Triacastela to Sarria, 17.22 miles
I left at 7:30 this morning for a 17.22-mile walk that would stretch across 7 hours. Believe it or not, I decided to take an alternate route—but I was hardly the only one. The traditional route would have taken about 4.5 hours, but the route I chose added an extra 4 miles.
My detour took me to Samos, a small town with two historical sites: the abbey, Real Abadia de Samos and the Benedictine Monastery of San Xulian de Samos.
The abbey, one of the most important religious centers of Galicia, dates to the sixth century. The monastery is a historic, active site, also dating to the 6th century where the Benedictine community continues to live.
The detour and longer day were well worth it.
The route today was up and down but nothing very difficult. It did feel long though. Two days in a row without rain.
Tonight I'm in Sarria. Sarria is a vibrant town globally famous as the most popular starting point for the final 100 kilometers of the French Way. It marks the exact minimum distance required for walkers to earn the Compostela pilgrimage certificate upon reaching Santiago de Compostela, so it seemed very crowded and busy as I walked through town. Over 1/3 of all pilgrims on the Camino start in Sarria. I knew this, so I wasn't surprised by the number of people. My route will definitely become much more crowded going forward.
As I entered Sarria today I was a little overwhelmed with the chaos. I was passing crowded restaurants and a lot of albergues and people going every which way, yet my phone was showing me I still had a half hour walk to my albergue. As I'm walking further and further through town I'm wondering how I managed to make a reservation so far from the main town. I was definitely worried. Even when I finally arrived at my albergue I still wasn't sure about the appropriateness of the location.
Granted, it took a half hour off my start tomorrow morning but where was I?
Turns out I was in the absolute best part of town. I was in the original old town Sarria with all of its charm and narrow streets and cafes, no traffic, everything walkable and all of the historical sites practically right out my door. Plus my albergue has an actual washing machine and dryer which was a real treat compared to the sink/shower/hoping everything is dry in the morning method.
It was so hard figuring out where to stay when I was booking my trip—not knowing anything about anything at that point—but I feel so fortunate with just about every single one of my choices. Believe it or not, I had pizza followed by ice cream for dinner.
It was a long, but good day today. I'm really focused on staying in the moment, strolling rather than rushing, and just taking it all in so I can bring it home with me.
Buen Camino
