Another day, another 3 albergues

Here's my take on the albergues in Atapuerca, Burgos, & Hornillos (with a dash of San Juan de Ortega and how to use the bus thrown in for good measure):

San Juan de Ortega: No, I did not stay here (having read the guide books), but I did speak to 3 people who did. One insisted the albergue has hot water, the others said it did not. Two of them did not take a shower there because of the state of the bathrooms. All of them liked the pilgrim service & the garlic soup. All of them also agreed that the bathrooms were very dirty. This is a damn shame in my book because the church there is one of the most special, most holy-feeling, churches I poked around in.

Atapuerca:I had been worried about my knees, so I was not looking forward to the "steep climb" out of Villafranca. They are not kidding about that, BUT it's not as long as I had thought it would be. Word of caution: Make sure you have your own water. The sign at Fuente Mojopan is an "Agua Non Potable" sign, but the "Non" part has been painted over. Sort of. If you want to take your chances, feel free, but I'm not willing to gamble on something like that. There also is no descent to Valdefuentes, as the Camino has been restructured, widened, and levelled out. I made San Juan de Ortega by 11!!! But, you have been warned. Fill up in Villafranca.



We stayed at the private Albergue de Peregrinos on the main road in Atapuerca. Very nice, clean, smallish kitchen, but we only threw breakfast together there. The rooms have 2 beds & two bunk beds in them. Each bed has a small shelf for your personal night time items, and a footlocker for your pack. IIRC, there is also a plug so you can recharge your phone/iPod/electrical entertainment device of your choice while you sleep. The internet connection is in the Information Center of the Archaeological Center just down the road. It's free, but there's only one terminal, so if someone's already on there blogging away, you have to sit & wait your turn. Which isn't bad, since you can watch the film of the exacavations underway in Atapuerca & learn something. Evidence suggests that this area has been inhabited by humans &/or humanoids for almost 1 million years. This albergue also posts information on which bus to take into Burgos.

Burgos (at last):I was only a few months' late getting to Burgos (my first stab at the Camino was to end here instead of Logrono). This was also the only day the heavens opened up & it rained like cats & dogs (with nasty-sounding thunder & lightning thrown in for good measure). After waiting out the storm in a small bar, we headed towards Villafria. Note: The guidebooks mention a plethora of routes--this has been changed. The only alternate route we saw was the turn off after crossing the highway just before Villafria.

Instructions for taking the bus into Burgos: The route you are looking for is route 8. It stops in front of the Buenos Aires hotel/restaurant every hour on the hour between the hours of 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. (times according to the albergue in Atapuerca; we hopped on the noon bus, so I can't vouch for the other times). Cost is 75 cents (Euro) & well worth it. This route ends near the statue of El Cid, close to the Cathedral.

None of us stayed at the main albergue in Burgos. The first night, I stayed at Hotel Espana for 35 Euro/night. Nice place, but I checked out the next day with the intention of going to the main albergue in the park. My friends stayed at the small albergue near the cathedral. They saw people being turned away because they were not walking the next day. (Hello, most pilgrims take a rest day in Burgos!) They were not allowed to do laundry because it had been raining. It was also crowded, but for a donativo, who's going to complain?

The next day, I checked out of the hotel & headed towards the Cathedral plaza. I met up with 2 German pilgrims & somehow in German, French, Spanish AND English, I gathered that the main albergue was "very bad, don't go there." I somehow a referral for a good pensione for the Germans, since they didn't want to stay at a hotel. It's amazing what information you can get using 4 languages (including 2 that no one is fluent in), maps, & charades. So there I was in the middle of Burgos with no place to rest my weary head for that night. I took a look around & decided to take a chance on Meson del Cid. It is a 4 star, so I was sure it was too pricey, but I was also armed with my American Express card. Yes, they took Amex & would I like a room for 70 Euro (no meals) or 90 Euro (meals included). For the record, if you are in Burgos on a Tuesday evening, take the 90 Euro offer. Most restaurants were closed Tuesday evening, so I would have saved a bunch if I had been smart enough to follow my instincts. After all the albergues & the 2 star hotels, this place was Paradise! A nice big bed all to my lonesome, TV with CNN International (although the only story of import was OJ's recent arrest, so I'm not sure if this was a great deal or not), and a big bathroom. Later that day (after discovering that most restaurants were closed), I ran into Mes Amies again, & as luck would have it, they were also staying at the same hotel!!!! We ended up walking together all the way to Fromista. We had dinner that night in the hotel's restaurant. Expensive, but OMG, it was worth it!



We took the bus out of Burgos as well, but since I was following Mes Amies (they had the instructions), I can only suggest that you inquire at the Information office near the Cathedral.

Hornillos del Camino: We almost didn't get beds here, but got the last ones, including 2 lower bunks. The bathrooms were clean, as were the dorms. The kitchen was also clean. The only downside was the very small laundry area. Only one small sink, so the line for laundry was longer than the line for the shower.

There is a store here & it is open during siesta & until 8pm. I'm not sure if it's open all year. It is fairly well stocked for a town of this size (less than 100 people) & has bathrooms. It is owned (I think) by the same people who own the bar/restaurant in front of the albergue. Word of caution: while it is great that they start serving dinner so early (6:00), you have to go put your name on a list. There are only 5 tables & we had to wait almost 2 hours. Nice upshot to that was since they are also the hospitaleros, the bar owners don't close up the albergue until everyone has had dinner. There is a hotel of sorts in town as well, but Hornillos fills up quickly.

Albergues at Santo Domingo, Villamayor, & Villafranca

The next three nights, I stayed at the following albergues.

