Gite Beilari-my first albergue

I had not really planned to stay in albergues.

I was afraid of the lack of privacy, shared bathrooms, snoring- all of that.  
 
But I also wanted to have the true pilgrim experience. Gite Beilari has rave reviews on the Camino Forum. So I thought I'd be brave and give it a try.
 
 Gite Beilari:

       https://www.beilari.info/en/home/
 
 
 
Beilari is right across the street from the pilgrim office and is definitely unfancy. You enter- after 3 pm only - and are quickly instructed to stow your backpack and take off your hiking shoes.  Those are allowed only in the outdoor patio- NOT inside the building. 

    
  
Joy or Jacques greets you and stamps your credentials. You and others are then assigned rooms, given the schedule for meals, and led upstairs.
 
I was assigned a room up on the third floor. You cannot take your backpack upstairs - this is to prevent transporting dirt and insects (bedbugs etc) into the building. So you pull out only what you need and take those things up with you using the plastic tubs provided.
 
 
 
You can see here the lineup of backpacks, poles, and shoes in the patio. Mine is the orange one- and those black Hokas.  No poles yet for me.
 
 
My bed was in the corner below, just under the window. Beds come with paper sheets, pillows with paper covers and a light blanket.  Most pilgrims bring sleeping bags or sleep liners.
No AC here and those first two nights were HOT- we were happy to have the fan. 
 
 
 
My first night I shared with another woman pilgrim and we had our bathroom all to ourselves. 

 

There were a couple of lovely shady outdoor spaces to sit with a a coffee and relax and meet other pilgrims.  

 Clothes were then hung to dry. Merino wool and other lightweight hiking clothes dry very quickly. 









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