Day 31 June 1 Sarria

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Day 31 June 1 Sarria Wednesday

Well our luck had to run out eventually. It rained hard off and on all yesterday afternoon and all through the night right up to an hour before our 7:45am departure this morning. Then the skies were blue again giving us that false sense of security we had dodged the rain yet again. Having little faith in the weather here in Spain I had my rain gear tucked in a place on the outside of my pack for easy retrieval. 

At the exit of Triacastela one has a choice - right or left. I chose left which results in a 5 km longer walk going by a monastery- which I really did not need to see however the trail is much more picturesque and the hills more subtle than the more direct one. As it turned out this trail was much less travelled today as well. Was this a mistake or the one I was destined to take? I think the latter as I needed the walk to be one with God today and not chit chatting with others. I enjoyed the spiritual space this route provided.

Well 2 1/2 hours in the rain started and at times a down pour with sideways wind. Those who know me know I don’t much care about getting wet. The rain gear I have carried for the past 30 days and the 17 days back in 2017 worked as it was designed to and walking some 15 km in the rain became a non event for the most part.

Great scenery even in the rain arriving in Sarria at 1:15pm 

Sarria is the last point of entry for Camino pilgrims to start the walk and be able to get their credentials at Santiago.

After I arrived in Sarria the skies turned blue again - go figure! So I enjoyed lovely afternoon exploring this city meeting old Camino friends and making some new ones. In 2017 I walked through Sarria and stayed in an Albergue on the other side of town.

We attended the pilgrims mass at 7 pm - well attended and had dinner following- returning to the hotel following as the day wraps up.

Pictures

1- blue sky as I left Triacastela this morning 

2- lots of these boarded walkways - a little slippery when wet - very nice indeed

3- unique wall covering of this stone house

4- grain storage building - we will see many more over the next few days

5- Monastery in Samos - the thrust for one to take the longer route 

6- Angel as part of a shrine - very much what I needed to find for what was in my heart this day

7- Angel shrine

8- old abandoned church in a small village 

9- Sarria and me

10- main church here in Sarria where we attended pilgrim mass this evening

11- pilgrims mass - priest at the Altar Is from Boston as part of a class of ten walking the Camino

12- clever way to cover an end of a building


Rain or not it was a good walk on the Camino

We have only 5 more nights - it is crazy how fast the time is running out

Tomorrow night we will be on top of the hill in Portomarin - 22 km - hoping for less rain. After all we did have 30 days straight no rain - one should not be too upset

Till tomorrow 

Buen Camino

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