A600AASS Day 16 - Sarria to Portomarín
29.10.22
28 Km
Walkin’ walkin’, wet, wet walkin’.
It rained all day today, mostly down, sometimes sideways, often heavily. Water breached my waterproof socks and by the time I let my feet loose in Portomarín they looked like they’d been in the bath for hours. My heels? Like they’d been in a bar brawl and lost.
What a strange town. A shopping street arcaded in stone, like Bern, Switzerland, and an imposing, castellated church that both make it feel ancient. And yet everything feels a little too fresh, like there’s a big gap in its history. Turns out the Miño River was damned in the 1960s and the original town was moved uphill stone by stone. That would explain the disused quayside and the remains of the Roman bridge we saw as we walked in to town.
Sarria is where most folk join the Camino. It’s just over 100 kilometres to Santiago and the distance can be covered in 5 days or less, so there were many more pilgrims on our path today, many in their twenties. With their pastel-coloured ponchos and pointed hoods, they looked like dainty druids, chants replaced by chart-toppers played on Bluetooth speakers.
We stopped in at a restaurant, where we stooped low beneath beams to claim our seat. Some of the druids, derobed, were drying their socks and their feet on the fireplace. It was a startling fuck you to the rest of the room, but we were all too wet and too tired to protest. The goats cheese and apple salad, recommended by a North Carolinian as one of the top five things she’s eaten since Saint Jean, was truly excellent, the sangria and cheesecake, too.
We took a double room tonight, the better to dry our things and get some good rest. Music rang out while we sorted our washing: sweet, harmonious songs that carried more than a hint of sadness. When we walked in to town a little later on, two hearses sat in front of the church, a group of mourners sheltering from the rain not far away. In 1910, Portomarín had a population of 5314. In 2011, 1691. I wonder what it is today.
I kinda wanna get to the end now. I’m fearful of the walk tomorrow, given the state of my feet today. At least we should have good weather for walking.
