Walking the Camino

There are still so many pilgrims on the road and yet so many places are closing at the end of the month. Accommodation is going to be a problem soon. I have just bumped into an Australian pilgrim who stayed at Granon (Barbara - he was with that beautiful Russian girl and they were there the same night as our 4 families). I remember all of the pilgrims and recognise them immediately as they all recognise me. I recognised Katie immediately, who I am currently walking with, as the very sweet and helpful pilgrim that Barbara sent to the panaderia for us when we were so busy. Barbara calculated that we looked after about 370 pilgrims and so many of them stand out in my mind. We really cared for each and every one of them and tried to make each one feel special. But we were so lucky and privileged to be particularly close team and the pilgrims all noticed it and have without exception commented that Granon is still at the top of their list as the best albergue. I have probably bumped into about 50 of them along the way. Barbara has asked if working at Granon has changed the way I view albergues -yes, it has. Most of the hospitaleros are pleasant but don't go the extra mile to make pilgrims feel special and many places have too many signs up about what you cannot do rather than making you feel welcome. On the other hand, if you have a hot shower and a comfortable bed and somewhere to wash your clothes, what more can you ask for 5 euros. I can also appreciate now why they need you to leave by 8am so they can get the placed cleaned. I can appreciate the hard work that they do. Bercianos is in a wonderful setting, and I witnessed the impressive sunset it is so famous for. It closes at the end of the month because it has no heating and it is a very cold building. I am sad to say goodbye to my pilgrim friends and I will miss the time we take to say our thanks as we start walking. I will try to continue that on my own. I am going to take Sylvia's advice and try to find a pair of sandals in Leon tomorrow morning. I think my shoes must have shrunk a bit after walking in the for 2 days in the rain because after walking 400 km in them, they suddenly became extremely uncomfortable and painful on the backs of my ankles and my toes.
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