Life in the Refugio/Albergue

Sleeping in one large room with 100 people in bunk beds and sharing two showers for the women and two showers for the men is a common scene on the Camino. Some Refugios have smaller dormitories with 8 -10 people in the room - men and women. In one location, two bunks were side by side with no space in between. On the right of me was a German man and below me was an Italian man. The joy of arriving early to the Refugio is the opportunity for a bottom bunk. There are a number of advantages - easier to get up in the middle of the night and you can string a clothes line around one side of the bed to hang your still damp laundry. Since I am an early riser, it is easier to make as quiet as possible exit from the dorm.

The daily routine in the Refugio does not change much. Arrive and wait for the doors to open to receive pilgrims. This means lining up with all your gear in hand or nearby! Present your credentials for registration and pay the fee of 4 - 8 Euros. Some places assign beds while others head you off to a dorm and you get the choice of the remaining beds. Now to unpack for the evening - shower items, clean clothes for the evening, and laundry. Now wait in line for a shower - hope there is still hot water and you are not floating out of the shower room with all the water on the floor. It is good to go into and leave the shower in shorts - I learned the hard way by getting my pants legs all wet. If the space is too small to change in the shower - modesty is a broad term. In some locations, women and men share the same shower rooms - this is a challenge, but after a while everyone´s underwear is the same. After a shower, it is time to do laundry. This great on sunny days as most clothes dry. I have been doing hand wash and getting better at getting soap out and wringing the extra water out with my towel.

Now it is time for a snack, a rest, and time to write in my journal. Some people get to the stores before 2:00 and pick up food to cook. Stores will open again at 5:00 PM and then you can buy supper food and plan for the food for breakfast and lunch. Some days the walking will take me into a town when the bars are open. Spanish bars serve food for lunch. I have been walking with cheese and bread and fruit for lunch. In most locations, local restaurants offer a pilgrim meal - three courses for 10 Euros. The last few nights I have joined with some companions to cook dinner in the Refugio - more social and economical. Pilgrim meals usually are served at 7PM - this is hard when I have been heading to bed by 8PM.

There is silence after 10:00, but most folks are asleep by 9PM. The first of the early birds start to get up by 5AM and try very hard to get out of the dorm room into a common area to finish packing. It is good to have most things packed before you go to bed. The frequency of having a window open in the room is minimal - I am learning to sleep with no air and the sound of breathing and snoring! When I am tired enough - nothing bothers me.

Community forms as people work on their new blisters, cook dinner, relax in the gardens or local plazas. The pattern of living in the Refugio varies little from place to place and faces are becoming familiar as we wish each other a "Buen Camino" as we leave each morning!