Portomarín to Palas de Rei
The day started out cool and misty and the terrain began similarly to the day prior: we went up hills and down hills. Around noon, the mist cleared and the sky was blue. As the day progressed, there were less steep hills to climb and at times the Camino was relatively flat yet wound around little towns and pastures. Jim kept getting distracted by blackberries, and I would wait patiently for him to catch up.
The Camino is definitely more crowded and the energy has changed. Prior to Sarria, we would see small gatherings of pilgrims on the trail and folks would chat, but generally walking The Way was a quiet, peaceful experience. Today we experienced groups of 10 or more people walking together and it felt more like a party atmosphere. There was yelling and loud laughing. It’s not a bad thing, but I miss the peace of the Camino that we experienced previously. We stopped for a break and the crowds passed us. For the last three miles or so it was more quiet, and we both appreciated that. Another difference is that we are no longer seeing the same friends we’ve met along the way. Some of them were only doing segments and have gone home. Others are walking with a different schedule. But when leaving our hotel for lunch in our destination village, Palas de Rei, we ran into our lady friend from Germany. She has been dealing with some injuries so has been taking some days off and taxying from village to village. It was great to see her, and hopefully we can connect more. We’ve also ran into the gentleman from Virginia that we met on Day 10. This is his fourth Camino, and it was great to see him too. So with the throngs of new people on the trail, it is comforting see a couple of familiar faces. Tomorrow we head to Arzua.
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AuthorsGreg and James live in Pleasanton in Northern California and are on a pilgrimage on the Camino De Santiago in Spain. Their adventures are captured in this blog. Archives
October 2021
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