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- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Frances (Sept-Oct 2014, April-May 2016)
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but if you personally do often default to the traditional type of albergues, why?
How do know if a Albergue has private rooms?For probably too long, I had spend a great deal of time on my own, and had grown well accustomed to my solitude, which I enjoyed tremendously. When I went on camino I felt my pilgrimage would not be authentic, for me, unless I put myself - at least at some point - completely out of my comfort zone. Most of the time my companion and I stayed in albergue private rooms with shared bathrooms. We stayed in albergue dormitorios only a handful of times. We met lovely people. I was very uncomfortable with all the shared facilities, but that was the point.
I chose to stay in communal albergues (of all variety) 90% of the time because it just seemed to be the thing to do, and I suppose the cost played in there as well, not to mention the social aspect. Also, communal living nothing new to me, having been in the military and also experienced it working as a civilian overseas.
I never found any of the albergues to be austere, primitive or miserable to stay in, in any way. They were clean and modern. Hot running water and showers and toilets. As I was always pretty tired by 10 pm I never really had an issue sleeping (little bit of wine with dinner or a couple of cold beers helps). Sure a night here and there with an overly loud snorer, and a few times in quarters that became just unbearably stuffy, smelly and hot because of pilgrims with the archaic belief that windows must be shuttered at night, but overall comfortable and positive.
Yes, and I did sometimes and even had on one occasion an argument over it. On the occasions where I was the lone fresh air circulation advocate in a room full of medieval, night air is filled with sickness thinkers, I had to capitulate (democracy). When that happened, if possible I slept out on a couch in the common area where there were open windows. Once I slept on top of big, heavy wooden table in the common area.This is where my a
My archaic belief would be to open the windows If the smell or stale air became too much
begging pardon in advance for brief off topic answerHow do know if a Albergue has private rooms?
Thanks!
I, on the other hand, shivered my way through many nights of snow blowing through the open windows because people believed warm air, rather than dirty hands, was the cause of spread of diseaseYes, and I did sometimes and even had on one occasion an argument over it. On the occasions where I was the lone fresh air circulation advocate in a room full of medieval, night air is filled with sickness thinkers, I had to capitulate (democracy). When that happened, if possible I slept out on a couch in the common area where there were open windows. Once I slept on top of big, heavy wooden table in the common area.
When I did the CF in 2015 I didn't bring any type of sleeping bag or liner with me at all, and didn't need one until the last night before I walked in to SDC. It was late in the afternoon in September, drizzly and cloudy when I reached Monte de Gozo and decided to stay there, figuring I'd walk into the plaza early in the morning. Well, Monte de Gozo is a big albergue, but there were maybe 20 pilgrims there and they put you up in 4-person rooms. There are no blankets available and the drizzly weather was a cold front pushing through. I gotta say, I froze me arse off that night. Slept terribly despite wearing my fleece pullover and long pants. I actually contemplated just getting up and walking into Santiago that night and finding a hotel or pensiones, ha ha. As it turned out I got up and out of there before 7:00 am the next morning and was in the plaza before 8:00 am. It was very cool and clear, but beautiful weather. As soon as one opened I got a room at a pensiones and that night got a proper rest.I, on the other hand, shivered my way through many nights of snow blowing through the open windows because people believed warm air, rather than dirty hands, was the cause of spread of diseaseI put on every item of clothing I had, including down vest, gortex jacket and pants, and wool cap, and burrowed deep into my 4 season sleeping bag.
this is why I always laugh when people ask if they will be warm enough (in whatever situation)...clearly they have never shared a room with opposite gender or body build, or they would know there is no such thing as optimum room temperature.
Yup, I experienced that too.I have a pretty wide comfort range when it comes to sleeping, so normally this wasn't an issue for me, but there were a couple nights in alberques where it was so stuffy that I just wanted to go sleep outside.
Anyway, most nights I slept very well in alberques - my body was tired from walking and just wanted to sleep. And the comradeship (is that the right word?) of staying in alberques was great. I met some really cool people. On nights that I didn't stay in alberques - once or twice a week I'd get a private room - I'd miss the other people.
If we start seeing posts about pillow fights in the albergues, I will know the person to blame...even if teddy bear hankies aren't found at the sceneWhy do I chose to sleep in albergues most of the time, when I could afford my own room?
It's a whole lot more fun! Sleepover for grown-ups.
