Gareth Griffith
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- SJPdP to Santiago de Compestela in May(2016)
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It really tickled me, the owner says they cater for veggies and for people with a gluten intolerance in his response to this review so it did make me wonder about what sort of food intolerance this sad New Yorker was complaining that Orisson didn't cater for. The reviews that Orisson gets with just a one star speak volumes about the writers and their lack of understanding of a) where the refuge is, b) what a refuges is c) no comprehension of what being a pilgrim entails and finally d) the bloke is trying to run a business not a charity!Orisson does provide for basic vegetarian meals. Myself and another pilgrim ate there last fall. If you have other dietary needs, the Gite Kayola about 800 metres down the road provides a kitchen where you can bring your own food and cater for yourself. This is also booked through Orisson.
There are some very high maintenance pilgrims out there! Sometimes the Camino cures them, but Orisson is a little early in most pilgrimages for a cure to have taken hold.what sort of food intolerance this sad New Yorker was complaining that Orisson didn't cater for
ha ha...yeah, that's where someone filched my Oakley sunglasses off of my pack last year. I stopped for a break there, put down the pack with the sunglasses clipped on the side, went to get some coffee and bam...no mas sunglasses when I got back. Less than 3 hours on the Camino and I got taken advantage of. Took me a few days to find another decent set at a reasonable price. They are almost a necessity when walking the Camino on bright and sunny days.I cannot imagine what a pain in the....having your shoes stolen must have been.My only criticism of Orrison was the god awful sewage smell that wafted into the rooms. It was really hot so between the heat, the lack of air movement and the smell I cannot say I enjoyed Orrison. It was also where my Keens were stolen from the shoe rack so that didn't help, 3 days into my holiday and no place to be able to replace them for several more.
I saw a couple being thrown out of an albergue (not Orisson.) Upon inquiring I found out that the owner was not happy about the couple's squabbling when arriving but he just wouldn't take it when the husband complained about the private room they would get for 5 euros each.Can anyone really criticise a place that can only open for part of the year and offer the deal he is offering for 33 euros a night?
I was always afraid to lose my shoes. I did not have a second pair. As a result, I almost always kept them with me. At Roncesvalles I was made to put them on a rack before going upstairs, but I quickly retrieved them when prying eyes were off me. I pretty much followed that routine everywhere I went.My only criticism of Orrison was the god awful sewage smell that wafted into the rooms. It was really hot so between the heat, the lack of air movement and the smell I cannot say I enjoyed Orrison. It was also where my Keens were stolen from the shoe rack so that didn't help, 3 days into my holiday and no place to be able to replace them for several more.
You do realize that you are introducing foot fungi, odors and whatever manure you may have walked through during the day into the sleeping area.I was always afraid to lose my shoes. I did not have a second pair. As a result, I almost always kept them with me. At Roncesvalles I was made to put them on a rack before going upstairs, but I quickly retrieved them when prying eyes were off me. I pretty much followed that routine everywhere I went.
Very good and practical recommendations!!The Camino attracts all kinds of people. It usually sorts them out and changes everyone for the better. However, Refuge Orisson is on the first day. As the above posts indicate, the learning curve is as steep as that first day's walk. There are still too many people who have not acclimated to the Camino, its "rules," customs and mores that early on.
The theft complaints do not surprise me, as most people are starting out and may be on their first Camino. You should also know that Orisson is a popular lunch location for locals, because of the fabulous deck with drop-dead beautiful vistas of the Pyrenees. It looks like Switzerland, on the cheap. So, there may well be some locals in the mix, who are not attuned to the Camino spirit. Who knows? I do not.
At that point, most new pilgrims have not yet learned to respect others and their property too. That said, hanging anything valuable exposed outside your rucksack (like Oakley sunglasses) a camera, smart phone, GPS, etc. anywhere, and anytime, is like flashing a neon sign that reads "take me!"
I believe it is an unfortunate down side to human nature. So, do not be surprised if you fail to cover these items up, keep them on your person at all times, and something goes walkabout on you. I suppose it was an expensive lesson learned...
