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Thank you so much for this list, Roland!Best community-feeling I experienced:
On CF:
- Roncesvalles
- Grañon (Parochial)
- Hornillos (Meeting Point)
- Carrion de los Condes (Espiritu Santo)
- Hospital del Orbigo (San Miguel)
- Cruz de Ferro
- Molinaseca (Compostela)
- O Cebreiro (Municipal)
- Ponte Campaña (Casa Domingo)
On CP:
- Vila do Conde (Santa Clara)
- Esposende (Sleep and Go)
- A Cancela (Albergue Portela)
- O Milladoiro (Albergue Milladoiro)
All other instances are really subjective. But I was amazed on the 5-8 Pilgrims who looked after a fellow Pilgrim who felt unwell mid the Pyrenees and the comradery among the Pilgrims I met on my ways.
BC
1. Places -Hi everyone,
I’m heading back to the Camino soon, this time with a focus on exploring the theme of community. I would be grateful if you could share locations and your experiences related to community and a sense of belonging. Specifically, I’m interested in:
1. Places where you felt the hosts made an effort to build a strong sense of community (names of bars, albergues, etc. would be really helpful).
2. Experiences along the Camino where you felt a deep sense of community—especially how those feelings came about.
3. Any other moments or ways that the sense of community stood out to you on the Camino.
My goal is to visit these places and connect with the people involved to learn more about fostering community, and to share some of these stories with others.
Thank you in advance for your time and insights!
Jo
I've heard that so often - unfortunately when I walked the Inglés it was Semana Santa and the bar was literally overflowing. No way I was going in there!Casa Avelina, Bar and Cafe, on the Ingles, just after the merging of the two routes, is a gem not to be bypassed.
Definitely #3 (above). And not only on the Camino.1. Places -
On the French Way - the Municipal in Azofra, Albergue Bideluze in Castildelgado, Albergue de Peregrinos San Anton Abad, the Meeting Place in Hornillos del Camino, Albergue En El Camino in Boadilla del Camino, Albergue de Pereginos Parroquia de Santa Maria in Carrion de los Condes, Albergueria Laganares in San Nicolas del Real Camino, Albergue Via Trajana in Calzadilla de Los Hermanillos, Albergue El Encanto in Villares de Orbigo, Refugio Pequeno Potala in Ruitelan.
On the Portugues - Albergue de Calvinos in Calvinos, Albergaria Pinheiro in Alvaiazere (personalized stamp), Albergue O Lagareiro in Alvorge, market/bar in Trouxemil, Albergue de Peregrinos Rainha D. Teresa in Albergaria A Velha, Albergue Moinho Garcia in Pinheiro Da Bemposta, Albergue Camino Da Vieira in Angueira De Suso.
On the Ingles/Muxia/Finisterre - Casa Avelina in As Travesas (the Gold Standard of Camino Hospitality!!) municipal and the 1 restaurante in Hospital de Bruma, Albergue Casa Pepa in Santa Marina, Albergue Monte Aro in Lago, Albergue O Cabanel in A Grixa (to Muxia), Albergue Arasolis in Finisterre.
That's a long list, I know, but the communal aspect of the Camino is the most compelling for me. There is one thing in common among all the places listed above - the over-the-top hospitality of the owner/operator. They have the ability to create a place that makes good soil for the community seeds to grow.
2. Cruz de Ferro is the place for me, especially if not too crowded and you have a chance to absorb what has happened before you. We humans have a lot in common, and it seems we long to connect to others/something else. Praza Da Obradoiro is another one of those places.
3. These seem to happen organically, and not attached to any place, but more about the right person/people at the right time.
You are right! I stayed there in May, and it was exceptional.In addition to others mentioned above, the team at Albergue Oasis Trails in Villamayor de Monjardin are making an intentional effort to live out their beliefs around hospitality.
And Juanma at Casa Maralotx in Cirauqui welcomes you into his home.
Liked your comments about Guemes - I felt the same cult-y vibe, although it was a beautiful place and I otherwise had no complaints. As for Granon - a marginal pilgrim got into the unguarded wine and drank quietly and steadily, puking on pilgrims in his vicinity later that night. My traveling friend and I made up a haiku about partying pilgrims keeping us up late and then collapsed in giggles. The community ebbs and flows and is a welcome but often unexpected surprise, thanks for reminding us of the community of self.A deep sense of community can happen "artificially" in one sense because the albergue or setting or group you may be with foster this and you enter in "expecting" community. Perfect examples of this are some of the famous albergues in Granon or in Guemes on the Norte. For me both albergues did show warmth and kindness to the pilgrims. But I almost found the attitudes of pilgrims, especially in Guemes to actually be a little cult like and creepy. They were so excited to be there and sitting around listening to the stories of the priest and the donativo. I looked at their faces and their expressions of total bliss and absolute joy kind of freaked me out. There was absolutely nothing that anyone had experienced to that point that would lend itself to these expressions of total joy. I even felt this way with the volunteers who greeted and served me. I was thankful for their service to me but to be honest I really felt like like the way they spoke and looked at you was kind of full of s@^t. I know its my feeling and there is no arguing about the way one feels. Yes the donativo was welcoming but no it was not like knockin' on heaven's door.
People talk about camino families and how they offer a sense of community. I never join such groups because I walk for me and walk when my body says walk and stop when it tells me to. I have encountered some of the most clickish people ever who belonged to families. They stayed basically only with themselves. I have a pretty big mouth and like to connect in albergues. I usually meet some really nice people. But I have been in albergues a few times where it was me and a family or two. I tried to engage and although people were not rude they were not welcoming. I asked if they wanted to cook dinner and was told no thanks we are going out or we have already shopped or some other lame excuse. Of course this is not every family but it has happened to me and I have heard too many times from others to safely say it is not an anomaly. Honestly it did bother me the first few times for sure, now if it happens I just say f#%k it and go to the grocery store.
