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Yes.Scandinavians must think that Spain is almost free.
This is standard in Portugal and it is known by the French word 'couvert', but obviously international visitors wouldn't be expected to be familiar with this local custom. When these things are brought to your table, if you don't want them, it's perfectly fine to decline them.In all our walks and travels in Spain, there always seemed to be so many freebies - bread, olives, nuts, pinxtos - offered at the start of a meal or with our vino tinto apero. When we then walked in Portugal - first up on the Rota Vicentina - of course we assumed it was the same and enthusiastically enjoyed everything put on our table - only to discover many of these items added individually to our bill! A bit of a surprise.
Not sure if I'm allowed to post Youtube links here but BDE Travels on his video posted on Aug 7 2021 told about a very similar incident. BDE and his wife stopped at this bar with huge iron ant sculptures somewhere between Portomarin and Palais del Rey (I've seen this bar on other videos) and his wife was telling him how she saw the owner actually raised the price of food on the blackboard menu after listening in on his conversation with other pilgrims when they were talking about what they do for a living. BDE didn't even know about it until his wife told him. Its at 12:44-14:30.I just finished the Camino Frances on 9/29. What an amazing experience! The scenery was magnificent, the other pilgrims were wonderful, and most of the local people were very supportive and helpful. The prices were amazingly good. For example, I stopped many days for second breakfast and got 2 eggs, toast, and coffee. The price was usually 3-4 euros. I stopped at a bar after Sarria for my second breakfast ( you will recognize it because it has hundreds of beer bottles everywhere as decorations). I ordered my usual breakfast. It was 7 euros. I thought, OK, things are more expensive as you get closer to Santiago. I was eating and the owner came outside to my table and said something about tostada. My Spanish is poor, so I told him I did not understand. He then brought out a note pad and started writing down each thing I got and said that I hadn’t paid for the piece of toast. I owed him 2 more euros….for 1 piece of toast. So 9 euros for eggs, toast, and coffee. This may be the pricing for American women walking alone, but I felt taken advantage of. I paid it because I don’t have the Spanish skills to question the price. I want to make sure to say that most of the bars are very inexpensive and very honest and helpful. I just want to warn other pilgrims (especially women who travel alone) to beware at this bar.
Been Camino and I hope everyone who walks has the wonderful amazing experience that I had, without any negatives like the beer bottle man.
This is so coincidental as I am actually here right now.Not sure if I'm allowed to post Youtube links here but BDE Travels on his video posted on Aug 7 2021 told about a very similar incident. BDE and his wife stopped at this bar with huge iron ant sculptures somewhere between Portomarin and Palais del Rey (I've seen this bar on other videos) and his wife was telling him how she saw the owner actually raised the price of food on the blackboard menu after listening in on his conversation with other pilgrims when they were talking about what they do for a living. BDE didn't even know about it until his wife told him. Its at 12:44-14:30.
BDE is one of my favorites! So informative!!Not sure if I'm allowed to post Youtube links here but BDE Travels on his video posted on Aug 7 2021 told about a very similar incident. BDE and his wife stopped at this bar with huge iron ant sculptures somewhere between Portomarin and Palais del Rey (I've seen this bar on other videos) and his wife was telling him how she saw the owner actually raised the price of food on the blackboard menu after listening in on his conversation with other pilgrims when they were talking about what they do for a living. BDE didn't even know about it until his wife told him. Its at 12:44-14:30.
I have traveled to Brasil 3 or 4 times and have many friends there. Many restaurants (I found it true especially in Salvador) have what you think are slightly expensive dishes only to find that the portion is meant for 2 people. It was lucky that my first trip I was with my cousin and her ex husband who is Brasilian. When my cousin and I ordered the same thing (a house specialty) her ex told us to only order 1/ When the food came we could see why. When I walked the CP with a friend in 2017 in a few towns (Combria comes to mind) we would eat way off the main roads and central areas and had dinners like this also. Is this common in Portugal in many restaurants? Just wondering.This is standard in Portugal and it is known by the French word 'couvert', but obviously international visitors wouldn't be expected to be familiar with this local custom. When these things are brought to your table, if you don't want them, it's perfectly fine to decline them.
I don’t think it’s that common in Portugal but we also experienced it in Salvador (e.g. with dishes like moqueca).I have traveled to Brasil 3 or 4 times and have many friends there. Many restaurants (I found it true especially in Salvador) have what you think are slightly expensive dishes only to find that the portion is meant for 2 people. It was lucky that my first trip I was with my cousin and her ex husband who is Brasilian. When my cousin and I ordered the same thing (a house specialty) her ex told us to only order 1/ When the food came we could see why. When I walked the CP with a friend in 2017 in a few towns (Combria comes to mind) we would eat way off the main roads and central areas and had dinners like this also. Is this common in Portugal in many restaurants? Just wondering.
