The albergue lyfe

A part of the pilgrim experience is staying in hostels called albergues. These are specifically designed for pilgrims in that they are inexpensive and designed for community and conversation. That being said, these can often vary in quality and cleanliness. We have been fortunate enough to stay in very cute and clean places, although quirky in their own ways. For example, the one we stayed at last night had this large above-ground, concrete pool. They also had mattresses out on the patio that people could sleep on (we had a room thankfully). I woke up a couple of times and heard people playing games on their phones and/or snoring (looking at you dad 😝). 

Today we found the CUTEST albergue where the owners make a communal dinner for all the pilgrims and we are in the sweetest town. We also were handed clean sheets when we walked in to get a room THANK GOD. You never realize how much you appreciate those until you have to sleep on a bed that has already been made and it's unclear if the sheets have been washed.  While albergues might be quirky, I'm so thankful for the community that they have helped us build. 

Last night, we spent time with a family of 4 from Barcelona and they were great. 3 kids with their mom doing their fourth leg of the Camino. We walked with them this morning and sang a lot. The kids and I talked in Spanglish a lot, my favorite language, while the mom and my dad and a South African walked behind and talked. I love spending time with dad, but having other people to walk and talk with made time go a lot faster too. We stopped for lunch in a town that has a 13th century bridge that was gorgeous. We lost the family for the time being but the cool thing about the Camino is that you end up finding the same people day after day. 

I felt a lot better today mentally and physically. The cafe con leche I had at breakfast started me off chatty and then it just continued. We passed through so many beautiful towns and pueblos  and have had so much good food. I have missed Spanish food so much. I just feel so thankful to be here.