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.