Terradillos de los Templarios

13 May

I'm spending my afternoon in Terradillos de los Templarios. The Albergue is very nice. Pretty impressive for only €8. Most places have been between €5-€10 during my trek. Cafe con leche averages €1,30 and pilgrims menu is €10 along The Way. I've spent an average of €250 a week on lodging and food; I have sacrificed little. Bathrooms and bunks are commonly shared spaces; men and women sleep in the same rooms, shower and take care of business in desegregated spaces much of the time. The Camino is not the place for people with phobias or privacy issues of any type. Soap, hand towels, and napkins are a rare commodity here, and so is privacy. Men and women scantily clad, changing wherever they feel Ike it...it's a step up from camping but not a big step. Mother Nature might even be a touch cleaner. Every afternoon most wash their clothes by hand and then hang on the lines to dry. Few are interested in using the washer and even fewer the dryer when the options exist. Most people on the Camino live the pilgrim experience. It's quite nice to be with such down to earth people. 

Tuesday night I hung out after dinner with a fun group of English speakers who were tapping into the vino; a beautiful Australian woman, a salsa dancing German, a very sexy, gregarious Italian man, and a sumo-wrestling Japanese man whose age we could never figure out. It was a good evening, especially for the drinkers.  How they all managed to be on the Camino by 0600 this morning to trek 26 kilometers is baffling but they are here...the party has started.