Did anyone else like sleeping on the top bunk?

[NadineK]

A few months ago I wrote a post about 7 things I missed from my Camino (I walked the Frances, June-July 2014)... and I'm thinking about those favorite things again tonight, as I contemplate a second Camino. The call of the Camino is strong!! I thought I would share it here, in case anyone else could relate

https://singlestepcamino.wordpress....nd-delirium-7-things-i-miss-about-the-camino/

I'm sure that there are many other posts like this, but I never get tired of hearing the replies... what were some of your favorite things from the Camino?

Nadine

 

[rlang290]

My wife and I start our Camino in 5 days! We can't wait to experience some of the things you wrote about!

Ron and Michele

 

[Theatregal]

A few months ago I wrote a post about 7 things I missed from my Camino (I walked the Frances, June-July 2014)... and I'm thinking about those favorite things again tonight, as I contemplate a second Camino. The call of the Camino is strong!! I thought I would share it here, in case anyone else could relate

https://singlestepcamino.wordpress....nd-delirium-7-things-i-miss-about-the-camino/

I'm sure that there are many other posts like this, but I never get tired of hearing the replies... what were some of your favorite things from the Camino?

Nadine

I really enjoyed reading this NadineK! Beautifully written. All of these these are some of my favourite things. ...well maybe not the top bunk...unless it was one against a wall

 

[NadineK]

My wife and I start our Camino in 5 days! We can't wait to experience some of the things you wrote about!

Ron and Michele

Oh, have an amazing time!! Are you walking the Francés? As you've probably gathered from looking through posts on this forum... the Camino is such an incredible experience, and so many of us get hooked after the first time. There are certainly things I didn't enjoy that much from the Camino, but isn't memory a funny thing? Those annoyances or complaints just don't stand out in my memory, not like all the positive stuff does. I've even convinced myself that my legs never felt sore!

I think the only advice that I would ever give someone (not that you asked, but I'm going to say it anyway) is: to 'walk your own Camino'. Which can mean a million different things, but it was the most important advice that I tried to give myself during my walk.

Buen Camino!

 

[NadineK]

I really enjoyed reading this NadineK! Beautifully written. All of these these are some of my favourite things. ...well maybe not the top bunk...unless it was one against a wall

Yes, I definitely agree with you on needing the top bunk to be against a wall. A very important distinction that I didn't really address in my post! A top bunk that was floating in a sea of other bunk beds in a large room was NEVER fun.

Thanks for commenting on this!

 

[Mark Lee]

A top bunk was definitely better if against a wall, and near a window. Sometimes the ladder rungs were kind of tough on bare feet.
On my first Camino I volunteered to be a hospitalero at an albergue for a few hours while the lovely lady who was doing it went to lunch and siesta. Before she left she told me to assign top bunks to young pilgrims and/or men if possible. I then knew why I always seemed to get a top bunk in the albergues that assigned them, as I met one of those criteria, ha ha.

 

[txpeah]

A few months ago I wrote a post about 7 things I missed from my Camino (I walked the Frances, June-July 2014)... and I'm thinking about those favorite things again tonight, as I contemplate a second Camino. The call of the Camino is strong!! I thought I would share it here, in case anyone else could relate

https://singlestepcamino.wordpress....nd-delirium-7-things-i-miss-about-the-camino/

I'm sure that there are many other posts like this, but I never get tired of hearing the replies... what were some of your favorite things from the Camino?

Nadine

Lovely post Nadine. Thanks for sharing!
NP

PS Anyone who lists coffee first on any list is tops!

 

[david townsend]

Nadine, that was a beautiful and soulful account of your trip. It made me even more desirous to take the trip.

well done.

dave

 

[Susan hopes]

Did NOT like the top bunk, but any bottom bunk near a window was heaven.
and caffe con leche ... perfect. My favorite part was hearing the stories of other pilgrims, and seeing towns and churches that had not changed since the middle ages. I will be returning in June 2016 and hope to see some favorite sights, and learn new things.

