Were now on the fifth day of our planned 15-day assignment in El Burgo Ranero, and we seem to be falling into the rhythm: Up at six; say goodbye to the departing peregrinos from six-thirty to eight; clean up the albergue, usually by ten or ten-thirty; and enjoy our free time until we open our doors at one when the next stream of peregrinos begins arriving. We check them in until the albergue is full, usually by four in the afternoon, but must remain open until ten in the evening if spaces remain available. As you might have guessed, some of our free time is devoted to napping, but we´ve also been able to walk around town, shop, or stop in to one of the local restuarants for cafe con leche or a glass of wine. In four evenings we have accommodated 111 peregrinos from many different nations. Most speak Spanish or English, and those who don´t seem resigned to making allowances.
Peregrinos are asked to leave their hiking boots on the ground floor, which is important in muddy weather.
The first two evenings were cold and wet, leaving all twenty-eight of us to huddle around our smoky and not-too-warm fireplace. Fortunately, the last two evenings have featured fine weather and have permitted us to watch the sunset over the Laguna Manzana, about a block from the albergue. More good weather is forecast for the next several days.
Sunset over la Laguna Manzana, May 3, 2013
Our building was purpose-built as an albergue in 1991, reviving the adobe (sun-dried bricks made of mud and straw) construction methods that were traditional in this region, but which had almost completely fallen into disuse.
The albergue
Inside view looking up toward the rafters shows the mud brick construction of the walls.
We are not actually staying in the albergue, and will show you our accommodations in a later post.
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