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I never saw bed bugs or heard of any on my 33 day camino Frances. But it is not the cleanliness etc of the hostels that bring them.....it's pilgrims! It can happen anywhere at anytime....picked up at airports/planes, hotels, trains etc. I recently read that 50% of the population has no reaction to the bite.....just pray you are one of them! LolStrange title, however the aim of this post is to clarify some questions that regularly appear on this forum.
We have just completed the Camino Francis. Important questions as follows:
I cash necessary on the Camino?
1. The old adage that 'cash is king' no longer applies universally. Most Cafes and Bars accept cards. Many private Albergues accept cards. Municipal Albergues generally do not, however the charges are so low that not much cash is necessary.
I raise this issue because I was robbed in a Municipal Albergue in Zubiri early in the trip (thread covering this was posted early April, thus I was carrying several hundred Euros and lost the lot; as did three others in the Albergue that night).
The robbery maybe couldn't be prevented, but the loss could have been reduced.
A couple of hundred Euros should be plenty of cash to start.
2. Bed Bugs
I have read a lot about Bed bugs on this forum. However I must say that we did not have an issue at any time.
The hygiene standards and general cleanliness of the Albergues (Municipal and Private) we stayed in was excellent.
Most supplied a single-use sheet and pillow slip. The blankets were clean and adequately stored.
3. Accommodation Problems
There is a current thread on this issue; that I have added to.
Suffice to say that whilst Accommodation can be an issue, I don't believe it is anywhere near as bad as some posts imply.
Simple advice would include; booking if you wish but be persistent with unanswered calls. Many Albergues are rum by a single person, thus they are often away from the phone.
Check out the many Albergues in small villages between the main towns highlighted in guidebooks.
Note that some Albergues , such as Municipals, don't take bookings in any case.
Trust these few comments help a little.
Buen Camino.
Use Booking.com as a last resort
Just so you know, bedbugs have nothing to do with cleanliness.Strange title, however the aim of this post is to clarify some questions that regularly appear on this forum.
We have just completed the Camino Francis. Important questions as follows:
I cash necessary on the Camino?
1. The old adage that 'cash is king' no longer applies universally. Most Cafes and Bars accept cards. Many private Albergues accept cards. Municipal Albergues generally do not, however the charges are so low that not much cash is necessary.
I raise this issue because I was robbed in a Municipal Albergue in Zubiri early in the trip (thread covering this was posted early April, thus I was carrying several hundred Euros and lost the lot; as did three others in the Albergue that night).
The robbery maybe couldn't be prevented, but the loss could have been reduced.
A couple of hundred Euros should be plenty of cash to start.
2. Bed Bugs
I have read a lot about Bed bugs on this forum. However I must say that we did not have an issue at any time.
The hygiene standards and general cleanliness of the Albergues (Municipal and Private) we stayed in was excellent.
Most supplied a single-use sheet and pillow slip. The blankets were clean and adequately stored.
3. Accommodation Problems
There is a current thread on this issue; that I have added to.
Suffice to say that whilst Accommodation can be an issue, I don't believe it is anywhere near as bad as some posts imply.
Simple advice would include; booking if you wish but be persistent with unanswered calls. Many Albergues are rum by a single person, thus they are often away from the phone.
Check out the many Albergues in small villages between the main towns highlighted in guidebooks.
Note that some Albergues , such as Municipals, don't take bookings in any case.
Trust these few comments help a little.
Buen Camino.
Use Booking.com as a last resort
I think it could, as soon as you are able to sleep with a money belt on your skin.The robbery maybe couldn't be prevented
For the most part I agree with this. Except I'm not sure I can agree with the metaphor.Bed bugs are Russian roulette. They happen from time to time. They aren't to be feared, they just happen once in a while.
I would add your phone to that list.I leave for my first camino Monday. Three things will never leave me, Passport, cash and bankcards. They will always be with me whether sleeping showering or whatever.
At airport now, will add that to my listI would add your phone to that list.
Frankly, as a victim of this theft (as you put it) I don't much care for any debate about the difference between a theft and a robbery. I am sure the other three victims that night would concur. To claim that my post suggested that guns were put at my head is absurd and I doubt anyone reading it would have thought so. In any case I was fast asleep, so there's every chance the thief/robber was armed as a precaution against me waking up; believe me he'd have needed to be, had I done so!Can you please stop using the words robbery and theft as interchangeable? A theft is where someone steals your property without your knowledge. A robbery is where someone puts a knife to your throat or a gun to your head and demands your money. By constantly referring to what happened to you as a robbery you are leaving people with the impression that guns are being put to the heads of pilgrims in albergues.
You were the victim of a theft. You were not the victim of a robbery.
You were the victim of a theft. You were not the victim of a robbery.
Frankly, as a victim of this theft (as you put it) I don't much care for any debate about the difference between a theft and a robbery.
