Wednesday was a nice day here in the albergue we had 40 pilgrims and they were a bit on the older side. That makes for a quieter night. Each day brings a new group and a new energy and vibe. 40 pilgrims leaves 8 beds unfilled which makes for a little more room at the in.
Thursday, last night we had 50 pilgrims. The crowd was younger, mainly Germans and Irish. They had a big communal meal and then played cards and laughed until 10pm when I scooted the all off to bed. At around 7 pm a father and son arrived. They had started walking in Cologne, Germany and were hoping for a bed. We were able to put 2 mattresses on the floor for them and they were thrilled. I am very fortunate to work with my partner hospitalera Jacqui as we both are super positive and looking for any way we can help pilgrims while still maintaining the rules. 50 is our absolute max so that worked. Jacqui is from the UK but has lived in Spain for more than 30 years. She has a car and has been a Camino angel more than once this week. On two different days we have found pilgrims national identification cards that she has taken to the next town to return to some very happy pilgrims. This is not normal and many would have had to take a taxi back or try to figure out how to get them some other way. it is nearly impossible to travel or even walk the Camino without you identification.
All in all this is a great experience and it is always fun and interesting to meet new pilgrims each day.