Stage 29: Triacastela to Sarria

10 Oct 2019

I’m up and out of Triacastela at 8:40, with clear skies and a bit chilly at 44F. I feel exhausted and my back is sore. I also have a new blister on my right big toe, probably due to all the descents, but I put a Compeed plaster on it and it feels OK.

All my clothes and boots dried real well overnight and I had a good breakfast that included bacon, eggs, and a banana. There will be no services available for the first 10 Kms of my 17 Km walk to Sarria.

As the day progressed, it became sunny and then went back to foggy and cold, prompting constant clothing changes. I finally arrived in Sarria at 1:30 with a nice sunny 65F, and encountered a super-steep stairway of about 60 steps to get up into town. Do you think that’s a medieval defense system? No one in armor (or even just a backpack) could dash up those steps and then fight. It’s what I’ve come to call the “last slap in the face” that ends so many of these stages.

I stayed at the lovely Aqua Rooms and, of course, found you-know-who at the nearest bar:

Sarria is 110 Kms from Santiago, the minimum distance the church has decreed that a pilgrim must travel in order to receive a Camino completion certificate. So this is where a lot of pilgrims start. It’s also where tour companies begin dropping off clients for the daily walking part of their “Glamino” package. Net effect for me: more pilgrims on the trail and in the bars and cafes.

The guidebooks warn that the number of Camino scammers (had to be some) will increase from here, too: people accosting you on the trail for “donations”, for your signature on petitions, and so forth. We’re advised to “just keep walking”.

Personally, Sarria means there’s just one week left before I arrive in Santiago. Holy cow – I can hardly believe it! I’m not sure what to feel: elation, pride, sadness. What will Life After the Camino be like? I’m not sure I can handle having eight pairs of underwear to choose from again.