Back on “The Way.” It’s nice to be walking again. We stayed at a cool Hostel last night. Back in the day, it was an old schoolhouse. Johan, who is a Pilgrim himself, purchased this place a couple of years ago, following his pilgrimage. He told me it was in great disrepair and had returned to the “wild.” Needless to say, he had much work to do. Many dilapidated buildings along the Camino, are bought for a song and a dance, restored and opened for business. With all the people coming to these parts, there’s no lack of beds for weary travelers. Johan really made me feel like family, and was an incredible host. Our bed last night was one of the most comfortable with real down pillows! Not foam bolsters, which are quite common along this corridor.

Our final steps on the trail will be saunters. No big miles, and nothing too strenuous. Just nice and easy walking days to Santiago. I did not plan it this way. Well in fact I did, being I am the “Party Planner!” But someone above was looking over me because, honestly, my little Achilles could use a break.

As we left, there were two distinct choices, one to Samos, quite a bit longer by 7.2 KM and some, or the shorter route up and over the hill. George chose the shorter route and I followed. It ended up being a great choice as the vistas were pretty darn nice and it was drop dead gorgeous, in both, the forest and villages.

We had a climb from the get-go. I haven’t done anything crazy; no big falls, no twisting of the ankles but I must’ve pulled my Achilles because today, it was talking to me loudly. Thankfully it was a short day with many breaks along the way. George and I walked our own walk. Me stopping and talking to everyone, and George carrying-on. It works as I can sooner or later catchup. Although these days, George is getting a move-on and it takes me a bit longer to catch him. Way to go George!

My first stop was outside of Triacastela. A local artist named Art (seriously, that was his name) had his studio open and was reading the Bible. I like this man already. He also loves to paint, then turns his paintings into printed postcards. He adds scripture to each of them, and then I buy them up! They were beautiful pieces of art!

There were many people walking today. We are making our way to Sarria and it’s the 100 kilometer mark so many Pilgrims enter the trail here. As long as you walk 100 kilometers, you can obtain a Compostela which is a certificate that acknowledges your accomplishment of walking “The Way.” It’s quite a thing and many Pilgrims come for this lovely piece of paper.

Oinko and Roy from Israel stayed at the Schoolhouse with us last night. They just started today and plan to walk to Santiago. I also met Ella. She’s from Portland, Oregon but has been teaching English in Spain for the past two years. She also started today. So many Pilgrims are adding to our mix. It’s great to see people from all walks of life’s, nations and cultures.

What is really cool is there are so many Pilgrims that we’ve met from the first day or primary week, and now we’re all finishing together. Yesterday afternoon while we were eating, we ran into Mark and Jay, another couple from Brazil that we’ve been walking with since León, and two other guys from Florida that we met when M&M were hanging with us. It’s quite the reunion on the trail!

Every Cafe that I saw, which was three, I stopped and consumed coffee. Cortado was my drink choice of the day. I had three, and was bouncing down the trail. Expecting it would be a road walk today, I was pleasantly surprised that there were trails. I climbed to the top of the second hill, and could see that I was above the clouds again. Almost like flying in a plane and looking down on the mist and fog covering the valleys below.

One of my many stops was Fontearcuda. It had the nicest of the Cafes and everyone was sitting outside. This trio from Canada showed up and the older gentleman, who was actually my age, was carrying a Jansport Backpack. One of the same packs I had when I was a teenager. I believe, if I was willing, he would’ve traded me packs in one hot minute. After 50 plus years, he thinks it’s time to purchase a new one. Just for nostalgia alone, I would love to have my old pack again. Envy! I need to curtail that, but boy oh boy, it brought back memories! I carried on and found another nostalgic piece of history, the Scalloped Shell Watering Hole.

By noon, we were only a mile from town. We stopped and I was ready to eat. I’m not sure if George is dieting or just tired of the food here, but I seem to be eating alone. He indulged in a glass of Sangria, but I ate mostly all of the Calamari and Peppers myself. I have become a big fan of the peppers here. It’s all I want! They are called Pimiento’s and they come in big or not so big sizes. I don’t care what size they are. They grill and salt them, and typically I get at least 15-20 on my plate. Presto, I am a happy camper! George won’t eat them so I eat the entire plate, all by myself.

After I finished my peppers and devoured half of the Calamari, it was time to beat feet and get to town. We arrived in Sarria a little before 1pm. I already received the super secret code for the Apartment and went straight in. The gal was still cleaning so we dropped our packs and walked, back to town.

Sarria is a big city with its architectural legacy, arising from the fact that the Pilgrim’s Road to Santiago de Compostela passes through these lands. There are examples of medieval structures for religious, civil and military purposes. The city was founded by Alfonso IX under the name of Vilanova de Sarriá and has close to 13,700 inhabitants. That makes Sarria the largest city in Galicia Providence. It has everything you could want, need or desire, except maybe a Ski Hill. But it’s a thriving metropolis and just about every Pilgrim that I’ve talked to, and that’s a lot, are staying here!

Once I was situated in the Apartment, my shoes came off and I was done for the day. George has been trying for the past 2-3 weeks to find a Barber, who is open. He attempted again, without luck. But he did stop at the local Super Mercado and brought home fixings for dinner. I was able to whip up some meat, brussels sprouts and mushrooms. It was nice, just to cook in our own little place.

Afterwards we had Nata, a traditional dessert from Galicia and listened to fireworks. It was odd. We couldn’t see anything, and it was still light outside but the continuous banging had to be some sort of Mortar Shell or Fireworks. I’m going with Fireworks! Gosh, my poor friends from Israel. And to think they were praying to get away from all of that! God, save us all.

I will go before you and will level the mountains ; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. Isaiah 45:2-3