Day 25: O Cebreiro - Triacastela
Distance: 20.5 km(12.7 miles)
Approximate Walking Time: 5-6 hours
Altitude: Start at 1,293 m(4,242 ft.), descend a bit to 1,226 m(4,022 ft.), and back up to 1,335 m(4,380 ft.) at Alto de Poyo, then descend down to 665 m(2,182 ft.).
We were up and out early around 6:30 a.m. We made some use of the useless kitchen by getting ready there. The trail was easy to find as it was right beside the albergue. Even though we were already pretty high up, we continued to ascend up higher along the trail. We only passed one or two people. The moonlight was bright enough to guide us through the woods and up over the mountaintop. The trail dead ended into an old dirt road which we followed through a still sleeping farm village. Surprisingly, it was a bit warm out and we found ourselves sweating a bit.
We stopped in the small town of Hospital de Condesa for some breakfast. Some of the small towns between O Cebreiro and Triacastela had albergues but most of them were bare bones and only provided housing for farming families. A lot of the streets were well paved with cow manure and stunk really bad. The saving grace for these places was that their towns were in a great location in terms of offering views of the surrounding countryside. From Hospital de Condesa, we followed the trail a little ways along the highway and then the dirt trail to Alto de Poyo. That is the highest point of the last part of the trail. The ascent up to the town was steep and challenging.
In that part of Spain, many people own cows and we saw several shepherds taking their cows from one pasture to another. Several times we had to stop as the shepherds and dogs moved their cows to a new place. Some were caked with cow poop and others were nice and clean. We had some people behind us who stopped the farmers and gave them hell for letting the cows live in such filth. The farmers saw no problem with it.
Occasionally, we would pass little small stone churches. Most of the buildings in Galicia had a distinctive look to them like the church above. They looked like stones had been stacked neatly one on top of another to form a building. Most of the fields were divided by stone fences. It was eerie to see the similarities between Galicia and Scotland since Galicia's roots were Celtic like Scotland. Eventually, we started making our way downhill towards Triacastela.
Along the way, we passed through a small village called Fonfría. They had an albergue there but it was closed so we couldn't get any information about it. It seemed like the only reason to stay there was to enjoy a night of isolation and peace. The town was lined with ramshackle houses, and some had tons of garlic cloves hanging from the balconies. Maybe that's a superstition.
Triacastela had nearly 800 people so that meant it was big enough to have a decent supermarket. We had to wait until 5:00 p.m. to poke around it. It didn't take long to walk around the town. There was a church at the far end of town and another in the middle. The one in the middle had a nice, old cemetery. Izzy had a lot of fun taking pictures in the town because most of buildings were old. The Camino cut right through the heart of town and rejoined the LU-633 to leave town. Like a lot of other small farm towns, there were a lot of German Shepherd dogs roaming the streets. We found a nice bar to have a drink and take advantage of their free wifi. Most of the albergues that had internet service charged extortion prices so we made it a habit of walking around the town looking for open signals to use instead. The town was a small farming community that depended on the pilgrims for money.
Promptly at 5:00 p.m., we met the supermarket worker opening the doors and wandered through. Since the kitchens had been taken away from us, we decided to take the Spanish attitude to dinner; cheese and chorizo with a bottle of wine. We bought ourselves some nice Manchego cheese(although in Galicia, tetilla cheese is a better choice), a log of locally made chorizo sausage and a bottle of wine to wash it all down. We shared everything with our new Korean friend and watched a guy the albergue hired to perform for the pilgrims. It was a great evening.
Day 26: Triacastela - Sarria
Distance: 16.1 km(10 miles)
Approximate Walking Time: 4-5 hours
Altitude: Start at 665 m(2,182 ft.) and ascend up to 900 m(2,953 ft.) and descend back down to 453 m(1,486 ft.).
From Triacastela, the trail goes up through San Xil and then descends back down to Sarria. The trail was a bit tricky as it seems to follow a paved road then dips off onto a more Camino type setting of large rocks and dirt. It seemed that following the road would lead you to the right place regardless. We followed along a nearly tunnel like trail in pitch blackness. Out of nowhere, another hiker came cutting through the group nearly running and pushing people aside to get through. It was a bit dangerous and irritating that he was in such a hurry. We had to endure him for the next several hours running ahead and stopping long enough we would pass him, and then running ahead again. He's pictured above in one of his famous running ahead jogs.
