Walk and taxi to Sarria

Our good fortune with the weather continues! It was chilly this morning, but knew it would soon warm up and predictions for Sarria were for sunny and in the early 20s! A, R and R set off early after breakfast, at about 8.15. They said it was again just beautiful and Amr has given me photos to show it, but also quite a lot of ups and downs and fairly hard work. They arrived here in Sarria at about 2.30, and it was about 18 kms…according to the itinerary! Can’t ask Amr now because he is at the laundromat!!

So I tried to find my taxi partner, the Norwegian woman of yesterday, as we agreed to share one again today to Sarria. We were staying at the same place (which is a large complexo) and I hadn’t seen her since yesterday afternoon when we agreed to do it…she had said she would organise it, so I had faith, but when all the walkers have left, the towns get very quiet, till the next batch of walkers start dribbling in. So I talked to a nice woman who was cleaning the rooms, and she knew who I meant - the one with long hair, with the crutches - and next time I saw her, she said, yes taxi booked for 11 because she had found her on her rounds! So all good.

We had another very nice taxi driver, good English and talked all the way, about Galicia and where we were going…loved that I came from Australia - long way - and can speak French, Italian and English as well as Spanish…quite a linguist. So we had a very smooth ride in a Tesla, and arrived here at 11.15. I went to my Norwegian friend’s hotel so we could have a hot chocolate together, as our walkers wouldn’t be arriving for a while…and I knew where our hotel is, as we stayed there twice before. Very nice, and while we were there her friend walked in at about 11.40!!! She is a very fit Swede, but she must have been going SO fast…she said she was running, but that can’t have been very enjoyable…my lot didn’t come in for almost another 3 hours.

So I walked back to our hotel - Alfonso IX - very nice, and right on the Camino and near good eateries. Room ready, bags not here yet, so dropped off my excess stuff, and walked around…lovely and sunny, and actually just had shirt sleeves! A change from the last few days! (Now a few clouds are scudding across, and a bit of wind and it has dropped to 16 or so)… I sussed out where R and R’s hotel is, as they are in a different one, and not always easy to find, as street names often not visible etc…about a kilometre away from us, so worked out the most direct route. Sarria is busy, as many pilgrims start here to walk to Santiago, and it all does become more crowded. But it’s a nice small city, and the old part is set on a steep hill, with many steps to climb. Driving in I saw for the first time the flat modern part! Then I saw that the walkers were getting closer, so walked back along the camino to meet them. I have walked almost 10 kms today!

Now the post dinner addition: we met up with R and R at 5.30, and had a walk up the many stairs where the camino leads, and up through the Main Street of the old town, with many albergues and tapas bars…and churches…lovely view from the top, and we went to the 7pm mass with R and R and then had a good meal…I had the Galician soup of cabbage and potatoes…yum….(and some chiperones, but not done quite as perfectly as I like!).Read more