 

[NadineK]

A top bunk was definitely better if against a wall, and near a window. Sometimes the ladder rungs were kind of tough on bare feet.
On my first Camino I volunteered to be a hospitalero at an albergue for a few hours while the lovely lady who was doing it went to lunch and siesta. Before she left she told me to assign top bunks to young pilgrims and/or men if possible. I then knew why I always seemed to get a top bunk in the albergues that assigned them, as I met one of those criteria, ha ha.

I had a suspicion that I was often assigned to the top bunk, and it does make sense that they would be assigned to younger pilgrims. And that's very true about the ladder rungs... and the MOST challenging top bunks were the ones without ladder rungs. Those were not fun!

 

[NadineK]

Lovely post Nadine. Thanks for sharing!
NP

PS Anyone who lists coffee first on any list is tops!

Thanks for reading (and yes, coffee will just about always make the top of my lists!)

 

[NadineK]

Nadine, that was a beautiful and soulful account of your trip. It made me even more desirous to take the trip.

well done.

dave

Thank you so much Dave, and I hope you are having fun in the planning stages of your Camino! (not as much fun as actually walking, but I loved the anticipation and reading blogs/forums and prepping).

 

[NadineK]

Did NOT like the top bunk, but any bottom bunk near a window was heaven.
and caffe con leche ... perfect. My favorite part was hearing the stories of other pilgrims, and seeing towns and churches that had not changed since the middle ages. I will be returning in June 2016 and hope to see some favorite sights, and learn new things.

I agree Susan, I loved hearing stories from other pilgrims, and making so many connections. Next to the cafe con leches, that might have been the best.

 

[xin loi]

Anyone who served in the Military always grabs a top bunk. Bottom bunks soon become communal couches/chairs to sit on.

 

[Mark Lee]

Anyone who served in the Military always grabs a top bunk. Bottom bunks soon become communal couches/chairs to sit on.

Ha ha...they sure do. Sometimes two or three guys sitting on them or around them "smoking and joking". Not so bad except when it's your rack, ha ha.

 

[gracieb]

Yes absolutely! It was great because I was walking with my friend, she liked the bottom and I liked the top, so we'd just bop around and take our respective bunks every night Something nice about being able to craw up there and be off the ground and away from everything else.

 

[jmcarp]

Those of us of a certain age (a.k.a. geezers) need to get up at least once or twice during the night to answer the call of nature. Sleeping on a bottom bunk has certain advantages in this situation, especially since climbing down from topside of those creaky bunk beds found in many albergues invariably disturbs whoever might be in the bottom bunk.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Anyone who served in the Military always grabs a top bunk. Bottom bunks soon become communal couches/chairs to sit on.

Very true of trains in the former USSR: if you get the bottom part of the "coupe", you have to entertain the rest of your group until they decide to hike up.

 

[Carol06]

I was okay in a top bunk until one night I fell out of my bunk and crashed to the floor while sleeping. Fortunately I was in a bottom bunk that night. After that I always insisted on a bottom bunk. Maybe I was sleep walking, as if I was not walking enough during the day!

 

[NadineK]

Anyone who served in the Military always grabs a top bunk. Bottom bunks soon become communal couches/chairs to sit on.

Yes, and this was one of the advantages of a top bunk... I didn't have to worry about someone squatting on my bed! (not that I saw it happen that much... but you never know...)

 

[NadineK]

Those of us of a certain age (a.k.a. geezers) need to get up at least once or twice during the night to answer the call of nature. Sleeping on a bottom bunk has certain advantages in this situation, especially since climbing down from topside of those creaky bunk beds found in many albergues invariably disturbs whoever might be in the bottom bunk.

You know, throughout the Camino my view on the top bunk really changed... while there were a couple of nights that I DID get up in the middle of the night and probably disturbed the person sleeping beneath me, on the whole I realized that it was a bit easier for me to sleep on a top bunk than some other pilgrims. At first I was frustrated that I always got a top bunk, but then I tried to instead appreciate my ability to (fairly) easily climb up and down from the bunk (although you should have seen me try to get up into a bunk bed without a ladder- a humbling moment).

