Camino Day 29, July 3: Sarria to Portomarin

Camino Day 29, Friday, July 3: Sarria to Portomarin

Numbers: 15.10 miles per Garmin GPS. 38,288 steps, 163 floors, and 305 active minutes per Fitbit.

Dave's voice

For you Sarria fans, let me say (again) DO NOT get a room that faces west and has no air conditioning. Also, since money is no object with our readers, do NOT opt for the 35€ place. Sharing a bath/toilet with four other rooms may remind a few of you of college hi-jinx, but it’s a drag. As for a/c, we had a window and a door to a tiny balcony that was also accessible to folks in the next room. Upshot: another tough night although the weather did cool late. Not much comfort if there’s no air flow.

Nevertheless, we again staggered to our feet to begin another nice day on the Camino. As reported before, Sarria is the jumping-off place for tons of Short Hoppers and we immediately came upon a group of ten: 8 shrill 12 year olds and two deaf parents who must have drawn short straws to get this chaperone gig. We were saved by the second important change on the way out of Sarria: with the big increase in Caminars, there’s also a big increase in (bars and) restaurants that cater to them. More places to stop for coffee and sweeties, Cokes and sweeties, Nutty Buddies and sweeties, etc. While we’ve gone as long as ten miles without seeing a place to stop (subsisting solely on food and water, as W.C. Fields used to say), today we never had to go more than three. We didn’t stop at all of them, but all of them had customers, from family, church, and school groups, to weary travelers in ones and twos.

Our path today was mostly tree-covered, so dappled shade which is good for the temp, but often hides rocks, ruts, and roots. So, good and less good. Still, an easy day.

Our new acquaintance for the day was a young Italian guy (from Brechia; have no idea where that is), who started in Madrid and went 27 days before hurting his knee. Now, a few days from the finish line, he’s pretty much going on one leg and Ibuprofen. A friendly chap. Said we reminded him of his great-grandparents. Thanks, Signiore.

The second person we “met” was a bagpiper, playing God-knows-what Scottish skirl in the woods west of Sarria. You make money where you can.

The countryside here is grazing land again with more dairy cows and plenty of truck patches. Lots of big dogs, too. German Shepherds and cross-breed variants. Guess that’s good: it takes a prosperous farmer to feed a big dog.

The news out of Portomarin is that the place we were scheduled to stay, one of only a few in town we were told, is not where we’ll actually stay. True, another 35€ night has at least one appeal, but further access to customer reviews dissuaded us. Instead, we’re in what is doubtless a nicer place with a room that faces…east. There’s a big private balcony, too, and a nice view of the nearby reservoir. It’s a breezy afternoon, warm and nap-worthy. Lunch and laundry are done and so is shopping for dinner.

We’ve only a few days left and could pause now and again for mature reflection if we were the type. Don’t count on it. We’ve had four weeks to consider/reconsider our lives and, yes, we’ll make a few changes. For example, we both want younger, more sexually obedient and more easily dominated spouses. (The funny thing is, this is exactly what we thought we were getting when we married all those years ago. Who knew?) We’ve spent a lot of time looking at our feet so we don’t trip and fall face-first in cow manure and we know now that one cannot live without sometimes slipping. We also know that seeing one’s partner do this is really funny.

There are a lot of knee sleeves on the Camino now as Long Haulers break down bit by bit. Lots of not-so-clean and not-so-good-smelling clothes, too. More people sending bags ahead and admitting to bus rides. More tired faces even early in the day and more people at lunch who look like they’ve already had a few drinks when they’re just sitting down. People eating lunch or having coffee along the road when what they really need is a massage, a day by the pool, and a hip transplant. Perhaps what we’ve learned is: we’re glad we aren’t those people. We’re full of piss and vinegar and, after much, much athletic and soul-searing sex this afternoon, we’re going out flamenco dancing until dawn. Pretty much like every night.

Or we could remain in our room, inert, until we have to get up and grind out another day on the Camino.

Deb's few words

As we walked today, we hit the 100 km to-go-point (about 62 miles). We've walked close to 450 miles since we started in St. Jean Pied de Port in France on June 5. As Dave said yesterday, that 100 km mark doesn't mean anything to most people, but on the Camino, those who walk at least 100km to Santiago get their compostela (certificate). As with anything, many people will do the minimum - for a variety of reasons, most good (time constraints, etc.). But, what it means to us is that, within the last day or so, the Camino has gotten crowded. Not crowded In the sense of city crowded, but now instead of seeing two people over the course of 2 miles, we'll see 20. And, as we approached our destination today, we saw many more. It's not bad, it's just different. Brierley talks about not being a Peregrino snob, so instead of calling them Short Hoppers as Dave did yesterday, I'll just say that they're young and naive. I remember once, in early June, when I was that innocent. For a mile or so today, we spoke with an Italian who had started in Madrid 27 days ago; he was hobbling (pretty quickly, I might add) because of a knee that went bad two days ago (probably just inflamed due to overuse per the doctor). (Ok...repeating some of Dave's stuff....) His comment was that the "Camino has become very stressful." I wouldn't go that far, but I understand his point. When one is used to being "alone," it's a shock to share the road with others. I guess I'll get used to it...as if I have a choice.

Here is a photo of our walk/descent into Portomatin today. Not exactly rush hour, but....

The Camino is getting busier

The walk today had its share of uphills, downhills, and flats. A few patches of rockiness, but in general, it's what one would call an easy day. Tomorrow, on to Palas de Rei.

Picture time:

Fabulous tile work (Camino signs) this morning as we left Sarria

One of the few yellow arrows we've seen on trees

Gotta make a living...yes, we donated to his cause

View back after climbing up into Portamarin

Portamarin church

Street scene in P.

View from our room

Who knows what these plants are?

Selfie from our room balcony

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