Camino a Santiago Day 28: Sarria to Portomarín

Distance: 23.1k (14.41mi)

Elevation gain: 459m (1,505ft)

Duration: 4h 56m

Steps: 29, 337

Calories: 1,543

I am now less than 100K from Santiago. I also got my first blister. Not sure what’s the bigger headline here. There goes my superhuman feet theory. I clearly got cocky, because despite having a ton of blister pads with me, I had already taken them out of my daypack, confident I wouldn’t need them. Thank goodness for a lovely Irish family that came to my rescue as I sat, examining my feet by the side of the road.

Blister aside it was quite a nice walk….despite suddenly having about 10x more people on the Camino with me. This was to be expected. Sarria is the town from which nearly half of all pilgrims walking the Camino Francés start. Why? Precisely because Sarria is just over 100K from Santiago and that is the minimum distance required for the Catholic Church to certify your pilgrimage as valid.

And let’s face it, checking out of your life for six weeks is a massive privilege and not something that anyone can do. Nearly everyone I’ve met on the Camino who is doing the entire French Way is either retired or between jobs. So in case you’ve been wondering, no, it doesn’t escape me how blessed I am to have the job I do, and a boss who has been willing to indulge my increasingly long time off requests over the last few years.

I should go back to the crowds though. This is something I’ve been dreading from the start of the Camino. Most of us walking the 500 miles crave the peace and solitude. The idea of large groups of people filling the route, including several high schoolers playing their music out loud is not exactly our idea of fun. All of a sudden a bunch of guided tour groups have popped up as well, with buses that jump ahead of them in sections in case they should need a ride the rest of the way. And did I mention the souvenir shops?

But before you think this sounds like tourist hell, it really isn’t. In the end things are what you make of them. Yes, you can be miserable if you want and hate on all the short Camino folks. But here’s the deal. People walk what they have time for. It’s not their fault that us month-longers are being crabby and anti-social. Also, the whole world has become commercialized and over-crowded. And all in all, this isn’t that bad. It’s not like you have street vendors every few steps or so many people you can’t get time to yourself.

It really is just about timing your departure to either before or after most people start. I started quite late today. After a group of about 50 high schoolers crowded the restaurant I was eating my eggs and juice at to get their pilgrim stamps I decided I would let them leave town before I did. Already on the road every time I saw a large group of folks I gave them room by either passing them or letting them go. It worked out quite well, and I got plenty of space to enjoy the day in peace.

Arriving in Portomarin, I was immediately captivated by it. Walking into town involves crossing quite a high bridge over the River Miño, with the town set atop a hill. Almost immediately you can’t help but notice the ruins lining both sides of the river bank. What is this? I questioned my Belgian walk mate. He shook his head, not knowing either. Once seated in my restaurant overlooking the river and the ruins I asked my waitress, who not being from here had no idea. So Google gave me the answer.

As it turns out, in the 1960’s Franco decided he wanted to build a dam nearby. By doing so the centuries-old village would be flooded. So the government offered all the of Portomarin residents new homes nearby and relocated those who would rather move than watch their homes destroyed. The original church and city hall were preserved by numbering and moving them, stone by stone to the new town square. Everything else dates from after 1964. These days the ruins are only visible during part of the year when the river is low enough to reveal them.

Accommodation: Hotel Ferramenteiro. This is a very utilitarian hotel. Simple and modern, but with an excellent location at the entrance/exit to town and overlooking the river. The also have a laundry service for €5 which was excellent. I had a really good conversation with one of the receptionists. We were talking about how repetitive food is along the Camino. She told me up until a couple of years ago you couldn’t buy kale or arugula and most people don’t know what they are. LOL. Double room, single use, including breakfast €76.

Lunch: O’Mirador. Excellent restaurant with a lovely view of the river. The service could be better. Definitely touristy, but not all Camino folks. A la carte. Three course plus wine. €35