The boot theft issue is more problematic. It does occur along the Camino but is rare and sporadic. Other forum threads contain methods to decrease the likelihood of theft. But briefly stated, some easy ways to minimize hiking boot theft include:
A combination of the above will very nearly ensure that your boots will not be accidentally or intentionally misappropriated. The least that will happen is that a person will think twice or look elsewhere. The worse that will happen is that they will grab at your boots a pull the entire rack to the floor, thus drawing attention to the theft.
- Place your boots at a low level, in a corner of the rack. Boots at eye-height are easier to "scope out." If they are easy for you to spot and keep and eye on, so too for someone with adverse intent.
- Tie and double-knot the boots together, and include the shoe rack if possible so taking them is not an easy, casual, or unplanned event. You KNOW the boots are attached to the rack and to each other, the potential thief does not; OR,
- Attach a small, cable-style, combination luggage lock to eyelets in both boots. This makes the act of theft pointless unless you also have a tool box handy to cut the cable. I saw this last year and thought it very clever.
- Change out your standard boot laces for neon-colored orange, yellow or safety lemon lime, or even a bright electric blue or sky blue. This makes your boots unique and easy to spot....and less likely to be chosen by the thief. It has the added effect of making you more visible while walking on roads.
The list used to include a first suggestion to simply remove the laces each night. But that was removed because: (a) it takes added time in the morning to lace up, and (b) a person replacing their boots with your boots can simply take the lace-less boots and use their laces once they are down the road and around the bend. So, that idea was removed. But the other ideas have all been seen while on repeated Caminos and I have used some of the others. I like the luggage lock idea.
This flows into my related recommendation about auxiliary shoes. Typically, a pilgrim will carry shower sandals or flip-flops to wear while showering (prevents catching a foot fungus). However, and it is something to consider, would this sole pair of extra footwear suffice if you found yourself having to walk in them because something unplanned happened to your boots or hiking shoes?
My suggestion is that you consider spending a bit more in carried weight in favor of wearing something like Crocs, Telic, or Xeroshoes, waterproof sandals. They are all lightweight (around 500 grams or a pound for the pair, except the Telic flip flops, which are like orthopedic flip-flops and weigh far less) and are supportive enough to wear as primary footwear for a day or two, until you can get to a shoe store to replace purloined boots or shoes. I have all three. The Crocs are heaviest but are the most comfortable for walking. The Xeroshoes Z-Trek sandal is something totally new and is intended for barefoot trail running. But it does suffice for the Camino. My personal predilection is for the Telic über flip-flops, molded shower slides, or Crocs.
I hope this helps.
My only criticism of Orrison was the god awful sewage smell that wafted into the rooms. It was really hot so between the heat, the lack of air movement and the smell I cannot say I enjoyed Orrison. It was also where my Keens were stolen from the shoe rack so that didn't help, 3 days into my holiday and no place to be able to replace them for several more.
You do realize that you are introducing foot fungi, odors and whatever manure you may have walked through during the day into the sleeping area.
Hey, Mark I've been meaning to return those glasses to you for 2 years.Can't say I chalked up the loss of my sunglasses to some confused pilgrim who hadn't yet learned the rules of the Camino or how to respect other people's stuff.
I just wrote it off as reality. The Camino has thieving idiots on it, just as everywhere else. Don't trust everyone to do the right thing.
Anyway, I often took the insoles out of my hiking shoes as a deterrent. Not saying it would work 100% of the time, but I figured no thief would want shoes with no insoles.
Dang it, I thought I saw you there. ha haHey, Mark I've been meaning to return those glasses to you for 2 years.. Just kidding!
My only criticism of Orrison was the god awful sewage smell that wafted into the rooms. It was really hot so between the heat, the lack of air movement and the smell I cannot say I enjoyed Orrison. It was also where my Keens were stolen from the shoe rack so that didn't help, 3 days into my holiday and no place to be able to replace them for several more.
I doubt many pilgrims take 20 minute showers at Orisson. 5 minutes is all you should really need, and at Orrison that's what you get: 1 token per person for 5 minutes of hot water. After that, all you get is cold water, which certainly cuts down on the wasteful showers.20 minute wasteful water showers, using products that biarritzdon mentions, and soon you have sewer gas.