To the extent that this warrants any sort of response, let me say this: I initiated the original thread following the events in the Albergue in Zubiri, in order to let others know of the robbery/theft and to provide a few details to enable them to perhaps assess their own approach to security, in light of my unfortunate experience.Words have meaning. Theft is defined as the unlawful taking of property from another. Robbery defined as the unlawful taking of property with the use of force or the threat of force.
Having someone remove money that you carelessly placed under your backpack while you are asleep is one thing. Having someone put a knife to your throat and demand your money is another.
Your careless use of words could easily leave someone with the impression that knives are being pulled in albergues. They are not. Rather, opportunity makes the thief in albergues. You get careless with your valuables, and you can say goodbye to them.
As the Italians say, "Trust no one but your mother . . . and keep an eye on her."
Formally, you are correct. And that is a common definition of the word. However, language evolves and there are other meanings of the verb "rob" that are much broader.I have absolutely no problem with you passing along the objective information that you were the victim of a theft inside an albergue while you slept. That is the purpose of this forum. But what I and others have a problem with is you posting false and sensational information that you were the victim of a robbery inside an albergue on the Camino.
You were not the victim of a robbery. You were the victim of a theft. It is not an issue of semantics. The two words have different meanings. One involves violence, the other does not. That is a huge difference.
So please stop using the words theft and robbery as being interchangeable. They are not. And their use as being interchangeable on this forum is misleading at best. People coming here for information do not need to be left with the false impression someone put a knife to your throat in an albergue and demanded your money. Instead, you slept peacefully through the entire event.
If you had ever been the victim of an actual robbery you would appreciate the difference.
If it helps, perhaps you could think of OP's use of the verb "rob" in this last sense. I don't think there was any intent to mislead.
Thank you !Formally, you are correct. And that is a common definition of the word. However, language evolves and there are other meanings of the verb "rob" that are much broader.
For example, it can mean overcharged. If you tell me that you were charged 500 euros for your hiking poles and I say "You were robbed!", no one is going to think that the shopkeeper held you up with threat of violence.
Or it can be a synonym for "steal" as in "he accused her of robbing the cream out of his chocolate eclair".
Or it can mean "deprive (someone or something) of something needed, deserved, or significant" as in "poor health has robbed her of a normal social life". Poor health is not threatening her with a knife or gun.
If it helps, perhaps you could think of OP's use of the verb "rob" in this last sense. I don't think there was any intent to mislead.
Absolutely correct! I am one of the unfortunate people who will be found by bed bugs! I got bitten at 2 different albergues, one AirbnB in Paris and let’s not forget the Marriott Hotel. Do check out the : Bedbugregistry.com.Just so you know, bedbugs have nothing to do with cleanliness.
Some of the most upscale hotels here in the USA have gotten bedbugs.
They're carried on the Camino by pilgrims who either don't know what's biting them or don't care.
A place can be STERILE and still get bedbugs.
I'm sorry but I am going to have to disagree with you here. I don't think it is sensational. I don't think it is unduly emotional. And the fact that it is not misleading is not only true "initially" but throughout his use of the verb.Initially misleading or not, to my thinking, the OP's continued and intentional use of the word is emotive and sensational and is right to be challenged.
I'm sorry but I am going to have to disagree with you here. I don't think it is sensational. I don't think it is unduly emotional. And the fact that it is not misleading is not only true "initially" but throughout his use of the verb.
Linguistic nerdery ahead. You have been warned.
It seems to me that the confusion stems from assuming related words in different parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.) carry their meanings across when that is demonstrably not correct.
Peter never claimed to have been the victim of a robbery.
You are correct.I started to read your post but I'm afraid it got too boring for me after the first three paragraphs, linguistic nerdery doesn't do it for me at all, but thank you for the warning!
However, there is no confusion or misunderstanding on my part, I speak and understand english quite well, what with it being my first language and everything. And I will stand over what I said, but we can agree to disagree.
If you re-read his posts in both threads, I think you'll find he did and he does.
and missedI raise this issue because I was robbed in a Municipal Albergue in Zubiri early in the trip
The robbery maybe couldn't be prevented, but the loss could have been reduced.
Thank you David for your detailed explanation. Not really Linguistic Nerdery, indeed some authors would take a chapter to cover what you have succinctly explained in half a page. One thing we'd all agree, is that the English language is complex. It is to be hoped therefore that anyone who is inclined to be judgmental about aspects of its usage, takes the chance to learn when the opportunity presents.You are correct.
I was focusing on
and missed
Although, as I think more on it, I suspect that the meaning of "robbery" has also broadened. For example, we talk about grave robbing rather than grave theft, although nobody is taking stuff from graves with intimidation or violence.
Maybe if Peter edited his post so that the latter read "The theft maybe couldn't be prevented...." we could all move on from this.
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