All morning we battled through fog as is typical in Galicia. The connections with Galicia and the Celtics never ends. All of Spain is beautiful and sunny and hot and yet in the northwest corner of the country, it's cold, wet, rainy, and foggy year round. We passed through San Xil just before 8:00 a.m. and found streets covered in cow manure, tractors, and empty. We headed on up to the top of the mountain and saw nothing but thick fog. At times, we passed through portions where the trail was lined with stone walls on each side and it rained under the trees but not out in the open.
We bypassed the small village of Furela and found the albergue of Calvor a few more kilometers down the road but didn't realize it was associated with Calvor. It seemed to be even more secluded than others we'd seen. Just another hour later, we arrived to a town and thought we'd made it to Calvor until we saw signs welcoming us to Sarria. There were many cow pastures along the road and another Korean guy we'd met was walking through them chatting with the farmers. He told us he found out the corn we saw growing in fields wasn't for people but only animal feed. That explained why the Spanish don't eat much corn on the cob.
We followed the Camino along the main road into town. There were some albergues that made the smart decision to set up at the entrance to town to catch some pilgrims that didn't wander far enough in to find a cheaper place. We stopped into the town's tourist office and got a map and some advice on where to find the municipal albergue. We found it in the middle of town and waited in line for nearly two hours to get a bed. We felt lazy stopping at 11:00 a.m. and Izzy tried to get us to move on but Sarria seemed like a nice place to stop and had all of the conveniences of a city. We also met two Danes, who would become our walking buddies for the rest of the way to Santiago.
Sarria was decorated with many traces and homages to the Camino de Santiago. Everywhere you looked, there were yellow arrows, murals, pilgrims hospitals, places advertising pilgrim meals, and albergues. It's no wonder because Sarria is the minimum required starting point to get the compostela certificate at the end. This means that many take a few days off of work and go to Sarria and walk the minimum 100 kilometers to receive the same certificate Izzy and I would get for walking nearly 800 kilometers. Something just seems off with that. They also require hikers who start in Sarria to get a minimum of two stamps per day to prove they did walk it.
The view of the Galician countryside was nice from Sarria. It's elevation isn't as high as Villafranca del Bierzo or O Cebreiro but it was nice. After walking up the main road, the trail heads out of town along the LU-633 towards the fortress and Magdalena Convent. The old fortress was hard to see from the road and we had to cut through some parking lots to get a good view of it. It was part of the once grander city that was given township status by the king because of its importance to the Camino de Santiago. We visited the Convent but it was closed for the siesta.
We spent time roaming around the city and getting some things in the supermarket. Since the town had over 10,000 people, the supermarkets were well stocked and we felt like we were in heaven seeing all of the choices after suffering through small town shops. We went to a local internet cafe and tried to catch up on emails and loading pictures. We had a drink with our friend Shawn from Colorado and dinner on the steps out front of the albergue. It consisted of more chorizo, cheese, and wine since there was no kitchen. We noticed that each night, we were staying with the same people who snored loudly. This forced us to let others cut us in line so we could get placed in a different room. Throughout the night, I woke up every half hour to shake the bed because the guy below me snored incessantly. The joys of communal living.
Day 27: Sarria - Portomarín
Distance: 24.7 km(15.3 miles)
Approximate Walking Time: 6-7 hours
Altitude: Start at 453 m(1,486 ft.) and ascend up to 643 m(2,142 ft.) and descend back down to 386 m(1,266 ft.).
The next morning we were awoken by the sound of lots of plastic bags rustling around. The Danes had warned us about it and it made us a laugh a bit. We quit fighting trying to sleep through it and got up and packed our bags. We were out the door a little before 7:00 a.m. and headed out of town towards the Magdalena Convent. The trail descended out of town and followed the train tracks a bit then crossed under the highway. We tried to walk without using lights and it worked for a bit until other hikers behind us got close with their lights. We ascended back up a steep incline towards Barbadelo. There wasn't much there except an overpriced albergue. We caught up with the noisy old men there and they lead us down the wrong path past a large rabble of dogs. After realizing we'd gone the wrong way, we backtracked and found the right way. Two kilometers later, they did it again but we realized what they did and went the right way. One of them realized it too but couldn't talk the rest of them into turning around.
Most of the countryside looked the same throughout the day. It varied from small farming villages to stone wall lined dirt paths to paved country road. We saw lots of small food storage houses called horreos(pronounced o-ray-os). They were built to hold grain and corn as it dries and cures after harvest. The designs were usually similar with slight variations on height and color. They appeared to be mini churches. We found out all about them when we stopped to chat with some old Gallego men who were out for a stroll.
In some places, the trail was difficult for bikers and they had to get off and walk like the rest of us.
The trees covering the trail were beautiful. It made me think of being home in Savannah.
