Hostel game tight

It's been a culture shock moving from albergues to hostels, particularly as we come into big cities like Lisbon.

The days of rocking up on the day and handing over a tenner are long gone - you'll want to have had a reservation for some time and you'll be handing over at least $50, but I've seen up to $150/night - still bunk beds mind you! They are FANCY, they are dedicated to Having a Good Time. They won't stamp your credential but they'll take you on a pub crawl.

Layouts and facilities reflect a cultural shift from aesthetic walkers concerned chiefly with laundry, cooking, and sleeping, to Contiki abandon - huge common areas with pool tables and PlayStations, curtained beds to shield hungover eyes from daylight, and lockers for valuables we pilgrims did not carry.

Security is tight - you get key cards, fobs, chips on bracelets. Albergue doors were just open until they weren't - you walked in and out freely until they locked up for the night about 10pm, nobody had a pass. I can appreciate fully now how much trust that involves both for pilgrims and the community in each town.

The standard questions morph from how are your feet and how far will you go today to how old are you and what are you studying. I feel old and wise. I am the first up and the first to bed. I am friendly but reserved - we are on different paths.

Pictured here are the ones I just checked into and out of, respectively.Read more