Sober Camino: Albergues

Showing posts with label Albergues. Show all posts

Saturday, 6 June 2015

Decisions

Walking into Viana. A vivid little town, and the air was filled with swallows. The old church reigned the town centre. Although not run-down, it had the atmosphere of a ruin. High on the tower weird iron cages. I imagined the Inquisition showing prisoners there, before throwing them out to warn other sinners.

We sat on a square next to the church. Coffee. Wifi. Chats. Until the albergue was about to open. I had a short talk with a friendly man, walking out of the parish albergue. We went to the other albergue.

Long line of people. Moving the line wasn't easy. Some grumpy people. Sort of tension in the air. A joke that wasn't a joke. Suddenly I said: it doesn't feel good here. Just expressing what we all felt: the whole group had a sudden shake of relief. Everybody nodded: 'Lets go to the parish.' So all eight of us packed our bags and left the row.
Wow, I felt so strong, and proud of what we did. Of course there was room for us in the parish albergue. And such a warm welcome. Like lost children.

Friday, 5 June 2015

Hospitality and spirit lll

Of course the church is very present on the Camino Frances. There are many albergues run by parishes, christian organizations or monasteries. Two examples of kind hospitality can be found in Arre and in Viana.

In Trinidad de Arre most people walk for the call of the city: Pamplona. That's why this albergue is very quiet.

Viana

Paco and Ignatio, voluntarios del albergue parochial Viana

In Viana, next to the beautiful old church, is a small parochial albergue. The spiritual food there -find out yourself how- is as good as the profane food.

Thursday, 4 June 2015

Hospitality and spirit ll

I heard there are around 700 albergues on the Camino, don't know if that is a right estimation. But I noticed there are a lot of changes, and a lot of new albergues since 2012. The Camino is shaped by all those who walk it. But the hospitaleros have a very important supportive role. Hospitality can be found in many varieties. I tend to make a rough division: those who care about people -dedicated to the Camino and/or their profession- and those who care more about making money. You will usually feel the difference within minutes when you walk into a new albergue.

I came to San Bol this year. In 2012 a place without welcome, and now I met new people. And had a great talk and good coffee with Sandra and Hernan. It's great they are giving San Bol new energy and the good spirit.

San Bol is an intriguing place. The village on this place was abandoned in 1503. It was a Jewish settlement. That is why it may have been left, the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492.
It's remote, for five kilometers around San Bol there is no house or village. You will only be accompanied by the lovely sound of the poplars. Under the building is an old well. A dome gives the place this special look. Good place to stay.

The last remaining stone of the village

The well

You can enjoy the healthy, fresh water from the well....

Good place for meditation

Wednesday, 3 June 2015

Hospitality and spirit l

A second visit to Viloria de Rioja, where Acacio and Orietta have their lovely small refugio. Ja it feels more like a shelter. Again a warm welcome. And such good talks.

Intriguing and important matters. Questions that ask for answers.

Is the meseta the most important, the deepening part of the Camino?

Why do so many people skip this part of the Way?

Where are the black people on the Way?

Where are the pilgrims from Africa?

Has the Camino once been a pilgrimage road in the other direction? Where to?

I have invited Acacio to write on this blog.

* To be continued.

Orietta and me

Sober Camino

Imagine a country with so much heritage that even some of the churches are in ruin. España.

Since I walked the Camino Frances I can say: the outside, the image, the picture, the encounters with so many different people, the landscape; it's fabulous. About the inside you may have different thoughts. The sober character a way like the Camino should have in my opinion is under pressure, for various reasons.

We live in 2025, and everything seems within reach to anyone. The world as a village, a hollywood, a... So is the Camino. I love to write about the sunny side. It really is a great and mostly joyful experience. So pack'n go! But there's a shadowside that I'll point out to.

I didn't write a blog while walking the road. Gives an energy leak. It was better for me to come home first and then quietly write all this. Just made notes for some of the impressions in Spain already, and made a lot of photo's suitable for the blog.

Two kinds of stories here: impressions of my walks (see map below) in the left column, and comments and thoughts about the Camino itself in this right column.

The date above the article can be random sometimes, I want a certain order in it. But the travel impressions are related to my walks, sorted by date. ¿Me comprendes?

It is written in English, yes... because the Camino de Santiago is a world wide web. There is also a Dutch edition.

Released 5 nov. 2012, Groningen, the Netherlands

Go west!

How many times, when I was walking a part of the Camino where I could be sure it was old, I imagined that the sound of my stick on the pavement had been here for ages. That people walked this path a thousand years ago already. And even further back in time, there is word about Kelts travelling to Finisterre, far before that... Isn't that some heritage, isn't that something that leaves traces behind, in feeling, in energy...

Of course you can state that the Camino Frances is just another beautiful walking path. But that's not how it feels to me. There's something in the air, something happening when you walk. I think about the numerous hands of friendly villagers that showed me the right way. Or the times in a lonely forest, you're standing doubtfully on a crossroad, and then there is always this other pilgrim who knows where to go.
This early morning, still dark. A small village. A man passes by, breaks the silence with a sonore bass: "Buen camino, hombre." Moments that give you wings.
Walking uneasy with painful feet, worrying if you can go on. Then there is suddenly a newly opened nice cafe, for joyful moments of rest. It wasn't even on the map.

What I would do is

How to keep it uneasy, and clean, and sober

The Camino was a bit too easy, autumn 2012. Very nice weather, many nice terraces, good moods. It was becoming cosy: 'Hi, how are you, where are you from today?' Forgotten the harsh winds of the meseta, the burning sun before Logrono.
I was lucky enough to get my real camino after Santiago. On the way to Finisterre the ocean interfered and soaked me from hair to toes for two days. Ja! Great! Sure, I got an infection on my heel, had to wear sandals, nobody else around to straighten my raincape. Good! Real camino, good suffering, that's what we need! Other peregrinos felt the same. A man passing by in the pooring rain, in a t-shirt, was offering me his raincape...

Terrace in the sun, meeting friends, making photos, sounds like a Sunday's stroll, no? Luckily it's a .....end to Santiago, so blisters were the greatest blessing this year.
I went in September, in search for some loneliness. Forget it. Only if you kept on walking after three p.m. (most peregrinos in already, afraid of not getting a bed) you could be on your own. And, indeed, after Santiago. But how to have a sort of pilgrim's feeling if you walk, well, in a row? Standing in a queue at the pilgrim's office for your credential. No sitting place in the cathedral. No more touching the foot of Jacob, because there's a fence around it! Aje aje camino frances.... are you becoming a sort of walking highway: boring, busy, traffic jammed, polluted, predictable, safe as a rock...

Where is the camino itself?

The path itself. A lot of older parts of the way have disappeared. Please stop destroying it! Why cover a centuries old path under new stone? New stone that is often too steep, with steps too big for a backpack... And why all these shortcuts? Why all these kilometers along highways?