Talking about perspective ... whenever we return home from France or Spain, it's always a shock to see a glass of red wine on a menu at $15! What, not 1 or 2 euro?Just a little anecdote (told several times already by me here on the forum) that I always think about when the topic of getting ripped off on the camino comes up.
I was in the town of Aljucén when the only game in town was the municipal albergue, and only one of the two bars gave meals. A group of five or six of us went to the bar for dinner and many complaints ensued about the price/quality ratio. It was overpriced, overcooked, just plain bad. But we were fed. As many of the people sitting around the table were complaining about the quality or price of the food or the wine, one guy from Andalucía looked at us all and said — “pero hombre, ¿de qué van a vivir si no es de nosotros?” (What are they going to live off of if it’s not off of us?). I tell this not to say I approve of price gouging or being taken advantage of, but keeping it in perspective helps.
Good to know about the extras on the tables you and someone else mentioned. I'll have to remember that and ask. This is the first I've heard of this!Sorry if slightly off topic - and with the disclaimer that I appreciate how inexpensive food and wine seem to be in Spain and Portugal compared to home. (Australia).
In all our walks and travels in Spain, there always seemed to be so many freebies - bread, olives, nuts, pinxtos - offered at the start of a meal or with our vino tinto apero. When we then walked in Portugal - first up on the Rota Vicentina - of course we assumed it was the same and enthusiastically enjoyed everything put on our table - only to discover many of these items added individually to our bill! A bit of a surprise.
But no complaints - we were the ones unfamiliar with the local customs.
Got stuck coming back to home from CF at the DFW airport due to mechanical issues with the plane. What we paid for one glass of wine in the airport hotel would have paid for two pilgrims meals on the Way. Yup, all about perspective ...Talking about perspective ... whenever we return home from France or Spain, it's always a shock to see a glass of red wine on a menu at $15! What, not 1 or 2 euro?
Very wise. Yours is a camino version of this wonderful Zen story!:I told her bluntly that I had made my peace with the matter in about 3 minutes, had heard enough about her opinion on the incident, and did not want to hear anything more about it.
Two traveling monks met a young woman at the bank of a swiftly flowing river. Wary of the current, she asked if they could help get her across. One of the monks picked her up without hesitation and carried her across the river, putting her down on the opposite bank. She thanked him and left.
As the monks continued on their way, one was brooding and preoccupied. After some time, unable to hold his silence, he blurted out, "Brother, our training rules require us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!"
The second monk replied, "Brother, I put her down on the riverbank. Why are you are still carrying her?"
Not sure if I'm allowed to post Youtube links here but BDE Travels on his video posted on Aug 7 2021 told about a very similar incident. BDE and his wife stopped at this bar with huge iron ant sculptures somewhere between Portomarin and Palais del Rey (I've seen this bar on other videos) and his wife was telling him how she saw the owner actually raised the price of food on the blackboard menu after listening in on his conversation with other pilgrims when they were talking about what they do for a living. BDE didn't even know about it until his wife told him. Its at 12:44-14:30.
Very wise. Yours is a camino version of this wonderful Zen story!:
Yes, we occasionally get taken advantage of or charged more than locals. It goes with the territory - I think of it more as a local discount rather than a surcharge for tourists. People have to make a living, and one of my roles as a pilgrim is to offer that. So I loved your story, @peregrina2000 .
Funny, isn’t it… how quickly people get used to and feel entitled to the very cheapest of everything out there…. Something to do with power I think.I walked with another pilgrim for a few days on one of the lesser-walked routes. One day, we had a second breakfast at a busy place that had a lot of truckers and business people. We described what we wanted without checking the price. When the bill came at about 8 Euros each, we both thought "Oh that is a bit more than expected" but it was essentially a plato combinado with juice and coffee, and very good. I think one of us questioned it, and the proprietor pointed to a price list on the wall. My companion grumbled as we paid and left, but she could not let it go. After an hour or 2 of listening to her complaints about having been ripped off, and me trying to placate her, I was fed up. I told her bluntly that I had made my peace with the matter in about 3 minutes, had heard enough about her opinion on the incident, and did not want to hear anything more about it. We did not develop a lasting Camino friendship!
EXACTLY! That was the first dish my cousin and I ordered. Thanks. (Next year I will walk from Faro and I will definitely be in touch with you guys for some help if you don't mind. I have saved your podcast from the spiritual variant. I walked in 2017 and didn't do it. Next year for sure! Buen CaminoI don’t think it’s that common in Portugal but we also experienced it in Salvador (e.g. with dishes like moqueca).