Community can happen anywhere. It can be a community of just yourself. Enjoying the step you are taking or the blissfulness of an empty mind, free of the daily bulls+*t we put ourselves through. It can happen on the path playing with a dog that follows for a minute or chatting with a farmer. (If you can speak English), Making a dinner with some other pilgrims in any albergue that has a kitchen. The list goes on an on.
There are no community centers that grab and keep you. I think they can happen anywhere within yourself or with just some other common folks, pilgrims or locals. I think there are some albergues that make this community feeling happen more easily and I am so thankful for those people and the work and love that they put in to make it so. The feeling of community can happen last for a moment or for an hour, day or however long you can keep it. Even if it is just a moment, that is all the universe chose to give you so be happy with that.
There are countless places, bars, park benches, rock you can sit on that foster community. There are also lots of albergues that do to. There are also lots of albergues that you can have the most fantastic community feel because of a volunteer or the people around you. Two days later there may be new volunteer that is kind of a dick and maybe some schmucky pilgrims that make that same magical albergue a place to avoid at all costs.
My advice is just walk and free your head and what happens will happen.
It's those random, unplanned moments that make the Camino such a special place.I was walking with my French Camino friend Isabelle. It was approaching lunchtime and the rain was starting to get heavier, so we took shelter inside a barn beside the path. We were shortly joined by an American and a French couple and the six of us proceeded to make ourselves at home on the hay bales and share whatever we had with us for lunch. I don't remember now what we all had - it was 23 years ago! - but I do remember thinking we'd created our own loaves and fishes moment. Nobody had much food, but put together it became a quite adequate and very friendly shared lunch.
Are you talking about these 2 little cuties? I did not stay at Albergue Fuente Sidres but stopped for breakfast and also thought the hospitaleros were delightful. The dog and the kitten got pilgrims chatting and connecting too!A few albergues stood out to me this year. One was Albergue Fuente Sidres just before Hontanas. The hospitaleros are lovely people and there is both a dog and kitten in residence. The setting is just wonderful - you can sit on the front terrace and watch pilgrims walk by. They offer a communal dinner for an extra cost, and a communal breakfast is included.
Another was Albergue Amanecer in Villarmentero de Campos between Frómista and Carrión de los Condes had a great pilgrim vibe thanks to the wonderful hospitalera, who not only cooked a delicious dinner, but played the guitar and sang to us while we ate.
Hi Walkerooni,There are several I can think of that were exceptional. All "off-stage". Which is where most of the magic happens. None of which are mentioned here. To mention them would be to spoil them. Go forth and find the special places on your own. That is what makes them special!
Yes, those are the ones!Are you talking about these 2 little cuties?
I have yet to visit Casa Susi and Casa da Fernanda but hope to as I have heard so much about them.As others have said, sometimes community seems to happen organically. But it is hard to interview people in these cases. We had good community in Casa Barbadelo, but I think that was just the collection of pilgrims in our little dorm was a good one.
Often, in my experience, a sense of community can emerge from shared meals, especially when they are shaped by the personality of the host (Casa Susi on the Frances and Casa da Fernanda on the Portugues spring to mind) or the pilgrims help in preparing the communal meal (as is the case in the often cited parochial albergue in Grañon).
I think my favourite albergue for just creating the conditions for community was Bendueños on the San Salvador.
If throwing up on your fellow pilgrims sleeping next to you isn't community, I don't know what is!!!!!!??????Liked your comments about Guemes - I felt the same cult-y vibe, although it was a beautiful place and I otherwise had no complaints. As for Granon - a marginal pilgrim got into the unguarded wine and drank quietly and steadily, puking on pilgrims in his vicinity later that night. My traveling friend and I made up a haiku about partying pilgrims keeping us up late and then collapsed in giggles. The community ebbs and flows and is a welcome but often unexpected surprise, thanks for reminding us of the community of self.
Oh, that's hard to say.If you have the time, I’d love to hear more about what specifically led to those feelings of community. Roncesvalles and Grañon seem so different to me! Was it the warm welcome from the hospitaleros, the shared meals, cooking together, or something else?
As far as albergues, I'd say Casa Maraloxt in Cirauqui (Juan the host is so kind, the dinner is amazing and the town itself is so quaint and especially fun if the fiesta is happening in the town), The donativo in Granon (the dinner, the hospitaleros, the pilgrim community, the spiritual experience), Eduardo in Boadilla (Eduardo is the coolest and kindest, the communal dinner is fun and festive). Also, O'Cebreiro generally. The municipal was fine but just all the pilgrims milling about town was really nice.Hi everyone,
I’m heading back to the Camino soon, this time with a focus on exploring the theme of community. I would be grateful if you could share locations and your experiences related to community and a sense of belonging. Specifically, I’m interested in:
1. Places where you felt the hosts made an effort to build a strong sense of community (names of bars, albergues, etc. would be really helpful).
2. Experiences along the Camino where you felt a deep sense of community—especially how those feelings came about.
3. Any other moments or ways that the sense of community stood out to you on the Camino.
My goal is to visit these places and connect with the people involved to learn more about fostering community, and to share some of these stories with others.
Thank you in advance for your time and insights!
Jo
Oasis Trails in Villamayor de Monjardín and Luquin.Places where you felt the hosts made an effort to build a strong sense of community
Oasis Trails in Villamayor de Monjardín and Luquin.
OMG. That is a life changing experience! Just watching them dance and play, and recognizing their social structure... I mean I had no clue. After that I stopped eating them for about a year... Darn it I should stop eating them again.Spending time alone with a herd of cows and calves on the VdlP last year. It felt such a privilege
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