Today, we left Sarria and embarked on our last week on the Camino. Sarria, in our humble opinions, doesn’t have a lot to recommend it. However, it is the closest biggish town near the 100 kilometers-from-Santiago-mark, which makes it an extremely popular starting point for people seeking a shorter Camino experience.

We were forewarned about the impact of this increase in people traffic, so it wasn’t really a surprise. Still, it’s an adjustment to suddenly be walking with hundreds more people.

We’re taking it as an opportunity to practice patience! What used to be a quick break for a hot drink and bathroom stop on the Camino now is 15 minutes waiting to order, a 10-minute wait for the bathroom, and a bit of a scramble to get a table.

On the walk, you are never out of sight of other pilgrims.  Even harder, you are never beyond earshot of other people’s conversations.

It seems that most people who joined in Sarria are traveling in groups, and we fear that meals will be more restaurant-provided rather than family-style at the hostel. That means less reason or opportunity to strike up conversations with folks.

So, the character of the Camino/trip shifted today. We need to adjust our expectations. We remember how welcomed we felt by people who had started the Camino in St. Jean Pied de Port, France, a week before us. We can be as gracious to people who are starting now!

And the walk today was beautiful. Here are some pics we took as we walked 13 miles to our next destination, Portomarin.