Interesting points of discussion, and most were, at some time, discussed with various people during my Camino Frances this year. From my experience, I found that there's far more noise and lack of respect at the private Alberques - although a couple of municiples were not much better, with people staying up late, drinking, music, loud, which was a great disturbance for those needing a peaceful nights sleep and early set-off the next moring. If people want to drink and make noise that's their choice and their way, but it all too frequently disturbed and upset the majority. However, Albergue Gaucelmo is run by volunteers and to traditional values - everyone agrees to their standards of respect and values, 'ground rules' if you like, so there is no discord or disturbance, we were all agreed to respect one another and knew what was expected of us. If someone didn't want those guidelines then they could find somewhere else to stay. Also, I like the way shared acccomodation - bunks, kitchen, showers etc, brings everyone to the same, human level. A few people - at the start of their Camino, were boastful and arrogant about their possitions in life, their jobs and possesions, etc. I, for one, sensed a changed in them along the way - in me too, in so much as they began leaving all that behind, thinking of and discussing other matters and far more contemplative, which is the 'Camino' effect, as far as I know, that we go on a way whichgives us time, space in nature, challenges and renews our perspective of self and life - for good or bad (I believe mainly for the good). In facing-up to the changes and challenges of being in close proximity to many strangers on a long and challenging walk, we leave behind our sterilized, complex, overbearing and problematic lives, and meet face-to-face people from all over the world, and open our perspectives and minds to others, learn again to live with and respect things we're becoming increasingly detatched from.I'm finishing notes for a local pilgrim group discussion and would like to include the voices of other forum members if some of you don't mind. Our subject is why many people who would normally avoid shared rooms & baths, and who could afford other options, nonetheless do choose to spend a good portion of their nights without privacy in pilgrim albergues. Even among snorers, or even if we are the snorers!
Apart from the practical points that communal sleeping etc is affordable, and the non-reservable kind of albergues don't disappear off the market days in advance, what more personal motivations would you mention?
I don't think that there is a 'right' choice of acommodation, or even that the same pilgrim would make the same type of choices every night, but if you personally do often default to the traditional type of albergues, why?
That is a downside to staying in albergues. Most have a curfew of 10-10:30 pm. There were a couple of the private ones that had no curfew and a pass code or similar to let you in, but those are rare on the CF.Well, if you want to go to any authentic local restaurants remember they may be opening about the same time the albergue is locking up.
I have always wondered: why turn on the heat for the night, when people are in bed under blankets, instead of during the afternoon and evening when people are wet from a shower, not in their sleeping back, etc.? Makes no sens to me. But that is another topic." ....but the front door was unlocked and one dormitory was open. No heat in the radiators, but piles of blankets and a hot plate. Considering the alternative it was great! Mid afternoon I snuggled into my sleeping bag; outside the storm steadily intensified. As night fell the radiators started up. Warm and sheltered how lucky I was!...Bliss.
because some of us, even in a four season sleeping bag and all of our clothes, and any available blankets, are freezing when the temperatures drop to their lowest point...the middle of the nightI have always wondered: why turn on the heat for the night, when people are in bed under blankets, instead of during the afternoon and evening when people are wet from a shower, not in their sleeping back, etc.? Makes no sens to me. But that is another topic.
I too wanted to get outside my comfort zone. I'd not spent one night of my life in a hostel prior to walking the Camino Frances. As I was walking the Camino on my own, I think I would have been terribly lonely had I not stayed in alburgues. That is where I met my Camino family members.For probably too long, I had spend a great deal of time on my own, and had grown well accustomed to my solitude, which I enjoyed tremendously. When I went on camino I felt my pilgrimage would not be authentic, for me, unless I put myself - at least at some point - completely out of my comfort zone. Most of the time my companion and I stayed in albergue private rooms with shared bathrooms. We stayed in albergue dormitorios only a handful of times. We met lovely people. I was very uncomfortable with all the shared facilities, but that was the point.
For some people, a pilgrimage is about stripping yourself down to the minimum, and learning how little you need to get by... And learning how to be grateful even for the minimum. I'd say 9/10ths of the people walking the camino on a given day can afford nicer places to stay, and well over half of them really ought to pay for a nicer room.
the sponsored donativo albergues
Perfect answer @Rebekah Scott !For some people, a pilgrimage is about stripping yourself down to the minimum, and learning how little you need to get by... And learning how to be grateful even for the minimum. I'd say 9/10ths of the people walking the camino on a given day can afford nicer places to stay, and well over half of them really ought to pay for a nicer room and stay there, to leave room in the albergues for people who can't afford elsewhere, and those doing a serious spiritual journey of simplicity. For that minority, sleeping in minimal places is part of the dressing, eating, spending minimally scene, part of the essential bare-bones existence they choose to live for a while. It's not always comfortable or sweet-smelling, but it's full of amazing revelations. Not everyone needs to walk that kind of camino, but the ones who do ought to be respected. They ought to be able to find a bed at the end of the day in an albergue. They are who the albergues were built for.
