Wed. June 1, Bilboao - Camino del Norte

Physically we may have left our Albergue San Miguel in Estella but mentally and emotionally we are still marking time by what we would be doing if we were still there or what we think Maria, our replacement is doing: 8:45am while we are now enjoying cafe and churros, Maria should be finishing up the cleaning and mopping; 3pm. while we are heading back to the hotel for a nap after a comida of crepes and wine, Maria would be signing in the pilgrims; 8:45pm while we are having pintxos and wine in a Basque taberna Maria would be finishing up the dinner chores and setting up for breakfast. And we're happy.

This Wednesday we walked along the river to the Guggenheim Museum. The Guggenheim definitely lives up to its reputation as an architectural marvel. All luminescent, massive and futuristically modern, it upstages the modern art exhibited inside. Dayton and I also definitely lived up to our technological reputation as we didn't figure out the audio headsets until the last exhibit. Typical.

We continued our walking tour to the Bilbao Museum of Fine Art and then got down to the business of savouring the famous Basque pintxos, the little 'toothpick' tapas featured in every taberna. Unfortunately, the pintxos are exclusively non-vegetarian but I enjoyed helping Dayton select the most creative and exotic selections. It is common here to just bar hop tasting the offerings of one bar after the other which suits our style perfectly. Prices are so reasonable; usually less than 2.50€ for a pintxo and less than 2€ for a wine.

After a much needed and much appreciated nap, we went out in search of the Camino del Norte that comes through Bilbao. We headed for the Iglesia Santiago and then followed the arrows through the old town into the new and up 310 steps to the Iglesia of the Virgin of something or other. This is probably as much of the Camino del Norte as we want to handle. We think the terrain and the weather would not be that appealing.

So now we have one more day with nothing to do and all day to do it. I'm sure it will involve some walking and lots of food.

Tuesday, May 31 - Albergue San Miguel and Food Bank

Emilio, Dayton & Karen













Karen & Maria

Better busy than bored. No worries living up to this old adage; it's the working mantra for a hospitalero. Our last day as hospitaleros was as full of surprise and furious activity as our first. Motivated to turn over the cleanest and best organized albergue on the Camino, we were cleaning with determined intent.

Our first surprise yesterday, Monday, was being interrupted in our cleaning frenzy by our eager replacement, Maria, who arrived early in the morning after taking an overnight train from Madrid, fresh from completing a weekend hospitalero cursillo. And she arrived alone! Her Spanish hospitalera cohort decided to delay her arrival one week so that she could celebrate her son's birthday. Apparently a little difference in committment there. I'm sure we overwhelmed Maria with our detailed orientation: the laundry basin in the ladies' washroom leaks and needs to be bailed out every afternoon; the washing machine takes 90 minutes a cycle; you have to wash all the bed covers each day; the juice and jam are under the hospitalero's bed; the tuna fish and lentils are under the reception desk; the short fat cans without labels are all corn and the small tall cans without labels are all baby peas; the propane cooker is brought into the kitchen to cook the evening 4 kilos of pasta (maybe 5 kilos); the best bread is at the first shop on the right on the Calle Mayor and these are the tiendas open on Domingo. Oh and there is an overflow room for another dozen pilgrims at the church so you can really serve about 45 a night for dinner - or more. We just went on and on.

Our second wonderful surprise of the morning was the arrival of Emilio Peña, a Spanish friend from our first Camino. Emilio had just completed the Chemin le Puy route and had planned to meet up with us in Bilbao but instead had rushed to finish in time to come to our albergue. With a mischievious gleam in his eye, he was eager to entice Dayton to join him for a comida of pulpo (octopus) and limoncello. After the first 90 minute rush of pilgrims, Maria and I started chopping the zucchini, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms for the evening meal and making the salads while Dayton took his first break since May 14th and went off to the Plaza del Fuertes for pulpo and beer. Emilio is an influence.

