A week in Italy: a report from Valpromaro

Laurel and Jim Kreuger sent this report:

After completing the hospitalero/a training in Saskatoon, which was hosted by the Saskatoon Chapter and ably facilitated by Tom Friesen of London, Ontario, we promptly applied to volunteer in an ostello (hostel) in Italy somewhere along the Via Francigena (the pilgrimage route from Canterbury to Rome).  We had walked the route in 2022 and had a favourite ostello that we had stayed at — Casa del Pellegrino G. Mancino in Valpromaro, a small village located near Lucca, Tuscany.  We were thrilled when we were assigned to serve there from April 19 - 27, 2024!

Upon our return to Valpromaro two things became clear.  The community was not quite as picturesque as we remembered it and the hostel was not quite as beautiful.  This prompted us to wonder why we both remembered it so fondly … upon brief reflection, we realized that it was definitely the two ospitalieras (hospitaleros/as) who had made our stay there so memorable.  So it was with this in mind that we began our week as ospitalieras ourselves, aiming to provide kindness and nourishment to pilgrims walking the Via Francigena.  As we are unable to speak Italian, we were fortunately partnered with Luciano, an ospitaliero from near Turin.  Luciano is a retired musical instrument craftsman who spent his career building harpsichords in his own workshop.  Together the three of us relied on smiles, charades, broken French, and Google translate (Italian-English-Italian) to communicate and coordinate our thoughts, plans, and cooking.  We told Luciano that he is the “Generale” and we are the “soldati” (soldiers) in the ostello.  We hosted pilgrims from Italy, France, the Netherlands, Brazil, Britain, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, and Denmark.  It was wonderful to hear about their experiences on the Via Francigena and on the Camino de Santiago (as many have walked there previously or are on their way there next)!  

Although long and tiring, our days at Valpromaro went by quickly.   After learning the routines, we appreciated the peaceful regimen:  clean, cook, host, repeat.

6:30 a.m.:  make coffee and set the table for breakfast (bread, jam, fruit, and hard-boiled eggs)

7:00 - 7:30:  pilgrims’ breakfast

7:30 - 8:30:  the pilgrims depart

8:30 - 10:00:  clean the hostel

10:00 - 11:00:  shower and do laundry (hang it outside)

11:00 - 1:00:  prepare bread dough, collect pine cones for the fireplace, fill acqua frizzante bottles, etc.

1:00 p.m.:  ospitalieras’ lunch

1:30 - 2:30:  riposo (rest)

2:30 - 5:00:  welcome new pilgrims

3:00 - 7:00:  prepare supper (soup/salad, bread, main dish, and cake)

7:30 - 8:30:  pilgrims’ supper

8:30 - 9:30:  wash dishes, clean the kitchen, and visit with pilgrims

9:30:  bedtime

With no local store and Luciano without a car, we ospitalieras worked with the ingredients on hand in the hostel cucina.  Luciano determined the menu and cooked the main dish, while Jim prepared the soup or salad.  Laurel quickly found her groove as the ostello baker and experimented daily with the different flours she found in the cupboard.  Breads, buns, and cakes soon filled the pantry and our bellies.  Dissatisfied with the quality of the bread that she was turning out, Laurel researched the proper Italian flour for bread and learned it to be “Farina Manitoba” — upon her request, the local committee sourced some.  Our meals now included cinnamon buns and focaccia. 

This personal touch to our meals was remarkable and seemed to bring everyone closer together.  What began as a group of pilgrims was transformed into a table of friends by the time dessert was passed around.  You could not only see it their faces, you could also hear it in the animated multilingual conversations and laughter.  It was a beautiful noise!

By the end of the week we were exhausted, but sad to leave Luciano behind.  Hugs and last minute photos almost made us miss our bus to Lucca. 

Report from the albergue in Salamanca

From Shannon Buchan, Victoria BC, currently in Salamanca:

I am half way through my volunteer time here in the beautiful city of Salamanca on the Via de la Plata and other routes as I have discovered. The albergue is a small one with only 16 beds.  I have had as few as two pilgrims one night to 12 on one occasion. I had been nervous as my Spanish is so basic but of the 53 pilgrims this week only 22 were Spanish. The rest have come from all over the world. Surprisingly no Canadians or Americans have come.

I have learned all the basic phrases I need to know to explain the workings of the Albergue and have created a couple of signs in Spanish. For all the other pilgrims it’s a combination of Google Translate and charades. 

I have now got into a routine. I normally get up with the first pilgrims and put out a few things for breakfast ( coffee, tea, yogurt, oranges, hard boiled eggs, madeleines)   This is totally optional at this  Albergue. There is only a microwave for cooking so the options are limited. I have figured out how to hard boil eggs in the microwave. Most of the pilgrims are totally self sufficient, bringing their own food. 

