Letter to friends - Where does the pelgrim sleep?

Dear all,
The countdown is nearing its end. 6 more nights in our normal habitat. On Sunday we leave for our journey into the unknown. Yesterday we did our last training run. 45 kilometres of hard work in the Carpathian Mountains, climbing 700 metres in height, in temperatures of over 30 degrees. The muscle pain is bearable, the training of the past months has paid off. Less of a success is the way our arms and legs look. Full-on sun and no protection has left us looking like 3 lobsters. A good lesson. Protection from the sun has not been a priority on our list. We know better now. A daily cream-rubbing session awaits us on our road to Santiago. Friends who did the pilgrimage before tell us that quite a few pilgrims have to withdraw because of sun burn. We will cycle with the sun continuously on our backs. Our calves and necks will truly enjoy the next 2 weeks.
Where does the pilgrim sleep? Along the Camino you find the so-called ‘refugios’, which are often run by volunteers (hospitaleros). Sometimes you find a refugio in a monastery, but most are just in normal houses in a village. The accommodation is adapted to the basic needs of the pilgrim. You find a large room with many beds, you take a shower (‘most refugios now do have warm water’ I read recently; I suppose real pilgrims – such as Richard and Sam in our group – refuse the offer of warm water…). Often there's a place where you can cook. And hopefully there's also a back room where we can lock away our bicycles.
Only pilgrims with a Pilgrim Record ('credential') can sleep in the refugios. It will therefore be crucial for us to obtain this document on our first day, in Roncesvalles. You let this small passport-like document be stamped once or twice per day (in the refugio, a church, etc), and when arriving in Santiago you use it to prove that you walked at least the last 100 kilometres or cycled the last 200 kilometres of the Camino. If all is ok, you receive the ‘Compostella’, a sort of certificate.
Another important point for us to remember is that the refugios give preference to pilgrims doing the Camino byfoot over those doing it by bicycle. Normally, cyclist-pilgrims can only be sure to get a bed at the refugio after 18:00. Before that, only pilgrims on foot are welcome. This is understandable. A cyclist can easily go on for another 5 or 10 kilometres to the refugio in the next village. More so than someone on foot. And if we are really desperate (or we want to limit the snoring to the 3 of us) we can always book ourselves into one of the many small hotels along the Camino.
As you might know, you can follow our pilgrimage on www.janrichardsam.blogspot.com
Our fundraising for the charity run by Frere Mathieu (www.unitate.ro) has reached 5,307 Euros so far. Thanks to all those who support this good cause. Others can still contribute. Sending a mail stating the amount you want to sponsor is all that is needed.
Talk to you soon.
Your pilgrims.
Jan/Richard/Sam