Before I came downstairs at 6:30 this morning to open the kitchen and put on the coffee, I could already smell it brewing. At first, I thought Nigel had beaten me to it, but it was probably a self-sufficient pilgrim who wanted to leave early and had his own coffee maker.

Four pairs of boots had already disappeared from the shelf, which wasn’t surprising. Some pilgrims leave Rabanal very early to catch the sunrise from Cruz de Ferro, nearly eight kilometers away. The Cruz is perhaps the most significant point on the Camino Frances—a place where pilgrims often reflect on why they are taking this journey, and how that purpose might have shifted along the way. The Camino has a way of evolving, transforming the reasons we walk – one of the Camino’s greatest gifts.

We had such a wonderful group of pilgrims here last night, so saying goodbye this morning was bittersweet. After a few hugs and “Buen Caminos,” they were off, and we got busy with the cleaning, ready to welcome a new group of pilgrims.

I almost didn’t want to share the next part of my morning, but now that the blood has stopped flowing, I can see the humor in it. Yesterday, a pilgrim accidentally broke another pilgrim’s bottle of wine, which led to her buying him a replacement. Meanwhile, Nigel handled the cleanup, sweeping up the glass. The only hiccup? He used the green pail that’s reserved for washing the kitchen floors which is my job. All our pails and mops are colour-coded—green for the kitchen, blue for the dorms, and red for the bathrooms—but that got overlooked. So, when I needed the green pail, I had to dump out the glass, which resulted in me cutting my thumb. To top it off, the glass had slit the pail rendering it useless. A domino effect!

At 12:30 PM, we welcomed our first pilgrims for the day, and within three hours, 14 pilgrims from 11 different countries had arrived. One young lady is turning 36 tomorrow, so Janine put candles on the cake she baked for tea this afternoon. We served it in the garden as there were so many of us. Afternoon tea is a perfect opportunity for the pilgrims to unwind, share stories, and connect with one another.

The evening brought a magical surprise. Just before 9 PM, I called Dave and while we were on the phone I walked around the albergue so he could hear the sounds of the albergue from afar. As I wandered downstairs with Dave, I peeked into the salon where a group had gathered. Two very talented musicians, one from Germany and the other from Spain, put on an impromptu concert. What talent! My favourite was “The House of the Rising Sun” weaving together the sounds of the guitar and the ukulele in perfect harmony. It lasted for two whole hours, even spilling over 15 minutes past lights out. It was a beautiful way to end the day!