- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2003 CF Ronces to Santiago
Hospi San Anton 2016.
I am going to break my experiences up into chapters.
Smack in the middle of the 2016 summer solstice I was most privileged to be assigned a hospitalero post at what must be one of THE MAGIC Albergues in the world! A no frills 12 bed albergue within the ruins of ancient monastery/ convent. Very little water at that time , no electricity , certainly no WiFi and pretty isolated - Castrojeriz was a good few miles away. When one sees the wooden sign on the Camino that contains the word 'Hospital' one must realize this is no tourist heaven. As a pilgrim you will be privileged to safe shelter , ablution facilities and you will be fed until you can not eat anymore , we made sure of that! - no there is no washing machine , nor was there 1000 years ago. I had been paired with Ollie , a seasoned Hospitalero with many skills and much knowledge. Our digs were beds in a container , commonly known as the roasting oven.
I cannot tell you how long my jaw was dropping but it must have been for a few hours a least! Just taking in this sanctuary and surroundings - but there is so much more to tell
San Anton is truly a magical place, Tintin stayed there so what more could you ask?
Unforgettable.
Ollie and I quickly settled in and found our way. We both had our idiosyncrasies My sleep apnea and snoring soon exiled Ollie to a bed in the common area. Only once or twice did we almost have a full house - get this! We never had a pilgrim complain , ever. We gave each person a rundown on how frugel the facilities were and all was accepted. The huge steel gates were closed at sunset and opened only at 7am - that was the only access to the ruins and it did not pose a fire risk. We could not afford the visits of 100 'Hontanas' pilgrims wanting to use our single toilet , shower and basin or partake in our breaky. Come after 7 and I will even make you a cup of coffee. Ollie liked to do the cooking , we had an adequate gas stove. - it put me out a little at first. He had German preciseness which was not a bad thing. His Pasta portions were calculated to be a half size larger or more. 'The Pilgrims may have to walk over 30km the next day' he would say. 'A normal portion is not good'. He showed me how to make our own salad dressing from scratch and I was awarded the task of making the salad - but every item had to be sliced in a different way Bless him.
Ovidio had a large hotel and a popular bar to cope with in Castrojeriz so rather than pop in each day he gave us free reign over purchases and the well being of the Albergue. Cool water was always displayed for any visitors. Every second day or so a tourist bus would arrive , Ollie and I were, I suppose , the custodians of the ruins. Invariably they would buy some items out of our goodies cabinet. The wooden Tau cross was a favorite, but then we had other items as well. We would use this kitty for basic supplies but most of all for fresh bread. At any time of day this little van would park outside our gates and blast it's fire alarm hooter - only in Spain? Ollie or I would then bolt out there with a few €s and be rewarded with warm freshly baked bread. Bread would only last a day or so and then we would gift it to the farm next door for animal feed.
After our general cleaning of the facilities, Ollie and I would empty the bins in and around the ruins. I must say , tourists and pilgrims were good with this. Sweeping or washing the floors , sanatising the shower and toilet while on our hands and knees was just like any other job and to be honest , I was never traumatised by this - many hospitaleros have done it for me. My military training and service probably put paid to any airs or graces that I may have harboured. Once the work had been done , that was it , ablutions closed. We had many other pilgrims and tourists that asked to use the loo but that was for our precious 12 souls that were perhaps going to arrive? We told these guys to bless the fields surrounding the ruins. Needless to say , Many were offended but we were not in the ablutions business - perhaps we should have charged €5 each and bought more supplies. Much more to come.
NOBODY in need was ever turned away from San Anton. We always had food from the night before in our small gas fridge and once or twice we did have some wanderers pop in.
Next , the Donative Pig and other twists , trials and tribulations.
@RENSHAW...could you maybe include a link to your first chapter for those of us who may have missed it & would like to read of your experience in order?
Many thanks.
It would be lovely to have all these in one place. So all you need to do, @RENSHAW, is to put your next entry after our appreciative replies! And write a note to the mods, asking to merge your two threads. (You can use the 'report' function.)
It's so good to read of life on the other side at San Anton, because this isn't your run-of-the-mill albergue. Now the bread mystery is solved. And I am guessing more to come!
Gracias!
I worked with Ollie for several weeks as well. We had a genuinely great time working together. He was a great mentor and fantastic chef with the limited resources we had to work with.
I also worked with Ollie for a couple of weeks one year.
Interesting fellow.
