I walked last few summers, i volunteered 3 times. Last summer I felt in love with Zamora, and I'll be hospitalera there second half of July, just like you! Any practical advice, dos or don't s? -other than about heat (I just finished Granada-Cordoba short part, it was extra hot already. Similar to last year Toledo-Avilla).
Marianna, you will love Zamora albergue. Built into the wall, it is a very unique place. Some things to consider:
Unless they got insurance, you will not be able to use the elevator. The entrance ( a bit confusing to pilgrims coming across the bridge) is on the top street level. Have lots of iced water ready and some juicy fruits for the exhausted pilgrims. Some will show up before the albergue opens (for sure if it is hot hot hot... they have walked since dark). My partner and I, if we were around, opened the door for the backpacks and bics, and then send them off into town to have a beer.
Also, when I was there, the computer did not work, but there is WIFI. It also has an intercom system for music, that we did use, soothing for intake... and just in case we had some stragglers in the morning, increasing in volume in the morning!
OH and bring earplugs, even if you are alone in a room. Zamora is famous for their fiestas and concerts and the drums will go well into the wee morning hours on Friday and Saturday night for sure!
The time you will be serving, the #'s will have dropped, except for about 3 days prior to St. James Day, you will have a lot of pilgrims on bikes. (btw, I love my bicygrinos... they were clean and no fuss or muss about backpacks in the dorm). I learned to respect them a lot, watching how they baby their bicycles, like we pilgrims treasure our feet!
Since the #'s had dropped, we did not have to open (except 2 days) the dorms on the upper streetlevel (hospitalero room is there too) because of that, I did not share a room with the my companion hospitalera, instead, I choose the big dorm room with the balcony door overlooking the river. I had moved my bed as close to the balcony as possible to enjoy the breeze of the river and look at the nightsky and watch the storks on the steeple. Oh those storks, I miss them, even though they were noisy!
The coolest place, temperature wise, is in the lowest level, dining room and kitchen and laundry. I spend a fair amount of free time there because of it, also I liked to put on a pot of soup to have it handy for late arriving pilgrims, who were crazy enough to walk from Salamanca... arriving totally exhausted.
Because of various reasons, (1st day we had the ambulance at the door) we had sick people every day. I kept one of the small rooms as my sick room and it worked out great. With a proper Drs. note, pilgrims were allowed to stay on to recuperate.
Because of the heat, pilgrims started to walk early, so the posted breakfast time was not practical. Being an early riser myself, I took on breakfast and had it ready by 5:30. Usually between 7, we had no pilgrims left in the albergue and D'Olor and I had worked out a routine, that by about by 10, we were done with our chores. I did the dorms and laundry(fresh linen every day - my rules), she did the rest and we both buttered around in the kitchen.
Keep in mind, this albergue, albeit very modern, has no aircondition, or fans etc, not even in the office (anyway last year), so I got myself a handheld fan. I tried to get used to the Spanish custom to having all windows and doors closed to keep the heat out, but as soon as D'Olor would take her siesta, I opened the shutters for the office, door and out to the patio to get some airflow, even if it was hot air. Now, you can imagine, as soon as I took siesta, everything got shut down again. lol
On average we served 20 pilgrims daily, so all the midlevel dorms were full. Since we were done with our work fairly early (unless it was a vaporetta day - hot steam machine to kill anything that crawls, including bedbugs - wonderful contraption - every albergue should have that!), the 2 of us enjoyed lots of leisure time and explored Zamora. We also took a stroll into town each evening after the pilgrims were settle for our icecream and a short walk by the river, a chance to debrief the day.
Oh, there was a little bar down the road, just before you turn to go uphill to the albergue, the owner was the nicest person to befriend, lots of free coffee and then fruit from the garden for the pilgrims. It also was the closest bar for the pilgrims, but we had to be careful not to play favorites.
There are not many rules in Zamora... basically the person that overseas this place does not live in town and never comes, but you talk to him in an emergency over the phone. He has a local person, very nice chap, who once in a while comes to see if we needed any help and we did. (speaks little english, but understands a lot). We were basically told, you are in charge, use your best judgement and make this your home. However, NEVER ask for a donation (just point to the box - pilgrims will ask) and you MUST use the Vaporetta.
There was a bit of a confusion regarding issuing credentials for beginning pilgrims, we had some, the little church had some (the tourist office did not!), and the cathedral did not, but there was another place, it was the cloister with the nuns (sorry forgot the name), but they have weird hours. Oh, do make friends with the lady that looks after the church, she is fun company.
Marianna, please keep in mind, the above is what I experienced and how D'Olor and I served as hospitaleras. We got along wonderfully, same ideas etc, which made it such a wonderful experience too. The pilgrims were just a delight (they might have been exhausted and grouchy on arrival, but all smiles in the morning) and I think they felt that we made them welcome in "our" home and it showed in their messages in the book and the hugs and pictures we all took together. Some pilgrims called us the Parador of albergues... well, as it should be, especially since the Parador is just around the corner
.
I LOVED my time there, and would go back in a heartbeat! Since this became a rather long post, feel free to contact me via email should you have anymore questions. I pm'd the email.
(tx Castilian, I am too trusting)
Buen Camino, and greet my storks! Ingrid
