WestKirsty
Active Member
Hello! I started my short stint as an hospitalera in the new Albergue in Zegama yesterday and am here for a week. It is a lovely building in an even lovelier location!
There are pictures on another thread here that are professional and give you a good idea of what it looks like. I've attached a few of my own here as well for those who are interested.
The building has a good sized main space with a table, chairs and a small kitchenette. It should be noted that the kitchenette is intended to be for the hospitaleros but I was told we can decide what we're comfortable sharing use of. There are currently 2 pilgrims here and I have absolutely no problem with them using the small fridge, microwave etc. and I suspect most other volunteers would feel the same. Certainly the outgoing hospitalero yesterday said the same.
The picture of the kitchenette shows what looks like a washing machine - it's actually a drier which doesn't work! There are plans to replace it with a centrifugal dryer but for now folks are drying clothes outside (and with the current heat this is faster than any manmade machine anyway).
There is a bathroom for pilgrims and 2 dormatories. Each has 6 beds. The idea is that the bedroom on the main floor is for pilgrims while the one above is for hospitaleros and also overflow if more than 6 walkers arrive. I'm told that hasn't happened yet. There were 4 here last night and so far, 2 tonight.
Gronze lists the albergue as donativo but I was told to charge 10 euros. This seemed a bit controversial when the director told me and I don't know the full back story but something to keep in mind if you plan on staying here.
The location is wonderful! From the center of town there's an elevator up to the tourist information office (and very interesting wood museum!) and the albergue is right next door. There's a good sized field behind us with wooden benches to have a siesta surrounded by trees. And if course, the views to the mountains and tomorrow's stage![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
To get back to the trail you just need to take the elevator down to the town centre and you're practically there. There's also a great bar (Txanton) in the centre that opens at 7am weekdays, 7:30am weekends for breakfast. It's about a 2 min walk from the elevator.
I'd be a happy pilgrim if I stayed here on a Camino and so far the pilgrims I've spoken to have enjoyed it! Just be aware of the limited kitchens facilities and price if you're heading this way soon.
Just let me know if you have any questions about the Albergue or Zegama! I've got time to myself during the day when the albergue is closed so plan on exploring the area more, including that section listed as an alternative between Zerain and Zegama. I posted a thread earlier this year about potential access issues and I hope to try it out myself this week. I'll update that thread for those interested.
There are pictures on another thread here that are professional and give you a good idea of what it looks like. I've attached a few of my own here as well for those who are interested.
The building has a good sized main space with a table, chairs and a small kitchenette. It should be noted that the kitchenette is intended to be for the hospitaleros but I was told we can decide what we're comfortable sharing use of. There are currently 2 pilgrims here and I have absolutely no problem with them using the small fridge, microwave etc. and I suspect most other volunteers would feel the same. Certainly the outgoing hospitalero yesterday said the same.
The picture of the kitchenette shows what looks like a washing machine - it's actually a drier which doesn't work! There are plans to replace it with a centrifugal dryer but for now folks are drying clothes outside (and with the current heat this is faster than any manmade machine anyway).
There is a bathroom for pilgrims and 2 dormatories. Each has 6 beds. The idea is that the bedroom on the main floor is for pilgrims while the one above is for hospitaleros and also overflow if more than 6 walkers arrive. I'm told that hasn't happened yet. There were 4 here last night and so far, 2 tonight.
Gronze lists the albergue as donativo but I was told to charge 10 euros. This seemed a bit controversial when the director told me and I don't know the full back story but something to keep in mind if you plan on staying here.
The location is wonderful! From the center of town there's an elevator up to the tourist information office (and very interesting wood museum!) and the albergue is right next door. There's a good sized field behind us with wooden benches to have a siesta surrounded by trees. And if course, the views to the mountains and tomorrow's stage
To get back to the trail you just need to take the elevator down to the town centre and you're practically there. There's also a great bar (Txanton) in the centre that opens at 7am weekdays, 7:30am weekends for breakfast. It's about a 2 min walk from the elevator.
I'd be a happy pilgrim if I stayed here on a Camino and so far the pilgrims I've spoken to have enjoyed it! Just be aware of the limited kitchens facilities and price if you're heading this way soon.
Just let me know if you have any questions about the Albergue or Zegama! I've got time to myself during the day when the albergue is closed so plan on exploring the area more, including that section listed as an alternative between Zerain and Zegama. I posted a thread earlier this year about potential access issues and I hope to try it out myself this week. I'll update that thread for those interested.
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