Sarria to Santiago

A couple of new friends asked me today, "Where did you stay on your walk from Sarria to Santiago?"

Before I say anything else, I want to say that the walking from Sarria to Santiago is some of the most spectacular scenery along the Camino Frances, in my opinion. I love ALL of the Camino, but this section is special. It is the last 100 or so kilometers, and is the required minimum walking if one expects to receive a Compostela (which is a Certificate saying you completed your Pilgrimage.) Here is a Compostela I found on the internet since I do not have a photo of my own.

So here are a few notes from our walk. Remember, make the walk your OWN. Don't be afraid to stop if the mood hits you, or to take a different route, or stay in a different place. Just ride the wave and let the Camino take care of you - you'll have a wonderful time!

SARRIA

I understand you are starting your walk in Sarria. I've walked this section twice, once in 2006 and once in 2009. The last time, I stayed at the Municipal Albergue.

I'm sorry to start off on a negative note, but the Municipal Albergue at Sarria was one of my LEAST favorites on the entire Camino. It was crowded, dirty, and dark. So I can not suggest you stay there.

Instead, try to get into Hostal Don Alvaro! I just LOVED this place!  I'm not sure if they take reservations, but I believe they do! So you might call or email ahead and tell them you are beginning your walk there, and see if they will allow you to book a bed.  Here are some photos. Don't let the starkness of the outside put you off. Inside it is very inviting and warm!

Here is what the review says about Don Alvaro:

Albergue Don Alvaro, Sarria Apr 13, 2010 In the middle of old town Sarria, a beautiful private albergue on the Camino Frances to Santiago de Compostela. Several rooms with bunk beds and the bathroom right nextdoor, clean and tidy, with extra wool blankets for the beds. A sunny terrace with deck chairs, a garden with a fountain and a living room with an open fire place are a perfect hang out places. There's also a fully equipped kitchen. Internet access for 1,50 € per hour (April 2010). The house dog is shy and named Dana. No curfew for morning check-out. Costs 9 € per night.

And there is a special treat for many pilgrims here. They have a wonderful outdoor firepit, where weary pilgrims can gather, play music and have a relaxing drink before bedtime. It is quite magical!

I'm not sure what time you arrive in Sarria, but if you want to begin walking that day, you could walk to Ferreiros, where there is a nice small albergue. The walking in this section is just lovely.

From Sarria to Portomarin is about 22 km.  I will tell you about the albergues I've stayed in or know about, and let you choose.

Albergue at Ferreiros is behind a bar and near a park

Ferreiros is small, but nice. When we stayed in 2006, it was clean and tidy. There was a small kitchen there, but not a lot of utensils. The showers were not so clean, but "ok." I would have loved to sleep out in the park. There was a place to wash clothes and hang them on a line outside.

The only caution I have to give you here is to be VERY careful if you eat at the inn here, because the lady at that time was not very honest. A Portuguese man we had begun walking with in SJPP happened to come by while we were there. He invited us to all have a drink with him. He bought a bottle of wine (I watched him pay for it) and we all had a glass. Then he left. THEN, when we tried to leave, she insisted we pay AGAIN for the wine! I told her no, but an English gentleman didn't want to argue so he just paid... but boy it made me mad as a wet hen!  Anyway.. the albergue is nice, but watch out for the lady... get a receipt for your dinner!  lol

For me, if you want to stay somewhere BETWEEN Sarria and Portomarin, and if you are lucky to get there early enough, or to BOOK ahead, a wonderful choice is Casa Morgade Pension! You can't miss it because many pilgrims stop there for food, which is very good.

Pilgrims stop here for lunch because it is halfway between Sarria and Portomarin

The dinner they served us was lucious! And the Casa is beautiful!

This is one of the many patios

A sitting room with a warm fire for evenings

Beautiful sunset

4 twin beds in our shared room - hostal style

There were two shared baths which were VERY clean. We paid a woman 3 euro to do all of our laundry while we were there. I can't recommend this place highly enough. It was a wonderful place to stay! If you wanted to walk " between stages" it is perfect as it is right in the middle between Sarria and Portomarin:

The walking from Casa Morgade to Portomarin is full of wonderful sights to see. Old Celtic artwork, and green everywhere!

