Ian Stewart
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- VDLP: Sept 2017
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An albergue that has breakfast will have coffee and hot water, but not at six in the morning. An albergue with a kitchen will have hot water and may have coffee, and probably won't limit the hours of access. Most villages will have a place that serves coffee, but at six AM, you'd be lucky to find a gas station/convenience store open on the highway. So, some days, you either need to carry something to heat water, or get it the day before and drink it cold. Or carry a thermos and fill it for three euro when the opportunity arises.will there be coffee in the albergue in the morning
or hot water
or should I bring a plastic cup and bag of coffee ?
Coffee is essential to me - I bought instant and a small cup. Some mornings it was instant coffee and tepid water, but enough to get me going. I did bring chocolate covered espresso beans that lasted me a few days. I generally began each morning by 5:30. In most hamlets first coffee wasn't available until at least 7:00. Occasionally found a vending machine and the larger towns/cities will sometimes have a bar that opens at 6:00am. Remember - this is a religious pilgrimage and sacrifices are expected and rewarded with fabulous coffee con leche by 9:00am. Buen Camino my friend in caffeine!1st Sept start VDLP. I see the weather is hot in Seville. So early 5.30--6 am start to beat the heat.
Thing is I cant function unless I have had a coffee first.
My question is
will there be coffee in the albergue in the morning
or hot water
or should I bring a plastic cup and bag of coffee ?
I sometimes take an electric coil and instant coffee.
Make sure you have a good headlamp. 5.30 am is pitch dark.
You don't need the pain reliever if you want to go this route, you can buy caffeine pills and get your caffeine without the pain relievers which can have side effects.Excedrin Extra Strength Pain Reliever (over the counter pain medication in the US) has caffeine in it. You can take a pill in the morning and it should get you through to 9am for a coffee break.
All of the Camino Frances is in the same time zone.
To take Burgos as an example: sunrise today is officially 07:24. In a month's time it will be 07:56. Of course there will be enough ambient light to walk by for some time before that. Quite how early will depend on cloud cover.
It is probably because I have a background in anatomy and physiology but the first time I read someone mentioning "electric coil" on the forum the first thought that came to my mind was contraception. Took me a few moments to realise that the phrase meant something completely different in this context
I started in September from Seville. In Andalucia cafés open very early for workmen, who work early because of the heat. I often found them open around 5.30/6am. Maybe not in the touristy part of Seville, though.1st Sept start VDLP. I see the weather is hot in Seville. So early 5.30--6 am start to beat the heat.
Thing is I cant function unless I have had a coffee first.
My question is
will there be coffee in the albergue in the morning
or hot water
or should I bring a plastic cup and bag of coffee ?
Definately bring your own coffee and powdered milk. Not a lot open on the VDLP before 10am and many places you stay are hostels not Albergues.1st Sept start VDLP. I see the weather is hot in Seville. So early 5.30--6 am start to beat the heat.
Thing is I cant function unless I have had a coffee first.
My question is
will there be coffee in the albergue in the morning
or hot water
or should I bring a plastic cup and bag of coffee ?
I wished I had taken one, shopped for one but was unable to locate while on CF.
Yes, all of the Frances is in the same time zone, but the wrong one.All of the Camino Frances is in the same time zone.
To take Burgos as an example: sunrise today is officially 07:24. In a month's time it will be 07:56. Of course there will be enough ambient light to walk by for some time before that. Quite how early will depend on cloud cover.
I was just in Spain last week and most people were leaving around 7.Thanks, this is great info. Hadn't realized this.
Just checked Finisterre, and today's sunrise is 7:45. So in a month, it will be about 30 minutes later.
This is going to be weird to get used to.
Difference?...and many places you stay are hostels not Albergues.
I sometimes take an electric coil and instant coffee. For milk & sugar I buy a tin of condensed milk and decant it into a plastic bottle, which then lasts for about a week.
Jill
Hostel = pension or B&B type accomodation. No kitchen.Difference?
All the places I have been called "hostel" in six countries have had dorms and kitchens.Hostel = pension or B&B type accomodation. No kitchen.
Albergue = dorms, sometimes with a kitchen.
My understanding is that the Starbucks Via is formulated to dissolve properly in cold water as well as hot. This is a useful property!Starbuck's Instant
some call it an "immersion heater" If I recall seeing somewhere, it is imperative that you immerse the coil end in your water filled cup BEFORE plugging it in.I can understand "coil" in that context. But "electric"! -Brave new world!
That is very important! Also always unplug the coil BEFORE removing it from the boiled water.some call it an "immersion heater" If I recall seeing somewhere, it is imperative that you immerse the coil end in your water filled cup BEFORE plugging it in.
Albergues are accommodation for pilgrims, usually multi-bed dormitories. A "hostal" in Spain is a small, often family-run accommodation that has private rooms, with and without private bathrooms, rather like a hotel or b&B but without certain services such as 24-hour reception, etc. In Spain, if the word "hostel" is used, you would not really know what is meant - could be a hostal or it could be a multi-bed dorm.Difference?
I often thought, walking the CF that someone could make a good living opening a small cafe near a big albergue on the Camino, selling coffee and croissants at 6am. You'd be done with work by 10am and could go back to bed.
Chinese shops often have them.
However as you pass through France try the electrical goods stores Darty for a thermoplongeur.
For many more posts re the joys of such a gadget see
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...ric-coil-changed-my-life-on-the-camino.19167/
Happy boiling and Buen camino!
That first morning coffee and croissant is the perfect start to a day on Camino and the wait until the first village bar/café that is open following an early start is best left unwritten. The coffee produced by the coffee machines in every café and bar produce some of the best coffee I have tasted and certainly better that the big branded outlets.
I have though carried ground coffee (couple of euros a bag) and simply added the ground up beans to hot water (assuming you can get it). Leave for a couple of minutes then gently stir and all the grinds will sink to the bottom and you are left with a very strong coffee. Ne need for filters or coffee bags (have not seen them for sale for ages) and its a better hit than instant. A word of warning though if you brew your coffee this way... remember to stop drinking about an inch from the bottom of the cup !
Here's to coffee and camino,
Don.
1st Sept start VDLP. I see the weather is hot in Seville. So early 5.30--6 am start to beat the heat.
Thing is I cant function unless I have had a coffee first.
My question is
will there be coffee in the albergue in the morning
or hot water
or should I bring a plastic cup and bag of coffee ?
No Vino No Camino you would have been a great member of our squad lolAnd what's wrong with a cold beer instead? It is sooo much more than just a breakfast drink, and coffee is overrated IMHO.
Noted for my next Camino thanxAlways up for a challenge so put ground real coffee in the bottom of a cup, added boiling water, and it wasn't bad. Made a jolly strong cup of coffee but certainly drinkable and better than instant. Fantastic. Thank you.
Now if only I'd learnt this earlier. I'm sure it would have increased my average distance walked by at least 5 kms a day!
Hostels on VDLP had individual rooms an no kitchens. They were as cheap as Albergues if there were two travelling together.Difference?
For what it's worth, I've been accused of being a coffee addict. But yesterday, with everything closed, I walked five hours without coffee and lived to tell about it.
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