Along the way, we passed the famous kilometer 100. In Galicia, there were markers nearly every kilometer letting you know how far you had to go and in what province you were. Many people stopped to have their picture taken with the famous 100 kilometer and sign it. We did neither, just a simple shot.
Here is an horreo that had a slight variation with a painting design on it.
We found many places where people had left friends a message. It's quite normal for groups of people to split up during the day since people walk at different paces. At times, Izzy and I walked with different people we'd met and chatted about all kinds of things as we walked. It's really one of the joys of walking the Camino.
We arrived to Portomarín a little after 12:00 p.m. It wasn't a long walk but we were in no hurry to move along. There was an old goat herder out with his flock and he waved to all of the girls that passed by. The guys got nothing, not even a head nod. We crossed the tall bridge and climbed the steps up into the city. We stopped following the yellow arrows and headed into town to find the albergue. It was cold and the wind made it worse. We went to the main square then took a road off to the left of the cathedral up to the municipal albergue. We waited in line with our Danish friends for about an hour. It was five euros as usual and had a kitchen but no cookware. At least, we thought they didn't. We found a small pot that was big enough to cook in.
Our friend Shawn told us that the small bridge underneath the large one was an open air brothel in the 16th century. I haven't been able to check the veracity of his story but it sounded believable. We visited the bridge over the Miño River. There were steps that led all the way down to it. The area down by the old bridge was part of the old city that was moved in the 1960's up to its current location. The town was moved because of the construction of the Belesar Reservoir in 1962. We found a massive dog wandering around down below. He was nice enough to stop and let us pet him. A lot of teenagers were out swimming in the little bit of water that flowed as a river.
From Fonfría, we continued downhill until we arrived to Triacastela. At the entrance to the town, we had to detour around some construction. A couple of salesmen placed themselves along the detour and tried to sell us walking sticks and other Camino related souvenirs. We walked on into town in search of the municipal albergue. We found it out in a large field and with a few people already in line waiting for the 1:00 p.m. opening. We decided to check out the other private albergues in town but most were double the cost so we returned and waited in line. While waiting, we met a nice girl from Korea. We checked in and paid our five euros and got a semi-private room with two other people for the night. When we went for a shower, we were welcomed to an interesting scene that can only be chalked up to cultural difference. The men's showers were divided with curtains while the woman simply had a wide open room with shower heads and no privacy whatsoever. For most of the Spanish woman, this wasn't a big deal as nudity is no big deal to them but most of the foreigners felt a bit uncomfortable and showered in bathing suits. So the lesson here is, carry a bathing suit for the occasional awkward shower.
Day 26: Triacastela - Sarria
Distance: 16.1 km(10 miles)
Approximate Walking Time: 4-5 hours
Altitude: Start at 665 m(2,182 ft.) and ascend up to 900 m(2,953 ft.) and descend back down to 453 m(1,486 ft.).
The next day almost seemed like a waste and Izzy was a tad bit irritated we didn't go further but it turned out to be a decision for the best. We were up, washed, packed, and out on the trail around 6:40 a.m. We trudged through town trying to loosen up our tight muscles and preparing for the small mountain we had to cross to get to Sarria. From Triacastela, there were two options. One was to head towards Samos(longer by a few km), where there was a monastery albergue that had monks that performed for pilgrims. The other was to head for San Xil(Gil) and go more directly to Sarria. We wanted to head to San Xil. At the edge of town where the trail rejoins the road was a trick. We turned left at first but some of the people already out walking told us that we would end up in Samos if we went left. Instead, we had to turn back right and find a small road on the left to head towards San Xil. Thank god we ran into other people who had already figured it out.
Day 27: Sarria - Portomarín
Distance: 24.7 km(15.3 miles)
Approximate Walking Time: 6-7 hours
Altitude: Start at 453 m(1,486 ft.) and ascend up to 643 m(2,142 ft.) and descend back down to 386 m(1,266 ft.).
After Barbadelo, the trail continued it up and down rhythm but without such steep ascents and descents. We passed through farms and found a friendly cat near a stream. We stopped to pet it a while. When we continued walking, the cat followed us and jumped up on my shoulders for a bit.
We found this monument dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI.
Here's a shot of the inside of the albergue in Portomarin.
After walking around for a bit, we headed back and did some laundry. We split the dryer with our Korean and Danish friends. The Danes were smart and brought playing cards with them to pass down time. A book is always a good idea and some places have a rotating library of books. We used the small pot down in the kitchen to make ourselves some pasta for dinner. The two people working at the albergue looked puzzled to see us in the kitchen but we were determined to undermine their cheating us out of a kitchen. One person told us the local restaurants had probably worked out a deal with them to get more business.
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