Each day is a new adventure. We walk some distance from one town to the next to get to our next albergue and these are our homes for the night. By the time we reach our albergue for the night we are exhausted since we have just finished our daily walk. So at this point in the day all we want to do is sit, take off our shoes and socks, shower, and maybe take a siesta. But, even though we are so tired, discovering the next albergue is my favorite par
t of each day. Each one is so different and they all have something special that makes them charming, whether that something is the owner or simply the place itself. Each owner seems to be so kind. They each have welcomed us with huge smiles and seem genuinely excited for us to be there and to have the opportunity to take care of us for the night. Some owners have activities for us to participate in and even some souvenirs. When lunch comes, we can really see how much they care for us, there is always a lot of food. The albergues are special on their own too. Each has rooms for sleeping and then an outdoors space meant for conversing. The outdoor spaces are my favorite. So far they have been a large space for our group to gather to play a game of cards or just talk. The times at the albergue relax me and these spaces allow for that. With each albergue I find something new and I can’t wait to discover more.
—Caitlin Hadjis
Hokies hiking the Camino de Santiago 