I just finished the Camino Frances on 9/29. What an amazing experience! The scenery was magnificent, the other pilgrims were wonderful, and most of the local people were very supportive and helpful. The prices were amazingly good. For example, I stopped many days for second breakfast and got 2 eggs, toast, and coffee. The price was usually 3-4 euros. I stopped at a bar after Sarria for my second breakfast ( you will recognize it because it has hundreds of beer bottles everywhere as decorations). I ordered my usual breakfast. It was 7 euros. I thought, OK, things are more expensive as you get closer to Santiago. I was eating and the owner came outside to my table and said something about tostada. My Spanish is poor, so I told him I did not understand. He then brought out a note pad and started writing down each thing I got and said that I hadn’t paid for the piece of toast. I owed him 2 more euros….for 1 piece of toast. So 9 euros for eggs, toast, and coffee. This may be the pricing for American women walking alone, but I felt taken advantage of. I paid it because I don’t have the Spanish skills to question the price. I want to make sure to say that most of the bars are very inexpensive and very honest and helpful. I just want to warn other pilgrims (especially women who travel alone) to beware at this bar.
Been Camino and I hope everyone who walks has the wonderful amazing experience that I had, without any negatives like the beer bottle man.
True thisI’ve noticed a few things most posts like this have in common:
1. Quibbling over a few euro on one meal out of 90 or so on the (average) 30 day journey
2. Inability to read or understand Spanish despite purposely traveling to Spain and spending 30 days there
3. Assumption it was done out of spite or malicious intent rather than (a) reaction to pandemic prices/supply & labor issues (b) price variation due to location/holiday supply/demand (c) honest error (who has never been accidentally over/under charged at home)
The first time we got bacon and eggs it did not come with toast. So I had to order it separately, after we got the breakfast. I was surprised…I looked again at the picture and realized that there was no toast in the picture.I just finished the Camino Frances on 9/29. What an amazing experience! The scenery was magnificent, the other pilgrims were wonderful, and most of the local people were very supportive and helpful. The prices were amazingly good. For example, I stopped many days for second breakfast and got 2 eggs, toast, and coffee. The price was usually 3-4 euros. I stopped at a bar after Sarria for my second breakfast ( you will recognize it because it has hundreds of beer bottles everywhere as decorations). I ordered my usual breakfast. It was 7 euros. I thought, OK, things are more expensive as you get closer to Santiago. I was eating and the owner came outside to my table and said something about tostada. My Spanish is poor, so I told him I did not understand. He then brought out a note pad and started writing down each thing I got and said that I hadn’t paid for the piece of toast. I owed him 2 more euros….for 1 piece of toast. So 9 euros for eggs, toast, and coffee. This may be the pricing for American women walking alone, but I felt taken advantage of. I paid it because I don’t have the Spanish skills to question the price. I want to make sure to say that most of the bars are very inexpensive and very honest and helpful. I just want to warn other pilgrims (especially women who travel alone) to beware at this bar.
Been Camino and I hope everyone who walks has the wonderful amazing experience that I had, without any negatives like the beer bottle man.
That is Portugal for you. I love the people in that country.Maybe this experience on the Portuguese Camino will cleanse the palate, so to speak. Walking solo, north of Tui, cold, rainy, dreary morning just before dawn, stopped in a café for breakfast and some warm liquids (tea). Pretty much miserable start to the day. Ordered the full American type breakfast (had pictures on the menu) - great! Dumped all of my wet gear and jacket and the breakfast arrived he had included a hot bowl of soup with the breakfast. I didn't leave a speck of food on that table. Packed up and went to the counter to pay and he placed a small glass of some sort of liquor in front of me which I drank toasting him. The soup and liquor were not on the bill-just the breakfast! Will never forget that act of hospitality and kindness.
Sounds great, feel free to get in touch! You're planning walk the Caminho Central from Faro to Santarém and then connect with the CP? Walking the entire length of Portugal as we did this year on the Nascente+ really is a cool experience.Next year I will walk from Faro and I will definitely be in touch with you guys for some help if you don't mind. I have saved your podcast from the spiritual variant. I walked in 2017 and didn't do it. Next year for sure! Buen Camino
That story of the 2 monks is timelessly appropriate!Very wise. Yours is a camino version of this wonderful Zen story!:
Yes, we occasionally get taken advantage of or charged more than locals. It goes with the territory - I think of it more as a local discount rather than a surcharge for tourists. People have to make a living, and one of my roles as a pilgrim is to offer that. So I loved your story, @peregrina2000 .
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