Sarria to Portomarin

Today we walked from Sarria to Portomarin. We made arrangements again to have our packs brought forward. We travelled light with water, some food for lunch, our cameras and rain ponchos and rain pants. We divided everthing into two day packs. The day began with us having cafe con leches and toast at a bar down the street. This is where we dropped off our mochilas (packs).

We headed out of Sarria and dropped into this beautiful green lush river valley. Following a fast moving stream on a dirt pathway approx 8 feet wide that would either be lined on either side of the path with slate stone walls approx 4 ft tall and covered with moss and ferns or the path would be lined on either side with chestnut trees. The terrain went up and down through little valleys of farm pasture land criss-crossed with stone fences or lush lightly wooded areas. They raise dairy cows here. In fact we went through an area that is very famous for their cheese. For my Wisconsin friends, the terrain was very similar to walking through the Byrds Creek area up and over to Excelsior over and up to Mt Zion and down into Gays Mills in the Springtime. Very green.

Did I mention cows and rain? It began to rain when leaving Sarria and we walked for several hours in a steady gentle rain. It was raining hard enough that we had to where our ponchos and rain pants. I really needed windshield wipers and defogger for my glasses. The paths went up and down and became very muddy and mixed in with cow shit. Some areas were steep enough that there were streams down the path about 3-4 inches deep with water flowing and we would have to rock hop going up long stretches of hills. In fact one hill had slabs of slate rock in the middle of the path which awkwardly spaced a little more than a long stride and you had to be careful because they were slippery and water ankle deep. Did I mention cow shit and mud? Some places it was challenging to manuver because it was like trying to traipse through a spring thawed barnyard. It brought up childhood memories of getting stuck at age 5 in the barnyard in calf deep mire and not being able to get out without leaving my boots behind in the muck and making it to a fence to sit and contemplate my lonely poopy stuck boots and how I was going to retrieve those without involving my father.

Pat has decided she is over cows and the smell of manure.

It was an amazing walk today. We walked from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm with an hour rest stop for lunch. There was little cafe out in the middle no where with incredible views. We had the best lunch ever. We had a bowl of lentils, crusty bread, titty cheese (cheese shaped like a tit), salami, jamon with melon (paper thin sliced serrano ham with green melon, and of course, a bottle of red wine. As we sat there, the sun came out and we stripped off our rain gear and basked in its warm. We were sitting under a large umbrella. Rain clouds blew in and it began to rain again. Within the hour it had stopped. We experienced three different rain showers throughout the day.

We dropped down into another river valley and crossed a large river and climbed up into the town of Portomarin which has a large cathedral. Sunny when we arrived but then another rain storm blew in within minutes. This area, Galacia, averages rain 1 out of 4 days throughout the year. Between the rain and cow poop, it is very green. Very similar weather like Ireland. In fact this area is Celtic and has their own language of Gallega rather than Spanish. It is like a combination of Spanish and Portugese.

I don't know what I would have done without Pat and Sue who do very well with Spanish and with their month long experience on the Camino. Plus it is really a lot of fun seeing them good naturedly banter and flirt with the various barkeepers along the way. Bars serve breakfasts along with being open for the locals to begin their daily victuals of drinking aquaconvit (sp?) and smoking cigarettes. They are generally old men in berets.

I was initiated today with a big fat blister on my right heel two hours into the walk. Sat down on the side of the path to administer to my feet. People stopped to offer tape, compeed, moleskin and advice. Caring for your feet is a very serious matter on the Camino. Today we walked 22.5 km.

Tomorrow we hike up to Palais de Reis and on to another little town beyond for approx 26 km. Pat and Sue have been very kind and supportive about not carrying our heavy packs each day but shipping them forward. Today my feet were ready to be done. The rest of my body was still willing but your feet just get tired. When we picked up our packs and I placed it on my back my feet went aggghh with the extra weight sinking into my arches and the balls of my feet. So I am very grateful to not have the weight in exchange to have the ability to cover some distances.

I have been running into Jimmy everwhere.
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