koilife
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- CF '13; CF/Salvador/Ingles '16; Portugues '22
I'm starting this in response to a prior thread (So What Makes a Good Albergue) on what matters most to pilgrims in an albergue. Aside from obvious facility issues, such as cleanliness and hot showers, a major theme emerged --- hospitality. Many even said that hospitality made up for the worst of defects in the albergue facilities.
This thread may be somewhat repetitious of What is the One Albergue You Would Say Not to Miss and other similar threads. However, many posts in those threads identify a town but not the actual albergue (now there may be three albergues whereas three years ago there was only one). Many other posts make vague references to hospitality but with little or no explanation.
I propose the following format:
As a side note regarding hospitality, I would differentiate between:
This thread may be somewhat repetitious of What is the One Albergue You Would Say Not to Miss and other similar threads. However, many posts in those threads identify a town but not the actual albergue (now there may be three albergues whereas three years ago there was only one). Many other posts make vague references to hospitality but with little or no explanation.
I propose the following format:
- Name the town AND the albergue and include a link to the albergue, either directly to the albergue's website, or to Ivar's listings at http://www.caminodesantiago.me/camino-frances/
- An explanation of the hospitality.
"Refuge Orisson" in Orisson
There is a communal dinner where all the pilgrims introduce themselves and why they are walking the Camino.
orThere is a communal dinner where all the pilgrims introduce themselves and why they are walking the Camino.
"Albergue Hospital de San Nicholas" near Itero del Castillo
Communal meal cooked by Italian hospitaleros. Pilgrim blessing includes washing of pilgrims feet.
Communal meal cooked by Italian hospitaleros. Pilgrim blessing includes washing of pilgrims feet.
As a side note regarding hospitality, I would differentiate between:
- "Random acts of kindness" can occur anywhere on the Camino where a given hospitalero goes the extra mile to meet a pilgrim's needs, or community spontaneously occurs. I recommend not to include these, because they are likely to come and go and are not inherent to the albergue itself.
- "Institutional acts of kindness" on the other hand occur with regularity because a spirit of hospitality is built directly into the regular life of the albergue. Maybe it is an activity (communal meal, water and tea for arriving pilgrims, night prayers with pilgrim's blessing), or perhaps it is a long-term high standard of overall care and concern exhibited by small albergue owners or by certain confraternities. These are the kinds albergues that I'd like to see identified in this thread.
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