Day 1 in Rabanal del Camino

Day 1 in Rabanal del Camino

Today was “Handover Day” at Refugio Guacelmo in Rabanal. The outgoing hospitaleros (Carole, Catherine, and John) showed us (Nigel, Janine, and I) the duties we’ll be doing for the first half of September. Each of us shadowed the person we would be replacing: Nigel shadowed John, Janine shadowed Carole, and I shadowed Catherine. My primary duty in the morning will be to clean the kitchen, though I’ll also lend a hand to Nigel and Janine until all the work is done. There’s a lot more to it, though—beyond just cleaning. We need to know what to do when the pilgrims arrive every afternoon. It involves recording their passport or ID details, their names, birthdates, and entering all of that into an online form for the police. Then, of course, we guide the pilgrims around the Refugio, answer their questions, and help them with whatever they might need.

We were also shown how to check the water temperature, something that needs to be done before we open the door to the pilgrims at 12:30 PM. The process involves turning on a hose from the hot water tank, sticking a thermometer into it, and recording the temperature on a form in the office.

By mid-morning, all of our duties were complete, so we headed out for coffee and another tour of the village. It’s beautiful with all of its stone buildings and streets.

Then we had an outdoor “picnic,” on the patio. Afterwards, Nigel and I decided to tidy up the herb garden. Nigel worked on trimming the taller branches of the leggy rose bushes climbing up the side of the building while I took a photo of him, joking that we now had a “before” picture of our garden cleanup efforts and that eventually we’ll have an “after” photo. Janine kept busy, bringing in the laundry and gathering the plums that had fallen from the tree in the garden. She set aside the best ones to take to Susanna, who runs the little supermarket in the village, while the imperfect ones will be used for jam.

At 5 PM, we had teatime with some of the pilgrims. A woman from Belgium was particularly interesting. She’s been walking for four months with her dog and is now making her way from Santiago to Le Puy – the opposite direction to most people. She originally set out with the idea of writing a book about the Camino, but her story has grown much bigger than that. It’s become more about the meaning of life.

As the evening wore on, the three of us new hospitaleras held down the fort while the outgoing team went out for dinner together. Tomorrow, they leave, and we’ll be on our own. September 1st will officially be our first full day running the refugio ourselves.

12 thoughts on “Day 1 in Rabanal del Camino

  1. Wonderful. As I was making a comment from your yesterday’s post , this one arrives in my mail box.
    As usual it is so so nice to follow you.
    Mucha suerte en esta nueva experiencia para ti. A big hug to you !

  2. Well done Judy and Janine! You’ve made it to the Albergue el Pilar in tact. I’m curious about the poster of someone giving a foot massage by the front door?
    The next two weeks will be interesting and another adventure for you two (three including Nigel) and lots of new friends and memories will be made.
    Last evening Dave, Gary and I went to hear Stephen Fearing in concert at Butcharts and one of his songs “The Long Walk to Freedom” brought tears to my eyes as I thought of you and the long walks you’ve accomplished, fulfilling your dreams, and keeping your face to the sun. Luv, Maggie
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zduTx4h_GDI&t=24s

  3. Hi Hi Judy Janine and Nigel!
    In the blink of an eye you three will be the outgoing team having dinner looking back over your adventures.
    Sounds like you are making yourselves right at home or rather making it a home. Yesss love it
    Sending Vancouver sunny skies
    Love ya and so happy your dream is manifest.
    Bon

    1. Hi Bon! We really love helping pilgrims have a wonderful time here. There were at least 16 people here for 5 PM tea with cake and watermelon. Everyone loves this place which is nice to hear. ♥️

    1. That’s so nice, Marjorie. It is meaningful to help others. We have 12 pilgrims staying with us tonight and they are so appreciative. Heart warming! ♥️

    1. Thank you, Kathryn! I’m so happy that you like following the blog. No two days are the same, that’s for sure. My head is starting to spin. 😳

  4. It’s so wonderful reading about the Camino experience from the perspective of the hospitaleros!! With a different mix of pilgrims every day, you definitely have a great view of the constant flow of the pilgrims. Thank you for sharing!

    1. Hi Ted! I’m so glad you enjoy reading about our adventure of being hospitaleras. It’s only day 4 but I would already say it is just as wonderful as being a pilgrim. ❤️

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *