Poste Restante

[jsalt]

Once upon a time, a long long time ago, when I was very young, I left home to see the world. My mother watched me go with a tear in her eye, and my father, who never showed emotions, called after me “you know this is your home – you can come back anytime . . . .”

I sent a postcard home about once a week . . . and a letter about once a month.

They would write me news of the family, and post their letters to Poste Restante . . . to Marrakech . . . Cairo . . . Khartoum . . . Addis Abbaba . . . Nairobi . . . All their letters were waiting for me, in deepest darkest Africa.

So now my question is: does Poste Restante still work? Is it still possible to post something to “My Name, Poste Restante, Town, Country”, and it will be there waiting for me a few weeks later? I need to pick up something in a town on the camino, but I don’t know exactly when I will be there.
Jill

 

[Magwood]

This thread from 2015 might be useful I doubt things have changed in the meantime.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/poste-restante-in-spain.32512/

 

[Deleted member 73526]

The thread that Magwood posted above states that post offices hold lista coreos packages for 30 days. I recall reading this somewhere else too. But when I used lista coreos in 2017, the post offices would only hold packages for two weeks. I was told that the package would be sent back to the sender's address if uncollected (or thrown away if there is no sender's address).

 

[Bradypus]

For my first Camino in 1990 I agreed with my wife that I would check the post offices in 3 towns along the Camino Frances for letters sent lista de Correos. I also made a couple of phone calls from public payphones. That was my entire connection with home for the journey. It now feels like ancient history when these days I can be in near-instant contact with my family and friends almost anywhere on the planet.

 

[lissie45]

The thread that Magwood posted above states that post offices hold lista coreos packages for 30 days. I recall reading this somewhere else too. But when I used lista coreos in 2017, the post offices would only hold packages for two weeks. I was told that the package would be sent back to the sender's address if uncollected (or thrown away if there is no sender's address).

THat was a general thing worldwide places would hold letters for a min of 30 days but often for much longer . But parcels were different - I remember London only holding parcels for a very short time

 

[KinkyOne]

My experience is that Correos hold packages for two weeks. It might be few days longer if they are labeled as "Lista de Correos, @jsalt (peregrina de Santiago)" because they know that something might have happened and you were unable to pick up the package within that two weeks time frame. Anyway whenever I picked up my package addressed as mentioned I received a wide grin

 

[sitges54]

Ah the memories, Poste restante 1973 the thrill of reconnecting with a fellow traveler when your paths were to cross again priceless thanks for jogging my memory