Reset search
Satellite
Search this area

Spain Meixente

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
  • TravelerCamino De Santiago (Francés)
    11
    Day 30–31

    Sarria to Portomarin

    May 6 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    What an amazing day today!!!
    But let’s start from the beginning. I wanted to have an early start and left Sarria at 6:20 am. MISTAKE!!! I could not see the path, it was pitch black, and the terrain was rocky.
    Cliche, but live and learn. I cannot leave before 6:45 when there is already daylight. Mental note for tomorrow.
    But the Camino was mine and mine only. I walked without seeing anybody for at least the first three hours. Just the path, the sound of birds chirping, and the only human interference was the noice of my poles hitting the ground.
    Absolutely peaceful.
    As the day progressed, more pilgrims started to appear randomly from nowhere.
    There are a lot of “towns” between Sarria and Portomarin, some consisting of only a couple of dilapidated houses, and the occasional little church. And then just old farms, no signs of human life. I had a second breakfast at a cafe by the road, half way to Portomarin. A necessary stop to kick off my shoes and take off my compression sock.
    It is unbelievable what sunshine and crisp air can do to the spirit.
    Along the way, I met Susan, a pilgrim from Arizona, walking as slow as I was, so we kept each other company until we arrived in Portomarin. Susan had a plethora of stories to tell and she was engaging and funny, so she took my mind off of my foot and the injury.
    Right after crossing the waters to reach Portomarin and as I was reading a map, I heard “ why don’t we stop here and make some mate?” I turned around and replied “ that is a great idea! Let’s have some mate!” It was a group of not only Argentinians, but Argentinians from Cordoba! Almost neighbors with Federico!
    This is the magic of the Camino.
    We talked for a while, then parted ways, all of us heading in different directions in search of our albergues.
    Portomarin is a pretty little town by the water. With such a lovely weather, I treated myself to a dinner and, of course, some sangria.
    I will have one more day of amazing weather before the rain comes back again. So I am planning on making the best of it tomorrow.

    Portomarin: Stayed at Huellas Albergue    Read more

  • TravelerSpring 2025 Camino
    Day 33

    Blackout!

    April 28 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    So, the bed race, day one, turned out well. We started in the dark, around 6:30 and had a beautiful walk. We cruised into Portomarín plenty early and were actually the first to arrive at the municipal albergue. E needed to wait two hours for it to actually open. As time went on a good number of us formed a happy line on the benches in front, with people taking turns making beer runs to the restaurant across the way. Very convivial!

    However, once we got to our beds and of course immediately plugged in our phones - nothing. Hmm. Turns out nearly all of Spain had no power, along with parts of France and Portugal. Oh no! We couldn’t charge our phones and internet then disappeared. We went out looking for food and had drinks and a great cheese plate since there was no hot food. We also stood in a queue at the supermercado where they let several people at a time into the dark store. We had to take a picture of the item and its price for each thing we selected so they knew what to charge us. I won’t lie - there was an urge to hoard!
    It was still out this morning and we were so happy h to eventually find a cafe with a gas stove because - coffee!! A couple hours later as we approached yet another bar e saw someone paying for something with a card. Gasp! Power was back! We immediately ordered hamburgers.
    Which we needed, because we agreed we would get up even earlier this morning because the bed situation looked even worse. After some drama though it all worked out, and we even all went and had half hour massages that felt amazing! Tomorrow we have beds reserved. And, presumably, electricity. It will seem so relaxed!    Read more

  • TravelerSpring 2025 Camino
    Day 32

    The (bed) race is on

    April 27 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    So, I continued walking with Morne’ and Alejandro today. It was an often beautiful walk, very sunny and it only really got warm late in the day.

    We stopped at an incredibly nice oasis, which is a donation based stop with all sorts of food and beverages, sweet art,, a little yoga area and just a very positive, hippy vibe. Reminded me of Birdsfoot!
    We then had a looong, leisurely lunch in Sarria before a final push to our current stopping point, Barbadelo.. It wasn’t a long walk, just over 22 Km, but what with their ongoing injuries and our enjoyment of a good lunch we made that walk last! That will not be the script tomorrow.

    This is because now that we are past Sarria, the pilgrim population has exploded. We should have anticipated this but underestimated the situation. After much calling around (SO nice, to have a native Spanish speaker on our team) we had to add acknowledge that our next destination is filled, leaving only the option of getting there in time to snag a bed at the municipal, which does not take reservations. This plan will likely be shared by any number of other hapless pilgrims as well. So that will be exciting! We did manage to get the rest of the nights figured out up to but not including Santiago, so that’s a relief. How am I at this point already??    Read more

  • TravelerCamino De Santiago (Francés)
    Day 29–30

    Sarria

    May 5 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    After two trains to Leon and then two buses, I finally arrived in Sarria. Sarria is the starting point for many pilgrims, especially those who want to obtain the Compostela and do not have the time to walk the whole way. 114 km away from Santiago, the city is the oficial mark to complete the required 100 km for the certificate. Because of this, it seems to have developed to meet the needs of pilgrims, with hostels, some bars, ATMs galore, pharmacies, and grocery stores.
    The old quarters are cute but small, just a couple of narrow streets going up the hill, with the church as the center point.
    I left Leon with the usual dark, ominous clouds lingering in the sky. But there is actually nothing ominous about the Camino. There is only what comes, and pilgrims make the best of it and keep walking… or take a bus, like I saw many do today when the hills were just too much and the legs were giving in.
    The hostel is one of the best I have seen so far, so I am happy and thankful for the beautiful kitchen and eating areas, the huge TV to watch some news while drinking tea, the hot shower, and the privacy of my bed (with curtains and all).
    Tonight, I just want to believe that my foot will be strong enough to endure the next six days on the road.