I doubt many pilgrims take 20 minute showers at Orisson. 5 minutes is all you should really need, and at Orrison that's what you get: 1 token per person for 5 minutes of hot water. After that, all you get is cold water, which certainly cuts down on the wasteful showers.
Annie, please do and maybe start a new thread! I can only begin to imagine how many albergues are on septic systems, a system which as you have mentioned also does not deal well with the disposal of parer products. Thus the reason for a waste can next to the toilet full of "yucky" waste paper.That sewage smell is the result of pilgrims who don't understand what it's like to NOT be on a city sewer.
I think I'll blog on this!
20 minute wasteful water showers, using products that biarritzdon mentions, and soon you have sewer gas.
Tincatinker, a prerequisite to do a couple days/weeks as a hospitalero along the way might help.Oh lovely. It's what I really love about this forum. A post about Tripadvisor critiques of Orisson evolves into a really valuable thread highlighting the challenges of disposing of the never-ending flow of pilgrim-poo when you're not plugged-in to the main-drain.
Annie, Don, I do not mock. But where do we start? There are pilgs confused by the absence of ketchup, low-cal de-caffeinated mocha - chai, hair-dryers, washing-machines and 24 gb wee fee. Let alone the absence of an infinite supply of hot water. How are we going to explain that the world smells of poo because 'you' keep pooing in it. We can't just keep on sticking up posters " Flushable, Bio-degradeable wet-wipes Aren't and Don't" might be accurate but it's not much of a campaign slogan is it.
Or, maybe it is... Maybe if we all keep banging on maybe we change something.
Oh lovely. It's what I really love about this forum. A post about Tripadvisor critiques of Orisson evolves into a really valuable thread highlighting the challenges of disposing of the never-ending flow of pilgrim-poo when you're not plugged-in to the main-drain.
Annie, Don, I do not mock. But where do we start? There are pilgs confused by the absence of ketchup, low-cal de-caffeinated mocha - chai, hair-dryers, washing-machines and 24 gb wee fee. Let alone the absence of an infinite supply of hot water. How are we going to explain that the world smells of poo because 'you' keep pooing in it. We can't just keep on sticking up posters " Flushable, Bio-degradeable wet-wipes Aren't and Don't" might be accurate but it's not much of a campaign slogan is it.
Or, maybe it is... Maybe if we all keep banging on maybe we change something.
I just got a confirmation of my reservation at Orisson today. I have emailed multiple times. The email that finally worked was "refuge.orisson @wanadoo.frI phoned to Orisson from Saint Just Ibarre, a day before I arrived to SJPP. No answer, so I recorded a message. They never called back.
Apparently, this is not the way they manage reservations, although its phone number appears in the contact form.
I'll be there the 12th of May. Anyone else there that day?I just got a confirmation of my reservation at Orisson today. I have emailed multiple times. The email that finally worked was "refuge.orisson @wandadoo.fr
OhThanks.
But (just in case somebody else pick up your suggestion) this French internet provider should be "wanadoo.fr"
Thanks for catching that. I edited it so it won't mess anyone up.Thanks.
But (just in case somebody else pick up your suggestion) this French internet provider should be "wanadoo.fr"
Great idea especially if you need orthotics which cost a bomb and took ages to get just right. The thought of losing them on the first day!...
Anyway, I often took the insoles out of my hiking shoes as a deterrent. Not saying it would work 100% of the time, but I figured no thief would want shoes with no insoles.
It is disappointing when I see and hear people give the very real issue of food intolerances a bad name. It is never an expectation of mine that people cater to only me and my needs. I am already making a plan as to how I will try to navigate my Camino, being severely gluten intolerant, even if that means I eat canned tuna, fruit, and vegetables only. I don't think I will have to be that restricted, but I will be prepared to if needed. Otherwise, I'll spend a lot of time along the side of the road, or stuck in a bathroom. :/There are some very high maintenance pilgrims out there! Sometimes the Camino cures them, but Orisson is a little early in most pilgrimages for a cure to have taken hold.
