The Ways of the Way

Perhaps one thing you need to learn right away doing El Camino, is how things work along El Camino. Practical means, I mean, like getting a bed or a space to sleep, taking a shower, doing the laundry, etc.

Most of all, you have to be humble and adaptable.

My first night in Saint Jean Pied de Port was a good introduction. The pilgrims refuge was an old medieval building converted to a municipal refuge for hundreds of pilgrims.

By the time my sister and I arrived in that beautiful village, there were already people lined up waiting outside of the pilgrims Albergue. It was 11:40 am.

We needed to go to the registry office, where you give your name, your age, your gender, and the intention of your journey. They give you your “pilgrim’s passport” and it is officially then when you are considered a pilgrim.

I was one of the first of hundreds of people to be assigned a bed on that first Albergue and I was lucky to get a lower bunk bed, in a small room where 16 other people share bunk beds. To use the toilet facilities we had to go take some turns and go down a number of uneven steps. There were two toilets for about 40 people in my section.

Next morning, an older man, woke up with a lantern in his head an started maneuvering his packing. He was on his way. Breakfast was included in the 5 Euro deal, which was to start at 6:00 am, but at 5:00 the eating room was full with hungry and anxious people to start their walk.

It took me about 10 hours with rests here an there to cross the Pyrenees and by the time I got to Roncesvalles, I was lucky to get a bed in one of the most modern facilities as it had been renovated recently. But having said that, this was my first experience living in such close proximity to total strangers, This was like living in the barracks. Three lines of bunk beds. We were maybe 120 people in a large medieval room. After a hard day’s work, people wanted to take a shower but the line was two hours wait long. There were only 5 showers for women and 5 for all men. I decided to forego the shower for the moment, and forget doing laundry that day!

When I got back, my next learning experience was to be able to shower in a space of 3×3 feet and no space to hung your towel or dry clothes. Quite challenging. More so for a raised-Catholic prudish woman.

Next morning was the same thing, people getting up at 4:30 to leave at 5:00 and be the first ones on The Way. That day, as I laboured more difficult terrain, when I arrived in Zubiri I was told that the pilgrim’s refuge in Logrono was closed because of bed bugs! Everybody was stopping in Zubiri and there were no more beds. People started getting charge organizing themselves to take a cab to the next available village with beds for pilgrims.

Some people are reluctant, and almost react offended to the idea of taking a cab. They vehemently believe that the Walk means walking all the way to Santiago.

I am one of them, so I go myself to the pilgrim’s office to learn more about the situation first hand. Yes, Logrono’s municipal refuge is closed down for five days but not because of bug beds, but rather because of local festivities. No they do not have any more beds, but they could accommodate everyone in the local Gym and for 2 euros we could have a space. Dozens of people got tnis deal, while others I later learned, slept on the street, because they heard the rumors and had no way of checking them out.

We could use the washroom, shower and laundry facilities, and I was happy with that.

More about the ways of the Way, later. I just wanted to connect today with these thoughts.