After I get everyone up and out ( the bicycle riders are usually last) I wait for the cleaner to come. Then I have from 9 am to 3 pm to myself to wander the city. Salamanca is a beautiful city with lots to do and see. The Albergue is in the old city so you are in the heart of the action.

The most common thing I have to decide is whether to let a pilgrim stay another day. The official policy is one day stay only. If a pilgrim is sick or injured there is no issue for me. The albergue does have a tiny room set aside for ill pilgrims. If a pilgrim just wants to sightsee I tell them there are many low cost accommodations nearby.  You will need to determine how you will handle this situation for yourself.

One problem which has occurred on many mornings is the pilgrim who will not leave. I tell them they must leave by 8 , there are signs saying the same thing.  Most days I have to get a pilgrim up and basically chase them out. Often a straggler will be here when the cleaners arrive after 9. The previous Hospitalero played loud music at 7 am. 

The Albergue is right next to a famous garden and many tourists visit here. Often they will try to ask me touristy type questions.  Luckily I can direct them to a tourist information place at the base of the cathedral about a block away.  

This last week has been a great experience. For the most part the pilgrims  have been kind and responsible. I have met some seriously hard core Camino walkers, like the ones who have already walked Seville to Santiago and are now on the return trip to Seville. I have also learned about the 6 other routes that go through Seville and have witnessed many Camino friendships that have arisen between pilgrims walking side by side. 

I am excited for my last week and to then get back on the Way myself.

13 more Hospitaleros ready to serve pilgrims

We had a very busy and fun Hospitalero training session in Victoria, the weekend of September 13-15.  As well as the regular curriculum, we were able to speak, via WhatsApp video, to Judy from Victoria and Janine from Sydney, Australia, who were nearing the end of their service at Guacelmo in Rabanal. Our group in Victoria were just finishing their breakfast and Judy and Janine had finished serving cake and tea in the garden of the albergue and would soon be on their way to a celebratory G&T at the bar. If you'd like to ready about their time there, you can read Judy's blog: https://throughourlookingglass.ca   We also had a presentation from Calvin and Jeannie who had served in Villalcazar de Sirga, in 2016. They have such wonderful memories and in their presentation covered a couple of topics: Getting along with the townsfolk and Providing a warm welcome at the albergue, as well as some interesting adventures.  Unfortunately, this albergue is no longer on the list of those at which we volunteer, but I believe it is typical of albergues in small towns on the Meseta. 

Below is a photo of the new hospitaleros with trainers Mary, Terry and Shannon. Thanks to all for making this such a great weekend.

Training session in September in Victoria

 

 Hospitalero Training

Sept 13-15

Victoria, BC

Thank you for your interest in training to be a hospitalero/a. If you have walked or cycled the Camino de Santiago to Santiago de Compostela and now feel a need to give back to the Camino a bit of the generosity and kindness that you met on your journey, then this course will open the doors for you. We guarantee that it will be a weekend of fun, learning, and reinforcement of all those things you learned and felt on the Camino. And as you know, it's always great fun reliving the Camino!

 

Please complete this form and return it with a cheque or etransfer for $125.00 or your donativo (what you feel you can afford) payable to Mary Virtue, 78 Linden Ave., Victoria, BC V8V4C8.  Any money left after the expenses (course materials, postage etc.) for the weekend will be donated to an albergue or hospitaleros voluntarios which staffs many albergues on the Camino.

 

Name:

 

Address:

 

 

Telephone:​​​​​​email:

 

Any food restrictions we should be aware of?

 

When did you walk/cycle the Camino?   Month and year(s) please.

 

Why do you want to be a hospitalero/a?

 

Are you prepared to volunteer for 15 days in 2024 or 2025? (The Federation assigns volunteers from the 1st to the 15th of the month of the 16th to 30th/31st . You should show up a day early to “learn the ropes” and for a smooth transition at the albergue.)

 

Experienced hospitaleros will be conducting the training  They are: Daphne Hnutiak (Vancouver) and Mary Virtue (Victoria), If you have any questions, please email Mary.

Hospitaler@ News Spring 2024

Last year well over 40 postings were attended by Canadian trained hospitaler@s. We posted the first name and location of those we knew about and are aware that other experienced hospitaler@s went back to serve in Spain, France, Portugal or Italy. 

As of this writing there are over 30 “destinos” which will be attended to by Canadian hospitaler@s in 2024. If you are serving this year, can you please contact Mary Virtue (maryvirtue(at)shaw.ca) or Tom (tomfriesen50(at)outlook.com) We will put your first name, location and dates on this blog. This may aid in knowing who is serving at the same time. Some hospitaler@s have managed to meet, debrief or support each other in this way. 

