore his need and the one person who helps him, concluding with throwing the question back to his questioner. I...
  13. Albertagirl

    Bathroom/Shower/Toilet facilities in Albergues/Dorms

    I have stayed twice in the albergue in the monastery at Samos. Both times, it was very cold and damp, but with adequate blankets provided for sleep. Bathrooms were communal, with common sink areas and shower areas; there were doors on the toilet stalls. I did not shower either time that I stayed...
  14. Albertagirl

    Knocking on doors to find a place to stay

    This thread has reminded me of an experience from my first camino. I had somehow got off the camino route, lured by a row of classical agricultural machinery along the middle of a side road. When I got to the village that was some way down this road, I was aware that I had left the trail, and I...
  15. Albertagirl

    Albergue idea - group snorers together, away from non-snorers

    Getting a private room is not always a guarantee of quiet and the chance for a good night's sleep. I shall always remember one night in an inexpensive pension in Burgos. A couple returned from a late night out, clacking over the wooden floor and arguing energetically. They made so much noise...
  16. Albertagirl

    Albergue idea - group snorers together, away from non-snorers

    It is difficult to be empathetic when one is desperately tired. I had two nights on my most recent camino where I went almost entirely sleepless. The first was in a small room which I shared with two other women, one of whom was a champion snorer. I managed to be glad that the owner of the...
  17. Albertagirl

    Bed bugs in El Acebo!

    Thanks to all for comments. This is a useful reminder that I should spray my pack and bedding (I use Raid Bed Bug Killer) and ask my local pharmacist what he recommends for any bites. I ignored precautions when I walked in Spain in the spring this year, and received some nasty and long-lasting...
  18. Albertagirl

    Bathtubs and Other Essentials While on the Camino!

    What is a luxury, what is a necessity are very personal things. I gave up bathing regularly, in a tub, as a cost of going on camino. That, and carrying a pack, cause me chronic back pain, which I manage however I can. Until I am home again to my own personal daily soak. So far, this has been...
  19. Albertagirl

    Bathtubs and Other Essentials While on the Camino!

    About bathtubs, most of the rooms in Hotel España in Lugo have bathtubs, with drain plugs. But the tubs are rather small. They will still comfort stiff joints after a long walk. And the price is right: €40 a night in an older hotel.
  20. Albertagirl

    Etiquette/ what to wear at churches

    I remember speeding up my walk one Sunday morning a couple of years ago hearing bells ringing as I was heading towards Santiago on the Sanabres. When I reached the village, the bells had stopped and I continued to hurry, entering the church from the main door to quietly sit down in a row near...

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