Last Camino in 2009 we ran across this sweet little place, which I believe is fairly new. It looked very clean and well-kept and we stopped here for coffee. It is called La Bodaquina de Mercadoiro.  Some curious cows being driven to the fields thought we were an interesting sight!

I would love to try this place. If you stay there, please do a review on the forum!

Once we arrived near Portomarin, we saw many signs saying there was a NEW albergue there!  We followed the signs up the hell and to the left to the new place and found it to be very clean and equipped with a large kitchen and a TELEVISION! We hadn't seen the news since we left so it was quite a treat. There were rows and rows of beds, so no privacy. But the showers were very clean and I have no complaints at all. I would stay there again any time. We cooked up a huge meal of pasta. There was a very well-equipped grocery store in town where we bought all the food we needed for the next few days.

Portomarin's New Albergue Has a Nice Sitting Room

A beautiful  new kitchen with a wonderful view!

In Brierley's guidebook, the next stage is Portomarin to Palas de Rei. We stayed at Ligonde instead at the tiny albergue as you leave the town. (17 k) Small and sweet, I loved this place! They had a tiny kitchen, but it wasn't really equipped well. Instead, we walked a very short (1 km?) distance up the road to Eirexe, where we found a great bar with good food. I saw other pilgrims sleeping here, so I think they also have an albergue here. If you are on a schedule, however, you may want to continue on to Palas de Rei... or take a taxi there next morning There's no law against doing that, you know? It's about 6 miles up the road.. shouldn't cost much.

I was soooo cold when I arrived... getting warm with a hot foot bath!

At this point you are 3 stages away from Santiago. From Ligende we walked to Casanova. The albergue there was nice and very clean, but hot as heck, as they had heated floors and some of the pilgs wanted the windows closed.. I thought I'd have a heatstroke! There was a restaurant by taxi, a tiny kitchen for sandwich making, good showers... but hot. This was in November so I'm assuming they will not have the heat going in the summer?

Old Roman Road

From Casanova we walked to Ribadiso. There is a very nice albergue there with a good restaurant. The showers were good. It is very large, and there are a LOT of pilgrims, but it was clean and we enjoyed our stay there.

The next day we walked to Santa Irene but found bedbugs in the albergue, so we walked to Arco do Pino and found a lovely place to stay at Casada Gallega, Rua N 22 along the path. The owner is next door across the street (you pass her as you walk to the Casada).. It was 30 euro for a double, had a nice kitchen, was very clean... a great place to stay.

This is where local women used to do their laundry

The walking was gorgeous

Next day you walk into Santiago. On the way we passed two albergues. One was a hotel with a restaurant near the airport and I think I will stay there next time I pass through. There were many people stopped here for bocadillos and toilets.

Once we arrived back in Santiago, we stayed at our "regular" place. It is a little secret that I hope others will keep.

Joe was able to put his fingers into the spaces on the Tree of Jesse. I understand this is no longer possible.

Well, that's it. It is one of the most beautiful parts of the Camino and I know you're going to love it!

Since you asked me for advice, here is the best advice I can give you or anyone walking the Camino Santiago.

"Don't worry, you'll get a bed... just go...and trust the Camino to take care of your needs!"

Buen Camino!

* * *

If you'd like to walk the Camino
but aren't quite ready to do it alone,
see my website:

Anniewalkers Camino

for more information about

Guided Walks on the Camino Santiago 

and on other Pilgrimage Trails of Europe

Dreaming of My Next Trek

Even my doctor agreed yesterday 

that trekking is the best thing I can do for my health.

So I continue to plan and wait for the day 

I am free again to roam.

For my next trek, I have narrowed it down to 4 options.

Decisions, decisions!

Via de La Plata

From the Confraternity website:

 "The Via de la Plata follows the old Roman road from Seville to Astorga.  Several sections of the original paving have been exposed; many Roman milestones, and a number of bridges remain; and in addition to Mérida, one of the richest Roman sites in Spain, you pass many other Roman remains."