Last year we designed a t-shirt to be given to hospitaler@s. It is available free of charge to those who will serve or have served. Contact Tom if you would like one. Please give me your size and the address to mail it to.

We offered a hospitaler@ training in Gatineau in mid-January and were gratified that more than half of the participants have already been assigned a hospitaler@ posting. There are more training courses planned for Fredericton, Kelowna and London. Follow this space for notice and to register. To receive an application to register, please contact Mary or Tom.

A report from the Camino Primitivo

30th August, 2023.

Polo de Allende, Spain.

Only 4 hours after we arrived at Polagrino Albergue, Camino Primitivo, we leapt into action to serve 15 pilgrims for dinner.

We were expecting maybe 6 pilgrims to come, but people kept coming because of the rain. By 8, we had 15 very cold and hungry pilgrims waiting to be fed, a full house. 

 

At this albergue, we are not only doing the usual house keeping duty, we are also need to cook vegetarian meal for whoever want to join in. 

 

We arrive the day during a switch over day, so luckily other hospitalerors quickly brought us up to date. The house keeping part isn’t tough, normal task one needs to do at home. 

 

If you are stationed at an albergue that needed to cook for a large crowd, work out a menu that is delicious and easy to put together. Our to go menu is: mixed salad, lentil soup, bread and vegetable pastas. Salad and soup can be made ahead. Pasta can be boiled ahead to al dente then rinsed with cold water to stop it continuing to cook. Sauce also can be made ahead and keep it warm. About half hour before dinner, warm up the sauce. Boil a big pot of water and once the water is hot, put to pasta back in for a few minutes to warm up, then serve. To save time, we always use the kettle to boil the water.

 

Don’t make everything last minute. Makig food ahead of time can save a lot of stress when 15 hungry mouths are waiting. Also you can visually portion everything when they are cooked ahead of time. In case you need more food, add stuff to your salad, like canned corns or canned white beans. We always make more so we can have the leftover for the next day, if there is anything left.

 

This albergue has an instruction sheet on all tasks, make it very easy for referencing. 

 

Be prepared to have a lot of downtime. You aren’t working all the time at the albergue. Bring a book, learn Spanish, do a painting. You need something to occupy your time as some albergues are located at tiny villages with not much to do, like this one we are at.

 

Divide tasks in among of hospitaleros. If you can’t cook well, try food prep and let someone else who can cook well to do the cooking. Or stay out of the kitchen and do clean up instead. One person can do changing of bed sheets while the other one mops the floor. It creates less conflict when tasks are divided.

 

Spend time talking to pilgrims. Everyone brings something unique to the table. Some people aren’t the chatty type, respect that and give them space. 

 

Bring something that you think will be nice addition to the albergue. We brought Canadian pins to give out. I brought Montreal Steak spicy for cooking. Previously I have brought curry powder to make curried potatoes. We also brought heavy duty house gloves for washing dishes and cleaning yucky stuff. Not every albergue stocks gloves. Leave them for the next crew.

 

A warm welcome and smile goes a long way.

 

Dennis Tam

 

Training sessions across Canada

You have walked the Camino de Santiago and enjoyed staying at donativo albergues. They were usually located in "quaint - older" places but you enjoyed the convivial atmosphere among pilgrims that made you feel mentally refreshed in the morning when you left.

Did you know that much of the positive energy generated in these albergues comes from well trained volunteers called Hospitaleros who offer their services free of charge and live at the albergue for 15 days?  Hospitaleros serve pilgrims in a spirit that has endured since the X century, and they become part of the local community during their stay.

There are training sessions being offered across Canada this year. If you are interested in returning to Spain as a hospitalero and would like to take the training, please know that (a) hospitaleros are needed (b) you would be expected to serve within 12 months of taking the training.

The Calgary Chapter of the Company of Pilgrims will offer a hospitalero training session this year (2023) on November 18 and 19 If there is interest. Participants will be limited to 15 people.

Contact Monique Rigole, Calgary Hospitalero training coordinator if you are interested in taking the course.

The Victoria Chapter will offer training on the weekend of September 1-3. Please contact Mary Virtue if you are interested and she will send you an application form.

The Sasktooon Chapter will be hosting a training session, led by Tom Friesen on the weekend of August 18-20. Again, please contact him directly for an application form.

Tom is also presenting training sessions in London next weekend, June 23-25 and in Ottawa sometime in January/February 2024.

Please check out the pages on the right to see more about the training and to also see where our Canadians are serving this year.