- Time of past OR future Camino
- May 2023: Via Francigena, Lucca to Rome
Class of '16 here, so I'm still in the daydreaming / reading every post & following every link I can phase ...
I've been randomly clicking links on the "All" Albergues on the Camino Frances file, and the private albergues really seem more more my style than the larger refugios. Or at least, they fit as much my style as my budget will allow. The Casas Rurales look fantastic, but also out of my budget except for a few nights of splurging.
I have a few questions specific to the private albergues:
- A lot of them are smaller, and take reservations. Is it a similar style to the gites in France, where you would want to reserve a day or two ahead?
- I love communal eating. I can be alone all day and I'm fine, but prefer to dine with others. But, I also want to explore the regional cuisine, and not have too many "pilgrims' menu" nights. Do the dinners at the private albergues tend to be more home-style cooking like at the French gites, or does it vary a lot from place to place?
- And, since they are smaller, do you tend to become more isolated from the main energy and fellowship of the camino? I suspect that one would bond deeper with people at a 16-bed albergue than at a 180-bed one, but I could be wrong.
I've been randomly clicking links on the "All" Albergues on the Camino Frances file, and the private albergues really seem more more my style than the larger refugios. Or at least, they fit as much my style as my budget will allow. The Casas Rurales look fantastic, but also out of my budget except for a few nights of splurging.
I have a few questions specific to the private albergues:
- A lot of them are smaller, and take reservations. Is it a similar style to the gites in France, where you would want to reserve a day or two ahead?
- I love communal eating. I can be alone all day and I'm fine, but prefer to dine with others. But, I also want to explore the regional cuisine, and not have too many "pilgrims' menu" nights. Do the dinners at the private albergues tend to be more home-style cooking like at the French gites, or does it vary a lot from place to place?
- And, since they are smaller, do you tend to become more isolated from the main energy and fellowship of the camino? I suspect that one would bond deeper with people at a 16-bed albergue than at a 180-bed one, but I could be wrong.