My second stint as a hospitalera in Spain was in the second half of April at Refugio Gaulcemo in Rabanal del Camino – an albergue run by the Confraternity of St James in England.
I was fortunate enough to serve with Cynthia from Colorado (who I’d met when serving in Logrono), and Daphne from the Yukon. We worked so well as a team that we are applying to come back together in 2027.
Being a hospi can be pretty full on and it’s a long day – but there are lots of good times and it’s so rewarding. Being run by an English association, there’s a tradition of a 5pm afternoon tea served in the garden if the weather allows or in the salon with the fire going. I enjoyed baking cakes for the pilgrims – once I’d mastered the dodgy oven – and on my last day managed a pavlova that went down a real treat with many photos being taken.
Besides cleaning and baking, other activities included watering the herb garden, cleaning up the debris from fallen storks nests, buying the bread from the panaderia man and greeting pilgrims and often just lending an ear.
We were invited to lunch at the monastery next door twice and got to know the 5 monks – with one of them calling us the Holy Trinity! We registered just under 340 pilgrims in our 19 days. It was a delight being part of a small village and interacting with the locals. The hospi course run by Eileen and Richard provides a good foundation for being a hospi and the Confraternity provided us with support as well as a great facility to be able to offer true hospitality.
Next year who knows where I will serve.