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I had a completely different experience. Kind, hospitable and incredibly helpful. Domingo even went and picked some pilgrims in his truck who were heading his way but struggling.Immediately after Grado - and a natural first stop on the Camino Primitivo is a public albergue
This guy - Domingo - drops in on the afternoon to pick up 5 euros - and literally make hell for the visitors: There is this photo of him on the wall so he has obviously been at it for years
- he speaks spanish-only, and immediately carried out (into the rain) our towels and jackets (there is a roof cover, but also a risk of mixing our gear if you do this without consent), then shouted out instructions that each bed was to have one sleeping bag laid out and all other stuff in Backpack, which he connects to the metal frame of the bed. This was repeated until each person was identified.
When arriving - pilgrims may expect to change, shower and reorganize for the night, and we are adults, not children. This ordeal led to one or two protesting that he upturned their gear and he threatened to throw them out: It is the most outrageous behaviour we met on our two Caminos so far and would advise to detour to avoid being in the same situation again.
He placated when the lineup was over, and continued to read out loudly from the guest rules, then the labels of the packets of food available for the night, and eventually tying up some chords for indoor clotheslines. However no person dared say a word before he left. This is not worthy of any alberge and I raise the concern or complaint to share with future walkers.
Domingo had a bad day. It happens.That is certainly NOt the Domingo I know, I am afraid. Not at all.
Thanks for the info. I will try to get there. However, I am a bit confused - some say you have to take your own food and others that there is a meal there. What we buy food in Grado or take a chance?
I think, this describes the problem very well.Exactly - this was our first albergue on this Camino and not a good one - there are better options. After the Camino Frances - several experienced camino walkers had never suffered this treatment - please take advise. There are new albergues opening, the most remarkable we met was after Castroverde (fine stop before Lugo) https://www.gronze.com/galicia/lugo/vilar-cas/albergue-pocina-muniz - which I hope is a tribute to what future peregrinos may expect. At 12 euros for one night, the family-run albergue is a step into the future and hereby recommended.
What an horrific experience you had but you seem to have exercised extreme patience in the face of very bad behaviour and we are grateful that there are hospitaleros like you. Fortunately, pilgrims like this are few and far between. In general, I found that the pilgrims walking the Primitivo were of a different calibre to the general mass of pilgrims. I met some really fine pilgrims, and even encountered a 'Camino Angel' who helped me when I was struggling in the mist and freezing cold on that very steep section of the Polo de Allande route.A hospitalero perspective: Last month of May I was serving like hospi in a Donativo albergue, in the Meseta. It was 6:00 in the evening when a neighbour entered the albergue telling me I have a phone call ( This albergue have not telephone, and this neighbour offered to have her number in the guides, for helping hospis and peregrinos). A woman was phoning to book a bed, ( the guides specify no reservations allowed) so I told her we dont accept reservations. I returned to the albergue, only to be phoned again 45 minutes later for the same "pilgrim" who was trying to force me to accept "her rules". It was 7:45 when she arrived to the albergue asking for "her reserved room". She impolitely refused when we offered her to share dinner with the other pilgrims, asking only for a hot shower. When she had it, she interrupted me during the blessing, asking for a bar to have HER dinner. It as 9;30 when my mates and miself arrived to the bar to have a cap of coffe, finding her arguing with the waiters. She left the bar at 9:45. When we returned to the albergue, mor or less at 10:15 se was smoking a cigarrette, sitting at the door of the house. We told her politely we was going to close the door, but she keep arguing with us because it was too early for HER for going to bed. Finally, it was 10:40 when we closed the door. Next morning al 6:30 in the morning, I was in the kitchen cooking breakfasf for 41 pilgrims when another woman entered shouting and claiming because no one was taking her calls to the carring -pack company. It was 6:40 when the "smoking tourist" entered the kitchen with a bottle in her and asking for boiling water. I told her we were using all the cookers in this moment, because the breakfast would be served in less than fifteen minutes. She SHOUTED I must boil water for her. In this very moment, I said her to exit the kitchen and wait untill 7:00. She took a andfull of cookies and stormed to the albergue´s door. There she found one of my hospi mates, and shouted him I was a impolite hospitalero, a bad man, and threat him to report "our lack of kindnes" to our "boss" and Compostela´s bishop. We make a lot of jokes about this, of course, but what I trying to say here and now is :
What are we "pilgrims" waiting to find? Do we really think that "Each one is walking his own Camino" means each of us can do what we want? Do we think hospitaleros, locals, mate pilgrims, the Catholic Church, the Spanish autorities etc are here for serve us? Do we think we can complain about what are we finding in what we call a pilgrimage, and is turning for more and more of us in a cheap vacation? Like a Spaniard, like a Hospitalero, like a Pilgrim I can tell I´m becaming a little tired of those behaviors. When I´m a strange house, I follow the rules of the owner; if its rules don´t pleased me, usually I politely look for the exit and left this place., nor before saying my thanks.
This is the way I was raised. This rule can be apply for private houses, hotels, bars, restaurants, communities, countries...
I´m not pointing to no one in particular, don´t misunderstand me, what I´m triyng to say is simple:
Respect the others When they are doing something in a certain way, usually they have their good reasons to do it. that way.
Respect!
Buen Camino to you all, honest people.
Ildefonso.
It is not in the spirit of the community to question the sincerety of other peregrinos. We do not walk alone. This is not a singular observation. Shared experiences are the topic, the details that are valuable for others planning the way. Being a public auberge does not excuse abrasive treatment
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