    Sarria: Stayed at Hostel Andaina    Read more

  • TravelerPeregrina Romana
    2
    Day 30

    From Triacastela to Sarria

    May 1 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Heute ein weiterer Tag durch das grüne Galizien entlang alter Wege und durch Wälder voller knorriger Eichen mit wundersamen Alchimisten und Künstlern! Wurde von Pferd in den Arm gebissen (ist das jetzt ein Pferdekuss?), ansonsten alles gut, tolle Herberge.Read more

    See translation
  • TravelerCamino 2025
    1
    Day 20

    Day 19 Portomarin

    April 21 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    A 23km day and so far walked 421km. I think I have about 200km to go
    I walked some of the day in the poncho but it was mostly dry. The beginning of the day was quite busy as a whole bunch of new people (most) start here,Sarria,but as I walked more, the mob spread out and it turned out to be a nice walk (no need to elbow people haha SH). You know I keep telling people at home, ah the Camino is doable, just go at your own speed and you'll be fine. BUT those km still need to be walked and most is up or down. Not so much flat and honestly I don't know if everyone can do it. I am tired at the end of the day. I keep thinking of that 78 yrs lady I met that was supposed to do the big climb same day as me...wonder what happened? Did she make it in that weather?? Did she try or just taxi it?
    Horreos are Galician grain storage they used in the old days. They are now all national monuments and you cannot destroy or remove them from your property. The ones with crosses used to belong to the church and of course that 's where's you stored your share to the church. Today since you can't remove them, people use them like a shed to store summer patio furniture..it's true, maybe not your lawn mower since they're pretty high up 😁
    Well I'm blabbing since most people now are not very friendly, no more holas or buen caminos, they just pass you without a word. Only 1 more day then I skip to Santiage on Wednesday. I like this pick and chose Camino😆 Thursday new territory 🙃🙃🙃🤗
    RIP Francis😔    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2025
    Day 19

    Day 18 Sarria

    April 20 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Ah the world is back to normal.. Dang what was that yesterday? Crazy! Today only an 18km dry walk cause I'm meeting up with Lucian and Sonny later. Most of the day was in the muddy woods with alot of steep climbs. A Spanish young man was a bit worried and stayed close, often asking if I was ok. So nice🤗. So just waiting for the dryer to stop then heading out to see if there is Easter stuff happening.Read more

  • TravelerCamino de Santiago
    1
    2
    Day 40–41

    Day 36 Sarria to Portomarin

    October 29, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    Perfect weather today for a 14 mile hike
    On the last 100 km to Santiago
    Foggy morning then cleared up to blue sky
    Our group has increased to 11, Marty’s wife, daughter, sister and brother in law joined us
    Old Roman church from 11th century    Read more

  • Camino De Santiago 2024
    1212212
    Day 37

    Sarria to Portomarin

    October 28, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    And now we are four, Sophie has arrived and brought the spirit with her. We will all walk into Santiago together. Beautiful day, walking once again in the mystical early morning fog, which cleared to a very spectacular day. Today has been some of the prettiest scenery we’ve had, green fields, stone walls, incredible fences, we could have been walking through a happy fairytale. Oh, and spectacular butterfly’s, they make it all the more magical. Not long to go now. 🦋🍁🍂Read more

  • TravelerCamino De Santiago
    2
    Day 12

    Sarria-Portomarin 13 1/2 miles

    October 24, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 54 °F

    I have more complaining to do. My feet fricking hurt. They hurt so bad. This was my only fear before I left. I knew I could handle the Camino physically but I worried about my feet hurting. And they do. They are in agony.

    Okay. That’s it for the complaining.

    We passed a major milestone today. We have less than 100 km to go. When Laura started, she had 767 km to go, so this was a BFD. It was really an honor to be with her when she got to that 100 km marker.

    From here on out, we are required to have two stamps per day in our Credencial del Peregrino to prove we walked the final 100 km (spoiler alert: I’m not going to walk every last km and if the Pope doesn’t like it, well…). Pilgrims get stamps at hotels, albergues, cathedrals, restaurants, even taxi cabs. Laura’s credencial is practically full but I still have plenty of empty boxes, of course. When we get to Santiago, we’ll have to show it to…someone somewhere…in order to receive our compostela but the credencial itself ends up being a really cool souvenir.    Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice