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There doesn't need to be an excuse. The problem is often with our expectations. What more do we need than a shower, a mattress and a roof over our head?ffp13 said:what plausable excuse can you provide for closing all the accomodation except for the overflow cellar in such a loverly albergue as Ponferrada?
ffp13ffp13 said:D-F
I find it hard to believe it has taken you 2 days to impart your opinion, what plausable excuse can you provide for closing all the accomodation except for the overflow cellar in such a loverly albergue as Ponferrada? I am sure you can come up with many, complete with internet links.
REGARDS
I was of a like mind in 2010. Might do it differently having stayed there once.ffp13 said:There is only one albergue in ponferrada, the templar castle and history make it an essential stop for many pilgrims
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I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?tyr314
MichaelB10398 said:I think it is best to always follow my heart. After I arrive, if it does not feel right, I move on to another albergue. No fuss, no complaints, no vocal criticsim.[/quote
Kindly tell us which other albergue in Ponferrada?
This being a forum oposing points of view should not be discouraged, if only praise was allowed then how is that helpful?
sillydoll said:Perhaps they were short on staff? You need a lot of volunteers to keep such a big albergue clean and tidy and if you are short of a couple of hospitaleros, it makes sense to open one room and fill that up first before opening the smaller rooms.
If I were to psychoanalyze the albergue in Ponferrada, I would say their problem stems from being donativo. Over the years, too many pilgrims have donated nothing, and the hospitaleros have developed an attitude. When I stayed there, the hospitalero seemed to hold the donation box in front of me the entire check in time. The words said "donation," but the body language said "pay up." The pilgrim does not live up to their expectations, and they have no intention of living up to the pilgrims' expectations. It is a paradox that only they can resolve.it was Donativo
I think that is part of the unreality that shackles Ponferrada. How many of the cheapskates really cannot afford something more? Ten percent? Forty percent? How many just do not want to pay more? Ponferrada was the sixth most popular starting point for the last two years. Pilgrims could afford the bus, train, or air fare to get there, but getting a donation is like pulling teeth? The humility of the pilgrim is a beautiful concept, but I think it is fading into mythology. Rather than allowing reality to chafe, places like Ponferrada should make its life easier by providing what the pilgrim wants, rather than what it wants. They are offering a vegetarian menu in a world of carnivores! As a liberal, I know daily what it is like to want the world to be something it isn't. I am comfortable with the cognitive dissonance, but I think it makes Ponferrada very irritable.I'd rather leave those to people who can't afford anything else.
People expect it already. That is my point; the donativo albergue is at odds with the world as it now exists.people start expecting - hot water, pillows, a blanket, coffee, etc etc.
It has been our repeated "hospitalero experience" in a donations albergue, that if one doesn't somehow insist on seeing a donation being made upon arrival, there often aren't sufficient funds to cover the running expenses at the end of the day. We learned this when the per capita takings were often less than 3 Euros, i.e. cheaper than the cheapest albergue.falcon269 said:[...] the donativo albergue is at odds with the world as it now exists.[...]
I, too, found the hospitalero very pleasant, but the extremely insistent donation NOW was at odds with the general welcome. The kitchen was very nice, but overwhelmed by the pilgrims who sat there all evening doing their self-catering. It is not within an albergue's abilities, but part of pilgrim etiquette should be the courtesy to use the kitchen, clean up, and move on to make room for the next person.
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