How much things cost by Thurston Howell III and Lovie

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Things are really inexpensive here.  All prices below are in euros.

I’ve already mentioned that our average cost for nightly lodging in the albergues has been 7.50 ea. 

Our other main expense is food.  We usually get one regular croissant and one chocolate croissant to start the day.  They cost 1.50 ea.

After we walk a couple hours we stop for an expresso (1.10) and maybe another pastry (1.50).

After another hour or two we try to find scrambled eggs, sometimes with ham or bacon.  Cost 4.00.

In the afternoon we stop for a coke (1.20) and a bag of chips (1.20).

For dinner we live large with the pilgrims meal. There is a first course of salad, pasta, or soup.  The main course is chicken, eggs, fish, or pork.  Desert is normally a packaged ice cream, yogurt, flan, almond cake, or piece of fruit.  Dinner comes with French bread and red wine - a bottle or carafe each.  That whole thing comes to 10.00 ea.  It is not customary to tip. The price is the price.

We stop by a grocery store to pick up snacks for the next day - peanuts, dried apricots, potato chips, kit kat bar.  Sometimes we get some slices cheese and lunch meat to put on extra French bread for a sandwich.  We average about 5.00 per day on groceries.

Pretty much everything you order here comes with a slice do French bread.  I think it should be called Spanish bread.  Even if you go up to the display case at the counter, point at what you think is a piece of good looking apple tort.  They take it from the display and put it in the microwave to warm it up.  You take it back to your table, only to discover that it is really half a roasted pig’s snout - even then, you get a slice of French bread.  When you are asked why you ordered something if you are not going to eat it....there is no good answer to that perfectly good question.

All told we are averaging about 19.00 ea per day for food.

Other expenses:

We are spending about 5.00 per day on donations lighting candles and for street muscicians.

We are spending 7.00 per week on laundry (3.00 to wash and 4.00 to dry).

Drinks - after setting up lodging for the night we have a drink or two, ea.  A glass of local wine, a beer, or a coke generally runs about 1.10 to 1.50 ea.  We probably spend about 6.00 per day total.

Transportation: 0.00.

And yet, we are living very extravagantly compared to some.  We sometimes feel like Thurston Howell III and Lovie.  Some pilgrims cook their meals (breakfast and dinner) in the kitchens in the albergues.  They get groceries from a local market and cook oatmeal and eggs for breakfast. They will make salad and pasta or stir fry for dinner. They get a bottle of wine for 2.00 - 3.00. One woman from London carries a bag of rice in her backpack and makes dinner each night.

Of course there are many ways to spend more.  We have met many people who do not stay in albergues, but upgrade to hotels. They are spending 40.00 - 60.00 per room per nite.  Many also are sending their backpacks ahead by taxi each day.  Cost is 5.00 per bag.  Some do not order from the pilgrim’s munu, so they spend more.

In summary, Thurston and Lovie are enjoying the adventure.