I'm assuming (possibly incorrectly) he means supported or championed by, as in church sponsored, municipally sponsored...not a private businessWhere was that? Sponsored? SY
You are quite right. We met one woman who stayed in pre-booked, private accommodation throughout; she said she felt very lonely going back to her empty hotel room every night. On the other hand, I venture to say that not everyone who does the Camino, and I include myself here, is up to the camaraderie found in the albergues, no matter how friendly everyone is. In my case, I was fortunate that I was with two travel companions, and they provided a buffer for me against all the socializing.I too wanted to get outside my comfort zone. I'd not spent one night of my life in a hostel prior to walking the Camino Frances. As I was walking the Camino on my own, I think I would have been terribly lonely had I not stayed in alburgues. That is where I met my Camino family members.
You are quite right. We met one woman who stayed in pre-booked, private accommodation throughout; she said she felt very lonely going back to her empty hotel room every night.
.......loud snorers ..........They are the ones who should have been segregating themselves in private rooms.
In the past when this suggestion has been raised, I said this:Often, one or two people interrupted the much-needed rest of dozens, and I wondered how these loud snorers justified inflicting such misery on so many. They are the ones who should have been segregating themselves in private rooms.
I think it quite an unrealistic expectation that snorers should not use communal dormitories in albergues. This is not a matter of courtesy - in my experience it comes from an elevated sense of entitlement that unfortunately some pilgrims seem to have, while at the same time overlooking their own annoying and disruptive habits. Albergues are there for all pilgrims - if you feel you need to avoid the disruption of sharing with snorers, it is up to you to pay the cost of more private accommodation.
Oops! I have to retract some of what I said. It's been pointed out to me by PM that the person to whom my post referred has been a forum member longer than I. I was led, mistakenly, by the far fewer posts.Not so! I see you are fairly new to the forum. I've been on this forum long enough to know it is..........not so. Check the other threads!
Interesting that you say this. Although I was very happy to have my companions with me, and we met some wonderful people - and a few email addresses were exchanged - I do not now keep in touch with anyone I met on camino. I often wonder if and how things might have been different had I walked alone. Likewise, I wonder (or worry) if my companions at the time wonder the same.I did a 100K "guided tour" camino with my wife and 4 friends a couple of years ago. We stayed in casa rurals, and were usually the only ones staying at these places. Although I had a marvelous time with my wife and companions, they were the only other pilgrims with which I had much interaction.
Of course the experience would have been different - better in some ways, worse in others. If you are "wondering" happily, then go on doing so. However the "wonder (worry)" about your friends wondering, doesn't seem like the best way to approach an otherwise happy memory!I often wonder if and how things might have been different had I walked alone. Likewise, I wonder (or worry) if my companions at the time wonder the same.
I think it odious to suggest there might be classes of pilgrims, some of whom are able to enjoy their camino without any particular constraints, and others who are pressured into foregoing participation in some activities. Certainly there are ways for an individual to reduce the level of their snoring - but that relies in the first instance in them acknowledging that they are a snorer. My view is that this is far less likely than one might initially think.Alcohol--no one has to drink. No, seriously, you don't. If you snore loudly and must make it worse with alcohol, you could be nice and also choose (along with alcohol) a separate room.
I think it odious to suggest there might be classes of pilgrims, some of whom are able to enjoy their camino without any particular constraints, and others who are pressured into foregoing participation in some activities. Certainly there are ways for an individual to reduce the level of their snoring - but that relies in the first instance in them acknowledging that they are a snorer. My view is that this is far less likely than one might initially think.
There might also be snorers who choose, for their own reasons, to seek more private accommodation or to avoid alcohol, but it would be wrong for us to deliberately pressure them into this.
Really, if you are intolerant of what is relatively natural and almost normal behaviour like snoring, it is up to you to resolve the issue by seeking out more private accommodation.
Interesting that you say this. Although I was very happy to have my companions with me, and we met some wonderful people - and a few email addresses were exchanged - I do not now keep in touch with anyone I met on camino. I often wonder if and how things might have been different had I walked alone. Likewise, I wonder (or worry) if my companions at the time wonder the same.