 

[NadineK]

Yes absolutely! It was great because I was walking with my friend, she liked the bottom and I liked the top, so we'd just bop around and take our respective bunks every night Something nice about being able to craw up there and be off the ground and away from everything else.

I agree, sometimes I liked the "illusion of distance" that the top bunk provided, especially in very crowded albergues!

 

[NadineK]

I was okay in a top bunk until one night I fell out of my bunk and crashed to the floor while sleeping. Fortunately I was in a bottom bunk that night. After that I always insisted on a bottom bunk. Maybe I was sleep walking, as if I was not walking enough during the day!

Oh no! If that happened to me I would have done the same, and insisted on a bottom bunk. Safety first!

 

[Mark Lee]

Oh no! If that happened to me I would have done the same, and insisted on a bottom bunk. Safety first!

I'd also always give the bunk a quick safety scan before I ever climbed up it. Without appearing too OCD I'd check it for structural integrity, so to speak and made sure it had one of those safety rails. Didn't think the poor pilgrim sleeping below me would want 90 kilos of middle-age male peregrino to come crashing down on top of them in the middle of the night.

 

[Lydia Gillen]

I was exhausted when I reached Astorga. As I slowly hauled myself up the stairs holding the banisters with both hands I heard the hospiladera telling the three young girls behind us to 'Take top bunks and leave the bottom ones to the likes of those.' At other times in life I might of taken offense to be referred to as 'the likes of those' but that day I was very grateful for the kindness and caring of the hospiladera. Hospiladeros/as are truly the kindest people under God's sun.

 

[kellyz]

Being a bit bedbug-phobic, I prefer the top bunk (to avoid being in a matress sandwich), and not next to a wall, because those guys live in walls, too. But, I think this is maybe a bit psychological.

 

[NadineK]

I was exhausted when I reached Astorga. As I slowly hauled myself up the stairs holding the banisters with both hands I heard the hospiladera telling the three young girls behind us to 'Take top bunks and leave the bottom ones to the likes of those.' At other times in life I might of taken offense to be referred to as 'the likes of those' but that day I was very grateful for the kindness and caring of the hospiladera. Hospiladeros/as are truly the kindest people under God's sun.

I loved reading this, and I love your perspective. Hospitaleros really ARE some of the kindest people!

 

[NadineK]

Being a bit bedbug-phobic, I prefer the top bunk (to avoid being in a matress sandwich), and not next to a wall, because those guys live in walls, too. But, I think this is maybe a bit psychological.

Kelly, did you have any problems with bed bugs on your walk??

 

[Robo]

A few months ago I wrote a post about 7 things I missed from my Camino (I walked the Frances, June-July 2014)... and I'm thinking about those favorite things again tonight, as I contemplate a second Camino. The call of the Camino is strong!! I thought I would share it here, in case anyone else could relate

https://singlestepcamino.wordpress....nd-delirium-7-things-i-miss-about-the-camino/

I'm sure that there are many other posts like this, but I never get tired of hearing the replies... what were some of your favorite things from the Camino?

Nadine

What a great Blog Post. You are making look forward even more to my 1st Camino (if that were possible)

 

[MichaelSG]

Because I walk with my wife, we usually get assigned one up, one down and you know who gets first pick between the two of us. I also slept in the top bunk when I was a child (3-6 years old) and I usually get one on the boat that I work on. I am pretty used to the top bunk and I the only time I usually choose a bottom bunk when there is a choice, it is because there are not enough pilgrims to require anyone to sleep in an upper. It would feel strange if someone slept above me. Since my preference seems to help other pilgrims and hospitaleros, I happier with that too.

 

[kellyz]

Kelly, did you have any problems with bed bugs on your walk??

I'm not allergic, so I could have been bitten a number of times without knowing. I did see them once in a pension. Because I was in a private room, I had the luxury of turning the lights on when I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and lo and behold. This only led me to wonder what I wasn't seeing all those other nights in albergues.