Our biggest and most dubious surprise was from Father David. The albergue was spotless and organized, the dinner pre-preparations complete and the albergue completo when Father David pulled up from his Monday shopping expedition in Pamplona. I quickly realized that these trips were not really to the Spanish version of a Costco as we had thought but to some 'waste product' distribution centre. Okay I may be a little harsh here but wait! The surprise he had in store for us was definitely a mixed blessing. Father David started unloading crate after crate and box after box of supplies and produce - almost all past their 'best before date'. Before long every table, bench, square foot of flooring, hall, and patio was stacked high with over-ripe vegetables and fruit: lettuce, strawberries, bananas, pears, oranges and one avocado. We had enough browned mushy bananas to make banana bread for a year - if we had an oven. We even had enough outdated eggs to add to the recipe. There were boxes of questionable yogurt and chocolate puddings, just one day to go prepackaged potato tortillas and the largest box of dried garbanzo beans every seen. My heart sank as our spotless, so welcoming albergue became a Food Bank centre for the local needy. Now that may be a rather selfish and uncharitable thought but the food was not really edible.

For the next two hours, we sorted out the dates on the products, refrigerating what we could and giving away everything else while one helpful Spanish pilgrim couple salvaged as many strawberries as possible. Finally, everything was stored, order restored and dinner was ready as planned right after the evening Mass. Whew! Salads, pasta, breads and bowls of 'have to be eaten right now' strawberries graced the table, late comers were treated to huge potato tortillas, and, I forgot to mention, several bottles of wine which Father David had brought in too. Thank goodness it doesn't have a 'best before' date.Whew. What an introduction for Maria and a send off for us!

Monday, May 30 Albergue San Miguel

Our Room / Pantry

It's touch and go but chances are we'll run out of time before we run out of 'nice'. Just one more day and evening to go. Our replacement hospitalera, Maria, arrived early this morning so we have all day to show her our routine and then she can develop and refine her own way of doing things. I'm a little anxious for her as she will be on her own for the first week. This is a big job for two people. I can't imagine one person doing it all. Hopefully she will be able to rely on the kindness and assistance of the pilgrims.

It's amazing how our neatly packed backpacks have managed to spew their contents all over our small hospitalero room. Now we have to re-organize and squeeze all that stuff back into our packs. Tomorrow we'll leave after breakfast for the bus station. We'll take a bus to Pamplona and then another to Bilbao. I am so ready for the convenience of a hotel with real towels, sleeping in past 5am and an order of French Fries.

Saturday, May 28 Albergue San Miguel

Our stint as hospitaleros, with only four more days to go, may be winding down but there is certainly no winding down on the job. That is an observation not a complaint. Each day's pilgrims have the same needs as those before and some may be have even more. Although the routine and pattern of the day is same old, same old, it never gets old. This albergue is a new experience for each pilgrims and each pilgrim is a new experience for us and too, there are always a few incidences that highlight each day.

Friday I had to, very unwillingly, play paramedic to a lovely lady whose first and only language is German and who was adamant that I should 'pop' all the blisters on her suffering feet. I do not have one iota of Florence flipping Nightingale in me but there I was boiling a needle and piercing it through each and every blisters. And there were a lot of them. An elderly Spanish camino veteran insisted that I needed to enlarge each of the holes in the blisters so that iodine could be put directly into the blister. He insisted, I desisted and so he took over. Between the German lady and the Spanish man, they had a complete surgical kit but not one common language phrase. Tomas set to work enlarging the blister holes. How? I don't know but there were needles, scissors and a small plastic syringe lined up on the table. He used the syringe to inject iodine into each blister hole. He injected. She grimaced. I hid away shaking my head and thinking thoughts of liability and lawsuist and wondering if I could cover my trail after our departure so that I couldn't be tracked down to be supoenaed (sp?).

We also had a group of cyclists who arrived very late. Cyclists usually bike about 90-120kms so they tend to arrive late and then want to sleep in and leave late - not happening at our albergue. Up and out and enjoy your ride! Our late arrivers had only time to get ready for dinner but no time to go to a tienda to buy wine for their meal..................so Dayton and I went to our private wine stash and donated some of our 'vintage' wine (2.45€ a bottle) to the cause. The Italians were suitably surprised and pleased. We also had a Chilean cyclist arrive just as we were about to clean up the dishes. We were able to set him up with salad, pasta, bread and wine. No problemo.

We also had a delightful Canadian contingent Friday, family and friends from Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton: mom and two of her daughters, a cousin and two other close friends. It was fun to speak Canadian for a change, eh?

Thursday, May 26

Yesterday was a real roller coaster of emotions: lively satisfaction as the young kids left and, I'm embarrassed to say, a tinge of frustration and irritations signing in a few frustrating, irritating and picky pilgrims as well as a swell of empathy and sympathy for the heat exhausted, dehydrated walkers. With so many pilgrims we notice a 180 turn around in their attitude from the time they sign in to the time they leave. Some arrive a little pushy, demanding and judgemental but they all leave behind smiles, hugs and kisses in the morning.

