The day started early. I had spent the night at Casa Pacios, a beautiful rural B & B. I’m so glad that I stayed away from the main hustle and bustle of Triacastela. I headed down to the beautiful dining room a little before 8 am which was when breakfast was served. There were 2 Australian couples already waiting. They seemed very keen to get started and were not too impressed that breakfast was not served before 8 am. I didn’t mind. I figured that I’d get going when I got going.
Breakfast was delicious. But, it wasn’t the kind of breakfast I thought I needed to fuel up before my big walk. But, it didn’t matter. It was all delicious. There was toasted bread, ham, jams, some local cheese which was delicious, and some homemade orange cake. I took a piece of cake for the road. My plan was to stop every couple of hours to change socks and have a quick snack around lunchtime. I exchanged pleasantries with the other pilgrims, and while I ran up to my room to get my backpack, the driver left without me… ugh. I guess these other pilgrims were in a big rush! It was funny. So, I took the time to take some pictures while I waited for the driver to return. On this day, I had to make a decision as to which route to take.
18 kms or 25 kms?
There are two options when leaving Triacastela. The longer route goes through Samos and you see a beautiful monastery. The shorter route goes directly to Sarria. I asked Esther the hotel owner which route she recommended. She said that the shorter route is actually a lot prettier and shadier than the longer route. And the longer route goes along the highway for a stretch. Good to know. I did not tell her which route I wanted to take since I figured that once I started walking, I’d make the choice. Turns out this was not the case. When Esther drove me to the trail, she took me beyond the fork in the road and I was on the shorter trail. She did not tell me this, however. So, I kept looking for the fork until I eventually realized there was no fork. I was disappointed, but I figured that I could always take a cab from Sarria to Samos to see the monastery.
The route was spectacular! The scenery was lush with moss growing on tree trunks, ferns, gently rolling hills, and the ever present cows! This was another scorcher of a day, so I really appreciated the shady areas, which there were many. I ended up walking part of the way with Marie Claire, a lovely French woman I met on the first day and who was at breakfast as well. Marie Claire was also walking alone. She’s a widow and decided to walk alone. She told me that if she were to only do things intended for couples, she wouldn’t so much. As I left Triacastela, I ran into Maya who was looking for her mom who was likely way ahead of us since she was a fast walker. I lent her my phone so she could speak with her mom and organize where to meet up.
Camino friends
I also spent time with 2 Catalan brothers who were doing the Camino together. Unfortunately, I did not get their names. They were wonderful. We had some really good chats about life, culture, history and travel. This was also the day I met Jose and Gregorio a couple of buddies doing the Camino together. Over the next 6 days, I spent quite a bit of time speaking with these two guys who were a lot of fun. I really liked meeting and speaking with other pilgrims. It made my experience even better getting to know other pilgrims. Before starting the Camino, I was a little concerned about the treatment I would get as a woman traveling alone. I had nothing to worry about. I always felt safe and I got amazing service everywhere I went. I sat where I wanted, and was served promptly. I also found that most of the people walking alone were women. I think there’s something that happens to many of us at a certain age. There’s a need, a yearning for self-discovery, for solitude, for stepping outside our comfort zone. And my conversations with many women doing the Camino certainly confirmed this.
Discovering Sarria
I arrived in Sarria mid-afternoon and checked into my hotel. Sarria is a very common starting point for the Camino since it’s about 112 kms from Santiago and you need to walk 100 kms to get your Compostela (certificate). Old Sarria is beautiful, After settling in, I set out to explore this lovely town. I walked to the top of the old town. When I reached the monastery, I saw an ad for tours of the monastery in Samos. Perfect! I called the number on the ad, but there was no answer. Ok… I called a second time, but still no answer. I guess I wasn’t meant to go to Samos. I’ll have to go back! I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, and taking pictures. At one point, I stopped for my new ritual: a caña of beer. It was the perfect way to wind down after walking. I’d have my beer, write in my journal, watch the world go by.
Looks like rain
I headed out for dinner and noticed that the weather had changed. Clouds were rolling in and there was a chill in the air. Hmm… I guess rain was headed my way. I felt I was ready. In the meantime, however, I was intent on enjoying my delicious dinner and the beautiful view. I had dinner on the river. The food was good and view even better. As I sat there, I saw these flecks of what I thought was dust fluttering about. I asked the waiter what this was. It turns out it was ash from nearby forest fires! I had noticed on the first two days that Galicia was a lot dryer than I remember. There were several fires nearby. I did not see them as I walked, but obviously there were fires not too far from Sarria.
At the end of day 2, I had two blisters, and I carefully tended to them with my supplies: alcohol wipes, antibiotic cream, gauze, hypofix tape. But my feet hurt. There was no denying this. Yet, my spirits remained upbeat. I was loving every minute of this adventure. I checked the weather forecast and it called for a lot of rain for day 3. According to the forecast, the rain would start overnight and continue all day. I’d get a chance to put my rain gear to the test.
