Heading back soon

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Almost time to bid farewell once again 

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Mollymook to Barcelona - Half the world away

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I have returned to Spain - starting from Mollymook last weekend and arriving in Barcelona yesterday - half a world away.  This Camino experience will be different.  Instead of following one particular path, I will be walking sections of  different routes and taking detours in various places - more free wheeling, as well as volunteering as a hospitalero for a couple of weeks. A hospitalero/a is someone who looks after Camino pilgrims in an albergue - a type of hostel manager (more on that in coming days) Another difference was that this Camino started with a pilgrimage to watch Collingwood play Geelong in Melbourne (Collingwood lost 😞) and the opportunity to visit family and leave from my sister’s front door.  I walked to the tram and took a bus from the city to  the airport, then checked in my pack and prepared for the flight to Barcelona via Dubai. The war in the Middle East had been a concern. After 14 hours, I reached Dubai and had a short stop over. Dubai s...
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Scenes from an albergue

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Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago cannot live on paella alone. They need other food and wine, and song, and company, and solitude, and a good sleep - and help at times. At Albergue de Peregrinos at Villadangos del Paramo we are doing our best to provide!  David and I are approaching the mid point of our volunteer Hospitalero gig. The days are filled- in fact it is surprising how little time there is to be still. We have been to Leon a couple of times for groceries  We have been catering for between 5 and 17 pilgrims each night - it varies day to day. Each group is different. Sometimes it’s like this:  Other times it is like the United Nations. Last night we had 14 guests, and 10 nationalities. Sometimes there are mostly men. Other times there are mostly women. Well someone has to do the check-in! We have even had a couple of canines along with their humans. One specifically requested that I stamp his credencial - ‘of course!’ Today David and I took the bus to Leon again ...
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Learning to be a hospitalero

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From the welcome registration desk at Albergue de Peregrinos at Villadangos del Paramo, you can see pilgrims slowly come into view. So far today no takers. Yesterday we had people waiting for opening time. There is no telling who or when people show up. Being patient, as well as organised to handle surprises is part of learning to be a hospitalero. It is Day 2, and I am trying my best. The day I arrived I met David from Seville. He and I have been appointed to run the albergue for the next two weeks. We were taken to dinner by the two outgoing hospitaleros - Greg and Daniel from California. It was an ideal orientation - practical ideas, common sense and a shared understanding of peregrino experience. Thank you both! Practical advice besides explaining the overall layout of the place and how it is operating, included how to make the coffee, and set up the dining room. Preparing for breakfast- mixing the cereal  Boiling the eggs - the night before . Ensuring food provisions are adequ...
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