We had a Brazilian contingent yesterday and one tall elegant lady spent the late afternoon offering and administering foot massages to her fellow pilgrims. Needless to say, she was a very popular lady. One late middle age, sturdy Portuguese lady was injured and combatative at first, insistent that she could carry her own pack to her bed, didn't need water or a drink or help of any kind. Her knee was really bad and she was using her walking sticks as crutches all evening. Her determination was more powerful than her body and she insisted on setting out at 6:30 the next morning. At least she was having her heavy pack sent ahead.

One Polish lady came in in the heat of the afternoon and was immediately in tears from heat, exhaustion, relief and our attention. We gave her water, chocolate, a cool cloth for her face and lots of time to recoup.

The kindness and generosity of one pilgrim to another is wonderful too. A young South Korean girl returned to us in the morning after realizing that she had forgotten the crucifix that she slept with at night. It was no where to be found. An elderly French man then dug into his first aid kit and pulled out a small leather pouch. Inside was a beautiful crucifix attached to a delicate beaded bracelet. I'm sure it had sentimental value to him but he generously gave it to the oh so grateful Korean girl. Camino magic at work again!

Wednesday, May 25 San Miguel Alberque and Youth Hostel

Intn'l Youth Contingent Helping Karen With The "Pilgrim's Blessing"

Two years ago today we finished our first Camino de Santiago de Compostella. It is memorable in that it was the culmination of 31 days of walking and alberques, bocadillos and cafe con leches, pilgrim meals and wonderful new international friendships, and of the realization that we had actually walked the 792kms we had dreamed about for two years. It was also such a wet and dreary day. We were exhausted and injured and as we dragged our wet and weary selves towards the catedral, it felt anticlimatic. The square was overcast and deserted. Oh that it were a day like today! We are experiencing the best sunny weather here in Estella and, as we say our morning farewells and buen caminos to our pilgrims, there is a tinge of envy of all the camino experiences that they have ahead of them, although there are some camino experiences that are evoke less envy - the blisters, shin splints and tendinitis, and Redicilla.

As hospitaleros we are over the hump. We have only one more week to go. If all passes are wonderfully as the past two nights, it will be clear sailing. We have had the best two groups. We've been 'completo' but not overbooked. Last night we had an amazing group of young pilgrims from Portugal, Italy, Isreal, Belgium, Spain/Russia, Canada, Greece and France. They all met in St. Jean Pied de Port and have been travelling somewhat together. It was our treat to have them staying at our alberque. Their facility with the languages was amazing and had me so embarrassed by my tedious efforts to learn French, German and Spain. ( I don't even try Italian.) Most of these kids spoke at least three languages and one really nice young guy spoke seven languages fluently and just flipped back and forth without hesitation. What a wonder! We did spend some extra time at breakfast putting our last supply of Mefix, Compeed and tape on a mass of blisters and hot spots. Blisters hold no age restrictions.

Today is the Feast of the Virgin of Le Puy so it's a major holiday in Estella. The only people working are the hospitaleros and two shops are open - the internet cafe and one tienda to get our daily ration of bread - 12 huge baquettes.

Monday, May 23 San Miguel Alberque and Rehab Centre

"Peregrino Princess"

Same old, same old. Nothing new to report. We have our routine set. By the time we've cleaned up and gotten back from our 'bread run' (We go through about 6-8 huge baquettes a meal; apparently no one over here worries about carbs.), the pilgrims are lined up and waiting. We still have the 'peregrino princess' enjoying her extended stay with us: coffee and cigarettes at 7:30am, then wine and cigarettes all afternoon and night. You'd think she'd get tired of a bucket load of pasta for dinner every night. She did tell me yesterday, as we were trying to accommodate another overflow day, that I should ask her to help us - tomorrow! We do get lots of help though and most pilgrims are effusive with their thanks and appreciation.

The dynamics of every group is interesting and so different. Last night we had a huge party group - over 45 pilgrims for dinner. Breakfast time is a bit of an unknown dynamic though. Dayton and I were up at 5am yesterday for the breakfast crew and didn't see a soul until after 6 am and then today the place was hopping and bopping before 5:30am. If only there was a siesta for the hospitaleros.