 

[CaroleH]

Am not sure why I am getting emailed these postings from Feb/Mar 2015, maybe I'm missing something, but anyway, I'm enjoying them . . .

Nadine, I read your blog post re '7 best things' and it's so beautifully written and so true. You think outside the square and see things most of us take for granted. I always go for the bottom bunk, cos I'm older , and I worry about falling off etc but I also need to be an near open window if there's one, so you make a good point.
Keep up the good work.

 

[CaroleH]

Especially relate to 'the sound of wind through a field of wheat' . . . it brought a tear to my eye.

You make me want to go back to a camino NOW!
Cheers, Carole

 

[NadineK]

Especially relate to 'the sound of wind through a field of wheat' . . . it brought a tear to my eye.

You make me want to go back to a camino NOW!
Cheers, Carole

Oh, thank you Carole! I'm glad you stumbled across this post and took the time to post this message, it made me so happy to read it. I know that I can't get enough of reading about others' experiences on the Camino when I'm missing it, so I'm glad my words resonated with you. Do you have any plans for another Camino this year? (I'm heading off to do the Norte in just over 2 weeks, and I'm beyond excited!! A little nervous, too...)

 

[OTH86]

On my first Camino, there were five of us at the albergue in Arre - lots of empty beds, and the young Swiss fellow had chosen an upper bunk - no one below. I've always wondered about that... Thanks so much, Nadine, for writing so beautifully about the joy of the upper bunk!!
Buen Camino on el Norte!!
Terry

 

[Lachance]

On my first Camino, there were five of us at the albergue in Arre - lots of empty beds, and the young Swiss fellow had chosen an upper bunk - no one below. I've always wondered about that... Thanks so much, Nadine, for writing so beautifully about the joy of the upper bunk!!
Buen Camino on el Norte!!
Terry

'Young' is the key. Kids always fight for the upper bunk.

 

[mspath]

A few years ago at the municipal albergue in Viana the bunks were in tiers of 3! The actual effect was akin to a troop ship in an old war movie. That topmost tier was VERY popular with agile youth. Recently standard 2 tier bunks have been installed and the top deck removed;gone are those swaying bunks of the past.

 

[NadineK]

On my first Camino, there were five of us at the albergue in Arre - lots of empty beds, and the young Swiss fellow had chosen an upper bunk - no one below. I've always wondered about that... Thanks so much, Nadine, for writing so beautifully about the joy of the upper bunk!!
Buen Camino on el Norte!!
Terry

Thanks for your comment, Terry! By the end of my Camino I, too, was angling for the top bunk more often than not. (And I also wanted to say, I have a photo from the Frances where I am posing in the exact same spot as you are, in your profile picture!)

 

[NadineK]

A few years ago at the municipal albergue in Viana the bunks were in tiers of 3! The actual effect was akin to a troop ship in an old war movie. That topmost tier was VERY popular with agle youth. Recently standard 2 tier bunks have been installed and the top deck removed;gone are those swaying bunks of the past.

Bunks in tiers of 3! I've heard rumors about places like this! I wonder if any still exist? (I think I would definitely want the very top tier, just for the experience...)

 

[OTH86]

Speaking of bunks in tiers - in the Musée de l'histoire de l'immigration in Paris, there is a 6 tier bunk! Hope you can see all six beds - difficult to get this photo!

 

[Icacos]

Speaking of bunks in tiers - in the Musée de l'histoire de l'immigration in Paris, there is a 6 tier bunk! Hope you can see all six beds - difficult to get this photo!

My gosh! And they don't all have railings!

 

[NadineK]

Speaking of bunks in tiers - in the Musée de l'histoire de l'immigration in Paris, there is a 6 tier bunk! Hope you can see all six beds - difficult to get this photo!

Yikes!! It looks like the ladder only goes to the 5th bunk... how does someone even climb into that very top bed? Thanks for sharing this!