Smack in the middle of the 2016 summer solstice I was most privileged to be assigned a hospitalero post at what must be one of THE MAGIC Albergues in the world! A no frills 12 bed albergue within the ruins of ancient monastery/ convent. Very little water at that time , no electricity , certainly no WiFi and pretty isolated - Castrojeriz was a good few miles away. When one sees the wooden sign on the Camino that contains the word 'Hospital' one must realize this is no tourist heaven. As a pilgrim you will be privileged to safe shelter , ablution facilities and you will be fed until you can not eat anymore , we made sure of that! - no there is no washing machine , nor was there 1000 years ago. I had been paired with Ollie , a seasoned Hospitalero with many skills and much knowledge. Our digs were beds in a container , commonly known as the roasting oven.
I cannot tell you how long my jaw was dropping but it must have been for a few hours a least! Just taking in this sanctuary and surroundings - but there is so much more to tell
San Anton is truly a magical place, Tintin stayed there so what more could you ask?
Unforgettable.
Ollie and I quickly settled in and found our way. We both had our idiosyncrasies My sleep apnea and snoring soon exiled Ollie to a bed in the common area. Only once or twice did we almost have a full house - get this! We never had a pilgrim complain , ever. We gave each person a rundown on how frugel the facilities were and all was accepted. The huge steel gates were closed at sunset and opened only at 7am - that was the only access to the ruins and it did not pose a fire risk. We could not afford the visits of 100 'Hontanas' pilgrims wanting to use our single toilet , shower and basin or partake in our breaky. Come after 7 and I will even make you a cup of coffee. Ollie liked to do the cooking , we had an adequate gas stove. - it put me out a little at first. He had German preciseness which was not a bad thing. His Pasta portions were calculated to be a half size larger or more. 'The Pilgrims may have to walk over 30km the next day' he would say. 'A normal portion is not good'. He showed me how to make our own salad dressing from scratch and I was awarded the task of making the salad - but every item had to be sliced in a different way Bless him.
Ovidio had a large hotel and a popular bar to cope with in Castrojeriz so rather than pop in each day he gave us free reign over purchases and the well being of the Albergue. Cool water was always displayed for any visitors. Every second day or so a tourist bus would arrive , Ollie and I were, I suppose , the custodians of the ruins. Invariably they would buy some items out of our goodies cabinet. The wooden Tau cross was a favorite, but then we had other items as well. We would use this kitty for basic supplies but most of all for fresh bread. At any time of day this little van would park outside our gates and blast it's fire alarm hooter - only in Spain? Ollie or I would then bolt out there with a few €s and be rewarded with warm freshly baked bread. Bread would only last a day or so and then we would gift it to the farm next door for animal feed.
After our general cleaning of the facilities, Ollie and I would empty the bins in and around the ruins. I must say , tourists and pilgrims were good with this. Sweeping or washing the floors , sanatising the shower and toilet while on our hands and knees was just like any other job and to be honest , I was never traumatised by this - many hospitaleros have done it for me. My military training and service probably put paid to any airs or graces that I may have harboured. Once the work had been done , that was it , ablutions closed. We had many other pilgrims and tourists that asked to use the loo but that was for our precious 12 souls that were perhaps going to arrive? We told these guys to bless the fields surrounding the ruins. Needless to say , Many were offended but we were not in the ablutions business - perhaps we should have charged €5 each and bought more supplies. Much more to come.
NOBODY in need was ever turned away from San Anton. We always had food from the night before in our small gas fridge and once or twice we did have some wanderers pop in.
Next , the Donative Pig and other twists , trials and tribulations.
@RENSHAW...could you maybe include a link to your first chapter for those of us who may have missed it & would like to read of your experience in order?
Many thanks.
Hi there , it should still be in the search system. I am a little challenged when it comes to computer skills , perhaps a Moderator , mspath or annie santiago can help?@RENSHAW...could you maybe include a link to your first chapter for those of us who may have missed it & would like to read of your experience in order?
Many thanks.
It would be lovely to have all these in one place. So all you need to do, @RENSHAW, is to put your next entry after our appreciative replies! And write a note to the mods, asking to merge your two threads. (You can use the 'report' function.)
It's so good to read of life on the other side at San Anton, because this isn't your run-of-the-mill albergue. Now the bread mystery is solved. And I am guessing more to come!
Gracias!
Here you are@RENSHAW...could you maybe include a link to your first chapter for those of us who may have missed it & would like to read of your experience in order?
Many thanks.
Here you areHi there , it should still be in the search system. I am a little challenged when it comes to computer skills , perhaps a Moderator , mspath or annie santiago can help?
Luv you Margaret , thank you.
I worked with Ollie for several weeks as well. We had a genuinely great time working together. He was a great mentor and fantastic chef with the limited resources we had to work with.
Much younger than you and I bud , but in many ways he has a preciseness and all that experience , he was also a budget man that saved many a Euro.I worked with Ollie for several weeks as well. We had a genuinely great time working together. He was a great mentor and fantastic chef with the limited resources we had to work with.
I also worked with Ollie for a couple of weeks one year.
Interesting fellow.
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