. So lots a person could choose to do in order not to disturb others: skip alcohol, prop on side/prop up (carry blanket/pillow if necessary), get a separate room if unwilling to forgo booze or sleep on side.
if you are doing that then you are doing all you can do. I did not say anyone was inconsiderate who tried to decrease their impact on others. i didn't even say those who chose not to do decrease their impact on others were inconsiderate. I said considerate people try to decrease their negative impact on the well-being of the group. that, by your statement, includes you.I have done all of that as well as had several operations and still snore. I do not appreciate self appointed sleep experts suggesting I am inconsiderate when all I am trying to do is breathe.
Thank you. That's very sweet of you @C clearly. I guess I am 'wondering happily' since, in my case, there is no doubt that the advantages of traveling with companions far outweighed any disadvantages. [Anyway, I think perhaps the subject of this little digression here really belongs on another thread.Of course the experience would have been different - better in some ways, worse in others. If you are "wondering" happily, then go on doing so. However the "wonder (worry)" about your friends wondering, doesn't seem like the best way to approach an otherwise happy memory!(I'm just trying to ease the urge to ask "what if?")
Yes, and I did sometimes and even had on one occasion an argument over it. On the occasions where I was the lone fresh air circulation advocate in a room full of medieval, night air is filled with sickness thinkers, I had to capitulate (democracy). When that happened, if possible I slept out on a couch in the common area where there were open windows. Once I slept on top of big, heavy wooden table in the common area.
Improvise, overcome and adapt.About 10 days, erm, nights ago, when a woman who started to snore like a sailor in an albergue (with 9 bunkbeds and only five people), I left the dorm room for the lounge area. Unfortunately, a couple also staying at the albergue got to the lounge first, so I put a couple of cushy comfy chairs together, used the chair pads of the loveseat for a mattress of sorts and attempted to fall asleep. Unfortunately (again) the guy who was sleeping in the lounge also snored like a deckhand. I am a very light sleeper and earplugs don't work. It was too cold to sleep outside. But! Fortunately, the couple woke up around midnight and moved back into the dorm. I had a great sleep the rest of the night on my makeshift bed! And in the morning, when the couple caught up to me, and I told the guy that he was excellent in the art of snoring, his wife laughed and thanked me--he had been telling her she was wrong, that he didn't snore. She felt vindicated but I was just happy that they left the lounge, haha! And yeah, the windows of the dorm room were also shut and the air had a bit of a 'hum' to it. Ach!
Improvise, overcome and adapt.
In one small albergue I stayed at just before Leon, the sleeping areas consisted of those small rooms with about 3-4 bunk beds in them. The one I was put in only had two other occupants. Two young women. Before I went to sleep I opened the window, but at about 1:00 am I woke up, and saw the window had been closed, and I swear the air was so heavy in that room I had difficulty breathing (the door was closed, too). The two women were sleeping soundly, and I gave in to chivalry and vacated, dragging my bag liner behind me like Linus in Peanuts with his blanket, and made my way to an old, musty couch in the hallway. It was lumpy, and only about 5' in length, but both windows in the hallway were open and there was a clean, fresh breeze blowing through. I could breath which meant I could sleep, ha ha.
Not so! I see you are fairly new to the forum. I've been on this forum long enough to know it is..........not so. Check the other threads!
... However, I had to switch to hostals and pensions because, despite my industrial ear plugs, the loud snoring in the albergues prevented me from getting enough sleep to stay sane. Often, one or two people interrupted the much-needed rest of dozens, and I wondered how these loud snorers justified inflicting such misery on so many. They are the ones who should have been segregating themselves in private rooms.
I'm a very light sleeper, and surprisingly, I found that I slept better in albergues than I did at the average hostal! I found that if I put my earplugs in, and my eyeshades on, I was asleep in no time at all and the general noise and hubbub was like white noise in the background, soothing me gently to sleep. Contrast this with a hostal, where all was quiet until it was not quiet - someone came in and slammed a door, went to the bathroom etc - when I was fully woken and found it difficult to get back to sleep. Early morning plastic bag rustlers woke me in the albergue, of course, but so too did the people leaving early in the hostal.
And of course it was much easier to meet people in albergues. I stayed in 4 hostals, and only met another guest on one occasion.
Yes, you definitely see some of the politest and caring behavior, and unfortunately some of the rudest and egocentric behavior.Unfortunately the door slammers, plastic bag rustlers and other things people do when they don't seem to realize how much they are disturbing the other folks aren't confined to the hostels. These things happen also in albergues. Just got back from walking the Frances again; stayed at all sorts of accommodations including albergues, hostels, single rooms in albergues and hostels and a couple of times in small hotels.
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