I wrote Orrison from their website twice in the last 10 days, but haven't heard back.I just got a confirmation of my reservation at Orisson today. I have emailed multiple times. The email that finally worked was "refuge.orisson @wanadoo.fr
I agree. You may consider shipping Gluten Free food ahead and staging it every couple of days. Supplement with Fruits and veggies, etc. It may be a little more complicated, but, insures you're safe. I mentioned this in a prior post and was hammered for 'suggesting' Spain wasn't a modern society and scolded that Spain has GF food. They just don't get it.
Buen Camino
Yes. Use the email refuge.orisson@wanadoo.fr It took me multiple times writing to them before they finally emailed me back. Don't give upI wrote Orrison from their website twice in the last 10 days, but haven't heard back.Is this usual?
thanks-- I just wrote them again, using the e-mail address this time. Fingers crossed!+
Yes. Use the email refuge.orisson@wanadoo.fr It took me multiple times writing to them before they finally emailed me back. Don't give up
I love these for my athletic shoes, but never thought about them for my boots. Are you boots, ankle boots? Any issues getting your foot in/out?I use lace locks on my boot laces. When I put the boots in the rack, I use the lacelocks to attach the boots and trekking poles together. Really makes it a mess to steal the whole convoluted mass, and kinda obvious to try. Little known Camino fact: Bob, the very first peregrino, had his sandals and walking stick stolen. So.....
Back to the original post. Booked it in 2012 and got there about 9am. Had a coffee and decided to keep going. So, I cancelled my stay and moved on. Looked like a decent place though and booked it again this May.
I was reading the reviews about Orisson on TripAdvisor and although they are written in English, French and Spanish I could follow them all without the use of the Google translate ( I am smartarse aren't i?). They are great because some of them highlight how self absorbed some people are but also because the owner doesn't take criticism lying down and gives his own response to any poor reviews. There is some poor person from NY that feels the place is inadequate because there isn't a menu to cater for his own particular food intolerance. The owner highlights the fact that it isn't a five star hotel but a refuge in the middle of the mountains that he is running. I am booking a night there on the 13th April and look forward to meeting him.
Can anyone really criticise a place that can only open for part of the year and offer the deal he is offering for 33 euros a night?
I use lace locks on my boot laces. When I put the boots in the rack, I use the lacelocks to attach the boots and trekking poles together. Really makes it a mess to steal the whole convoluted mass, and kinda obvious to try. Little known Camino fact: Bob, the very first peregrino, had his sandals and walking stick stolen. So.....
Back to the original post. Booked it in 2012 and got there about 9am. Had a coffee and decided to keep going. So, I cancelled my stay and moved on. Looked like a decent place though and booked it again this May.
Okay, so what exactly are lace locks?
A picture on google is better than any verbal description I can think of.Okay, so what exactly are lace locks?
Yes, heaps of info on lacing techniques on the web, including lots of Youtube vids. If you've never heard of this, you probably don't need to worry. It's only problems that motivate you to look for solutions.A picture on google is better than any verbal description I can think of.
It's a fine place to stay at and the view fabulous and accommodation are adequate, food excellent but service can be sketchy and my feeling is do not poke the bear with the stick. It is correct a place in the middle of the mountains. I have stayed there four times cannot complain about food or accommodation. Enjoy it you will be glad you stayed there.I was reading the reviews about Orisson on TripAdvisor and although they are written in English, French and Spanish I could follow them all without the use of the Google translate ( I am smartarse aren't i?). They are great because some of them highlight how self absorbed some people are but also because the owner doesn't take criticism lying down and gives his own response to any poor reviews. There is some poor person from NY that feels the place is inadequate because there isn't a menu to cater for his own particular food intolerance. The owner highlights the fact that it isn't a five star hotel but a refuge in the middle of the mountains that he is running. I am booking a night there on the 13th April and look forward to meeting him.
Can anyone really criticise a place that can only open for part of the year and offer the deal he is offering for 33 euros a night?