Santo Domingo de la Calzada--I stayed at the convent, which is the first albergue as you walk into town, although there is a newer, municipal one a few blocks further down the Camino. It was just one of those days when I couldn't make myself walk the extra yards to get there. They only ask for donativos, & some people didn't leave anything, although the donation box was right under their nose. The bathrooms & dorms were unisex, but the mattress on my bunk (I got a lower one this time!) was one of the best. The showers are a bit crowded & there's really no area to change in the shower & keep your clothes dry. However, the water pressure was quite good, so I washed out my dirty, sweaty clothes in it after finishing the shower. Just across the street from the new albergue is a coin-operated laundry with 2 washers & dryers. Soap is automatically added in the washer, so you don't have to bring or buy your own. At the convent, there is a nice sized dining/common area & kitchen facilities, and an open patio/garden area behind it. Very peaceful. The only downside to this albergue is the shower situation.



Villamayor del Rio--Most people wander past this albergue on their way to Belorado. It is off the main Camino, but you can see it from the highway. I wanted to stay in Viloria del Rio, but hadn't walked enough kms that day. I did stop by & got a bit of a rest. It looks like a good place to stop.

Back to Villamayor, it is a private network albergue run by a family. The rooms are big, with 3 to 4 bunks in each one. Some upper bunks have boards instead of mattresses, so you can leave your packs on them instead of the floor. The bathrooms were large for an albergue. The women's had 3 toilets & three showers, & each shower had a changing area. The best part of this albergue is the owner's garden in the back. They have tilled quite a large area, & planted flowers and all kinds of vegetables in it. They use the produce in the evening meal. That night we had leek soup (pureed), and stewed beef with the best boiled potatoes I've ever had in my life. When we checked in & asked about dinner, the hospitalero said we didn't have to pay if we didn't like it. Since everyone raved, everyone paid.



Villafranca Montes de Oca-- The municipal albergue here keeps the door open all day & the hospitaleros come later to sign everyone in. We went in & secured bunks in the room at the back of the albergue. The town is split in half by the highway, so the back room is quieter. The albergue quickly filled up in the afternoon, as the hostal El Pajaro was closed for vacations. One room on the lower level was filled with mattresses, & some mattresses were placed in our room as well, after the dining table was removed. There is a nice open area in the back overlooking the mountains, but it is all cement; no plants or gardens. There is only one toilet for women, but 2 for men & several unisex showers. The kitchen area is a bit limited, but we were able to make a decent dinner for that night, as well as breakfast the next morning.

Logrono to Azofra: Albergues

A friend commented "Why aren't you updating your blog?" Answer: It was becoming "I came, I saw, I slept." Lather, rinse, repeat. Boring to write, boring to read. So somewhere along the way, I decided I'd blog about the people I met, things that really interested me, thoughts that crossed my mind instead. For my first post, however, I want to run through the albergues I stayed at. Yes, there are guidebooks & such that tell you where they are & what sort of condition they are (or rather were) in last year, but there's no substitute for reading someone's personal experience (hence the need for a site such as TripAdvisor--don't book a hotel room without it). With the caveat that you will be reading my personal opinions (and somethings that bother me might not bother you), here we go.

Logrono: Although I arrived mid-afternoon, the main albergue was already full. The hospitalera sent me on my way to the church down the street to stay at the albergue there. When I arrived, they were already out of beds (it didn't appear that they had that many anyway), so she took me & another girl upstairs to the parish hall. They had some "mattresses" (more like gym mats, very thin) which we could sleep on, so we set up our mattresses on one side of the hall & left our packs on the other. Soon, a school group arrived seeking lodging & when the instructor said she needed 19 places, I thought the hospitalera would faint. It was a tight squeeze, but we all fit. Eventually. There was no set price, even though dinner was included. All donativo & helping out with dinner (ie, washing the dishes & putting them away). After the pilgrim mass, we had dinner & the priest showed up! He was very nice, wanted to make sure everyone was accomodated & satisfied. He then told us about the special pilgrim service they have each night after dinner. We had to "sneak" back into the church via a secret tunnel, and went into the chapel at the rear of the church. There we conducted the pilgrim service in French, Spanish, German, & English. Afterwards, the priest stamped our credentials & spoke with each of us personally. He got a big kick out of the fact that I was from Laredo; there is also a Laredo, Spain, so he joked that I hadn't come far enough to stay there that night.

The only downside, to me, about this albergue is that there is only one toilet & shower for men & one for women. The mattresses also are very thin, so it was very uncomfortable to sleep on the floor. But the hospitaleras, the priest, the fantastic meal & the overall welcoming feeling we received far outweigh those issues for me.

Ventosa:I arrived in Ventosa only to find the street leading to the San Saturnino albergue completely torn up. It's probably paved back over by now, so no worries, but it wasn't a happy thing to see after trudging 20 kms. I was lucky, though. There were only a few backpacks beside the door when I arrived.



The hospitalera opened the albergue early that day, & I luckily received the last upper bunk in the first room. The albergue quickly filled up that day, and in the morning, there were people in the kitchen & the salon on the ground floor. I can't remember how the mattress was, but after spending a night on the floor, my body was happy for it. The bathrooms were clean, as was the kitchen. The hospitalera woke us up at 6:20 a.m. by playing Pachelbel's Canon. A very nice way to wake up!

Azofra:The town has built their own albergue just off the main Camino. It has a footbath (heaven), a huge dining/common room area, nice sized kitchen & also a patio area. You sleep in beds (not bunks), 2 people per room. The bathrooms are unisex, but since there is room to change in the shower stall, that's not a problem. Each person also has a "closet" to place their packs in, which is nicer than having to leave them on the floor. There is a washing machine, 3 euro, which includes detergent! There are 2 restaurants in town offering pilgrim menus.