The Tasty Pilgrim

So on Friday 14 May I start my apprenticeship as a hospitalero under the excellent guidance of Jim and Martha. I will now take you through the day. At half past six I got up and went down to the kitchen. You see from 7 on, breakfast is ready for pilgrims before they set off. The evening before the tables have been laid. Now it is time to make the coffee and tea. I have my first tea for the day. Did I tell you I have sent a packet of my favourite tea over the post ? So glad I did that, as the Spanish tea is no good at all. Over here you start the day with coffee. In fact most pilgrims take a caffee con leche. For the rest, there are slices of bread and three sorts of marmalade on the table. It is a typical Spanish breakfast. By the time it is eight o´clock, they have all left to walk the Camino. Most of them say good-bye shily. I always wish them a sunshiny day !

Now we have time for our own breakfast. Against nine we start cleaning the building from top to bottom. Upstairs is a dormitory large enough for 24 beds. Next to it are showers and toilets and wash basins. Boots are left on the balcony. Roger showed me how he sweeps the floors first and then we have to mop it. Next comes the staircase and the kitchen and corridor downstairs and there is a salon with a fireplace. Also the patio is sweeped with a broom. Past eleven everything looks tidy and clean Time for a shower and a shave and a clean set of clothes. At about half past twelve I cross the street to Antonio´s for a caffee con leche and a bocadillo. In the refugio there is a salon with a fireside and at around one I get the fire started. At two in the afternoon the doors open to let people in. Usually there are more than a dozen waiting to be let in. In the hall Martha sits behind a desk. She is wonderful in explaining everything waving her hands , it is like a mantra. The place is run on the basis if donativo, meaning you give what you decide. But there are often some " clever" that " forget" to put something in the box. Some do it the next morning, so after the last pilgrim has walked, off you empty the box and fill in a financial form stating what has come in and what went out of the tiller. e.g. 4 Euro 60 for two large loaves every day. Martha does her mantra and Jim takes the pilgrim upstairs and the pilgrim may choose the bed. He is given a paper bedsheet and a pillowsheet to put on the bed. Most of them rush to get a hot shower and then for some clean clothes. Their ritual is then to wash the clothes in a basin outside and you can hang them out in the sun to dry. On this first day we indeed have the sun warming up the house. When we have pilgrim number 24 in the house, we put up the sign " FULL". Martha takes down the name of the pilgrim in her record book, from what country the person is, what town he lives in and where he started his Camino. The refugio does not have natural gas, so everything runs on butane or propane bottles. Regularly they have to be replaced by full ones. We also have to check the temperature of the hot water and fill in official forms for the Government. This is to check for legionella. At seven I walk to Antonio´s for a Menu Pelegrino. A bit further down there is Gaspard´s another restaurant. We go there every other day and so support both places. Gaspard has a great garlic soup and I bet, that after two days, even my dog would shrink away from me. At ten everyone lies in bed, and lights out at half past ten. The doors of the gate are closed now. I had a wonderful time with my two instructors and enjoyed Jim telling me every so often, that it is just a question of rocket science to be able to run things smoothly. Such wonderful people and I am glad I added friends in my life.

THE NASA PILGRIM