And so the last segment of the journey begins.
Sunday Sept 22, 2019
Triacastela to Sarria
21 km, 30,000 steps, walking day #32
This morning began as usual. Alarm went off, checked the weather at present location and the day's destination, packed up and went to breakfast.
Breakfast was interesting. It was in the restaurant next door. When I entered it was crowded and noisy. Tables were full, and there were people, backpacks and walking poles everywhere. I showed one of the staff my ticket, indicating that I had a full breakfast. She made the universal sign for "follow me". I followed her through the front area, through a mid-back area and even through a servery-type area. We finally emerged into the safeguarded and almost secret full-breakfast-backroom. I felt like I was part of a secret privileged society. The buffet included my favorite Serrano ham. There was a regional specialty on the buffet, too. Local O Cebreiro cheese, which is a soft cheese and to accompany it, quince jelly. The cheese was like a cream cheese but a bit drier so it would break a bit when being spread, and a bit sour like quark. It was divine to eat it on fresh bread with the quince jelly.
The walk began at 8:15 am. It was cool enough for me to wear my light fleece for the first time. A lot of the path today led through forest. The path had "walls" on both sides that were covered in moss, ivy, wild marjoram, brambles, and flowers. I was walking between what I called two living walls. It smelled so clean and fresh and green. Water from the occasional spring tricked down the wall.
I was walking through cattle farm country. I didn't anything important to think about, so I thought about unimportant things, like: Why do farmers leave that one tree or clump of bushes in the middle of the field? Cows stand around a lot. I wonder if cows get bored? What would a cow do if it was bored? What is boredom??
Almost always, brambles (thorned blackberries) grow beside the path. Sometimes they somehow manage to grow upwards into the trees and then turn and grow back towards the earth, creating a thorny curtain over the path.
Sometimes they grow out sideways into the path. I imagine they are reaching out to greet us, or maybe they are trying to catch us and hold us in place.
There's an amazing mix of plants here - maples, evergreens and palm trees grow side by side.
The fall harvest is coming in now - corn and pumpkins are ready for harvest.
I have arrived in the town of Sarria. It is 110 km from here to Santiago de Compostela. If one wants their certificate of completing the camino, the minimum distance needed to be covered is this 110 km. Huge numbers of pilgrims begin their camino in Sarria or towns just before Sarria, and I have seen the route become more crowded by the day, ever since leaving Leon. I wonder what tomorrow will be like.
I met up this evening with Patricia and Richard. It's her 65th birthday tomorrow. They will celebrate in Paris after finishing the camino in Santiago. I also met up today with Marco (my camino Vin Diesel). He fell on the rocks after leaving El Acibo (the same place we heard that someone fell and dislocated their ankle). He broke his arm and was wearing a sling, but he's continuing to walk. I met Martin from Belgium here and I met back up with Dan from Michigan. Pilgrims tend to spend most of their time in the old part of town looking at the churches and castles, and the old part of Sarria is very small, so if someone is in town, it's going to be pretty easy to meet up with them.
The last 110 km. The last six of thirty-eight walking days.
Feets don't fail me now!
Sunday Sept 22, 2019
Triacastela to Sarria
21 km, 30,000 steps, walking day #32
This morning began as usual. Alarm went off, checked the weather at present location and the day's destination, packed up and went to breakfast.
Breakfast was interesting. It was in the restaurant next door. When I entered it was crowded and noisy. Tables were full, and there were people, backpacks and walking poles everywhere. I showed one of the staff my ticket, indicating that I had a full breakfast. She made the universal sign for "follow me". I followed her through the front area, through a mid-back area and even through a servery-type area. We finally emerged into the safeguarded and almost secret full-breakfast-backroom. I felt like I was part of a secret privileged society. The buffet included my favorite Serrano ham. There was a regional specialty on the buffet, too. Local O Cebreiro cheese, which is a soft cheese and to accompany it, quince jelly. The cheese was like a cream cheese but a bit drier so it would break a bit when being spread, and a bit sour like quark. It was divine to eat it on fresh bread with the quince jelly.
The walk began at 8:15 am. It was cool enough for me to wear my light fleece for the first time. A lot of the path today led through forest. The path had "walls" on both sides that were covered in moss, ivy, wild marjoram, brambles, and flowers. I was walking between what I called two living walls. It smelled so clean and fresh and green. Water from the occasional spring tricked down the wall.
I was walking through cattle farm country. I didn't anything important to think about, so I thought about unimportant things, like: Why do farmers leave that one tree or clump of bushes in the middle of the field? Cows stand around a lot. I wonder if cows get bored? What would a cow do if it was bored? What is boredom??
Almost always, brambles (thorned blackberries) grow beside the path. Sometimes they somehow manage to grow upwards into the trees and then turn and grow back towards the earth, creating a thorny curtain over the path.
Sometimes they grow out sideways into the path. I imagine they are reaching out to greet us, or maybe they are trying to catch us and hold us in place.
There's an amazing mix of plants here - maples, evergreens and palm trees grow side by side.
The fall harvest is coming in now - corn and pumpkins are ready for harvest.
I have arrived in the town of Sarria. It is 110 km from here to Santiago de Compostela. If one wants their certificate of completing the camino, the minimum distance needed to be covered is this 110 km. Huge numbers of pilgrims begin their camino in Sarria or towns just before Sarria, and I have seen the route become more crowded by the day, ever since leaving Leon. I wonder what tomorrow will be like.
I met up this evening with Patricia and Richard. It's her 65th birthday tomorrow. They will celebrate in Paris after finishing the camino in Santiago. I also met up today with Marco (my camino Vin Diesel). He fell on the rocks after leaving El Acibo (the same place we heard that someone fell and dislocated their ankle). He broke his arm and was wearing a sling, but he's continuing to walk. I met Martin from Belgium here and I met back up with Dan from Michigan. Pilgrims tend to spend most of their time in the old part of town looking at the churches and castles, and the old part of Sarria is very small, so if someone is in town, it's going to be pretty easy to meet up with them.
The last 110 km. The last six of thirty-eight walking days.
Feets don't fail me now!
I love how your post provides colourful stories about the food, the scenery, your friends, and your brain's stream of consciousness.
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