 

[Anniesantiago]

I always sleep on the top bunk.
On my first Camino, a fellow sleeping below me had bedbugs dropping on him all night.
They never touched me.
I always remembered that.

 

[OTH86]

Yikes!! It looks like the ladder only goes to the 5th bunk... how does someone even climb into that very top bed? Thanks for sharing this!

The exhibit was open all the way around the bunks, and there were ladders on the back as well as the front all the way up to the sixth level. I can't imagine being able to sleep up there!!

 

[NadineK]

I always sleep on the top bunk.
On my first Camino, a fellow sleeping below me had bedbugs dropping on him all night.
They never touched me.
I always remembered that.

I never even considered a potential greater risk of bed bugs by sleeping on the bottom bunk... ugh! Another reason to go for the top!

 

[Anniesantiago]

Then there was the poor woman a few seasons back who had the top bunk fall on her!

And I think (or I personally feel) my belongings are a little more secure in the far corner of a top bunk.

Finally, for me it's a bit less claustrophobic.

Actually, I like this thread. It's good for those who are a little less flexible and would love to nab a bottom bunk! lol!

 

[NadineK]

Then there was the poor woman a few seasons back who had the top bunk fall on her!

And I think (or I personally feel) my belongings are a little more secure in the far corner of a top bunk.

Actually, I like this thread. It's good for those who are a little less flexible and would love to nab a bottom bunk! lol!

Having the top bunk fall on me has been a fear of mine going back to childhood... but then there's the possibility of falling off the top bunk. One of my favorite pilgrims on the Frances was a 12-year old boy from Vermont, he fell from the top bunk one night (he was the most happy-go-lucky kid I'd ever met; he probably had a few bruises but thought his fall was hilarious). But kids tend to fall out of bed more than adults, right??

 

[Anniesantiago]

Well, I am more afraid of falling from the top bunk, personally.
I occasionally sleepwalk. And one time we decided to put a sleeping loft in our tiny condo.
I loved sleeping up there, but as we women get older, we often have to make a pit stop in the wee hours.
Getting down that ladder half-awake felt dangerous, and we soon made the sleeping loft into a storage area.

It's a toss-up for me! lol

 

[Singingheart]

Well, I am more afraid of falling from the top bunk, personally.
I occasionally sleepwalk. And one time we decided to put a sleeping loft in our tiny condo.
I loved sleeping up there, but as we women get older, we often have to make a pit stop in the wee hours.
Getting down that ladder half-awake felt dangerous, and we soon made the sleeping loft into a storage area.

It's a toss-up for me! lol

Oh golly Annie, I don't want bedbugs falling on me! I'm an elder and I've certainly been hoping for a bottom bunk, but now I'm not so sure. I know I'll have to get up in the night for a "pit stop". What to do, what to do....Maybe just take the bottom bunk if one is available and pray.

 

[Anniesantiago]

::laughing:: Well, I try to find a single bed.
Otherwise, I take the top bunk.

 

[Singingheart]

A few months ago I wrote a post about 7 things I missed from my Camino (I walked the Frances, June-July 2014)... and I'm thinking about those favorite things again tonight, as I contemplate a second Camino. The call of the Camino is strong!! I thought I would share it here, in case anyone else could relate

https://singlestepcamino.wordpress....nd-delirium-7-things-i-miss-about-the-camino/

I'm sure that there are many other posts like this, but I never get tired of hearing the replies... what were some of your favorite things from the Camino?

Nadine

This is so wonderful. I'm about to start my own Camino and I want it to be just like this. Thank you!

A few months ago I wrote a post about 7 things I missed from my Camino (I walked the Frances, June-July 2014)... and I'm thinking about those favorite things again tonight, as I contemplate a second Camino. The call of the Camino is strong!! I thought I would share it here, in case anyone else could relate

https://singlestepcamino.wordpress....nd-delirium-7-things-i-miss-about-the-camino/

I'm sure that there are many other posts like this, but I never get tired of hearing the replies... what were some of your favorite things from the Camino?

Nadine