I am grateful to be able to eat. I am an American saying American's can be unfavorably critical, I have experienced this even with traveling companions. A couple of travel companions complained about the snails, boiled greens and rice we were served, my response was "go hungry". When you are in the forests of West Africa you eat with the locals. I have traveled world wide and visited poor nations, needless to say food on the walk will be a breeze, whatever it is.It really tickled me, the owner says they cater for veggies and for people with a gluten intolerance in his response to this review so it did make me wonder about what sort of food intolerance this sad New Yorker was complaining that Orisson didn't cater for. The reviews that Orisson gets with just a one star speak volumes about the writers and their lack of understanding of a) where the refuge is, b) what a refuges is c) no comprehension of what being a pilgrim entails and finally d) the bloke is trying to run a business not a charity!
I am grateful to be able to eat. I am an American saying American's can be unfavorably critical, I have experienced this even with traveling companions. A couple of travel companions complained about the snails, boiled greens and rice we were served, my response was "go hungry". When you are in the forests of West Africa you eat with the locals. I have traveled world wide and visited poor nations, needless to say food on the walk will be a breeze, whatever it is.
If you could point towards more information about sending food forward I would really appreciate it! I am new here and still figuring this place out.
Yes, I have actually done a bit of research on Gluten Free resources in Europe. I was amazed to learn there is a gf bakery that will deliver fresh gf bread to you each week in Germany. I lived in Germany for 5 years prior to my diagnosis, but ALL of my problems started after I moved back to the states.
And I am sort of used to foraging, even here at home it is very rare that I eat out, which has forced me to become a better cook, so its not so bad.
I just returned from a winter Camino Frances. I think you will be pleased at the large Gluten Free availability along the CF. Even very small bars in small villages had choices on menus.
A big change from my earlier CF trips.
@IDBluebird77 you may be pleasantly surprised by the general availability of gf foods in Spanish supermercado and even some panaderia. Sadly restaurants will be more of a challenge as many will prepare at most a menu of three choices or fewer. Depending on your level of intolerance you will hopefully be safe with most of the meat / fish & potatoes options but cross-contamination will of course be a risk.
In several threads on dietary challenges it has been suggested that pilgrims carry laminated cards setting out their issues in Spanish. The good souls along the Caminos who work to service Pilgrims are minded that a sick pilgrim is not a happy pilgrim. They will do their best to help.
I am grateful to be able to eat. I am an American saying American's can be unfavorably critical, I have experienced this even with traveling companions. A couple of travel companions complained about the snails, boiled greens and rice we were served, my response was "go hungry". When you are in the forests of West Africa you eat with the locals. I have traveled world wide and visited poor nations, needless to say food on the walk will be a breeze, whatever it is.
Yeah, so glad you decided to be the holder of the experience manual by which all Americans are to be judged on their culinary preferences. Appreciate it, dude...I am grateful to be able to eat. I am an American saying American's can be unfavorably critical, I have experienced this even with traveling companions. A couple of travel companions complained about the snails, boiled greens and rice we were served, my response was "go hungry". When you are in the forests of West Africa you eat with the locals. I have traveled world wide and visited poor nations, needless to say food on the walk will be a breeze, whatever it is.
Yes, you can buy a sandwich at Orisson. They take orders when you check in. I would also suggest you buy some of the dried fruit and nuts in SJPdP at the spice shop across from the church; some of the best I've ever had.Hi All, Quick question about Orisson... I will be staying there for a night. Will there be a lunch that I can buy @ Orisson for my walk from Orisson to Roncesvalles? Or should I plan on purchasing some food before I leave St. Jean?
Thank you Susan!Yes, you can buy a sandwich at Orisson. They take orders when you check in. I would also suggest you buy some of the dried fruit and nuts in SJPdP at the spice shop across from the church; some of the best I've ever had.
I have come across questions on various facebook pages from people who think they are going on a 4 star holiday but they are usually put right by others. Trip advisor is to my mind the worst place to get a balanced view of anywhere even though I must admit to having put reviews on it myself. Never again thoughThere are some very high maintenance pilgrims out there! Sometimes the Camino cures them, but Orisson is a little early in most pilgrimages for a cure to have taken hold.
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