Beginning in Seville, in Andalucia, the route crosses Extremadura and part of Castille and León. At Astorga, you either join up with the Camino Frances, or you can turn west to reach Santiago via Puebla de Sanabria and Ourense. The countryside is spectacular, though dry, and Mermaid Lillian said that in the Spring the land is covered with wildflowers, something I'd love to see!

The views are lovely

Mornings are beautiful!

Finding water at a horse trough

The tiny green spot is me!

In 2009, I walked from Seville to Fuente de Campos, 

but was forced to give up because of extreme heat and lack of water.

I've heard the VDLP is lovely in Spring, so that is one option.

Camino Norte

The Camino del Norte (also known as the Coastal Route or the Northern Route) is one of the longer branches of the network of ancient pilgrim routes which together make up the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) . It runs for some 825 km. from the French border at Irún, through San Sebastian, Bilbao, and Santander to join the Camino Francés, (the main spine route of the Camino) at Arzua. It is also possible to divert to Oviedo and walk the Camino Primitivo (the original route) which joins the Camino Francés at Melide. 

The scenery on this route is fantastic with fine coastal views. The terrain is quite hilly for much of the route, and you are often sent inland to reach a bridge over the numerous rivers. It is much less crowded than the Camino Francés, and because of this, pilgrim accommodation is sparse in places. There is a great Wealth of ancient monuments, particularly churches and monasteries, and the larger cities have excellent facilities.

In 2009, I walked from Bilbao to Santander and really enjoyed this route. The beaches are beautiful. The hills are tough, a great workout! The taste of it I got in 2009 makes me want to begin in Irun and walk the entire route.

You go over hills, then down to beaches like this one!

 I would like to do this route in the summer months, if possible,

and take advantage of the many beautiful beaches

and the tasty Spanish seafood!

Pelgrimspad

My third option is to walk the Pelgrimspad! This is a which begins in Amsterdam and runs through Paris. It continues down through France via several optional routes a person could follow. I'd like to go through Lourdes and bathe in the waters there. This trek would take a full 3 months to walk but could be spectacular!  It begins in the flat Netherland country so by the time you reach the mountains, you are in shape. I really REALLY want to do this trek, and it is possible it could fit in with Option 4.

Who could resist a trek with scenery like this?

In 2006 I biked the first etappe of the Pelgrimspad - BEAUTIFUL!

 Rome to Santiago, Spain

Option 4 is to walk with Mermaid Lillian and Melinda from Rome to Santiago to celebrate our 60th birthdays!  I'm visualizing us walking along the coast at Cinque Terra, then perhaps to Asissi, then turning toward the Mediterranean again and passing through Genoa, Arles, then over the Pyranees.  This would be a 6 month walk, and due to Visa restrictions, I'm not sure how I'd swing this. Since an American can only stay in the Schengen countries for 90 days. I'm looking into doing some house sitting in Wales, the UK, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, or somewhere NOT a Schengen country to split up the walk. So basically, I'd have to walk for 90 days, house sit for 90 days, then return to finish the walk.

Another thing I might do is walk the Pelgrimspad,

then meet up with ML&M for the last 3 months of the trek.

That's it.

Those are my options.

My feet are itching to walk.

My body needs the chelation.

Come on Universe!

Provide the way...

Joe invoking San Roque in Seville

Me and San Roque outside O'Cebreiro

And onwards...

* * *

If you'd like to walk the Camino
but aren't quite ready to do it alone,
see my website:

Anniewalkers Camino

for more information about

Guided Walks on the Camino Santiago 

and on other Pilgrimage Trails of Europe

What's Better Than This?

This is Emma.

She is happy!

Why? Because instead of sitting in front of the television last night, her mom, her grandpa and I all sat around the table and played Apples to Apples with her!  It was so much fun, and the enjoyment I got out of watching her laugh slapped me right into the Vortex of Joy!

We laughed, pointed fingers, cheered and clapped, and really had a wonderful time.

I hope to do more of that - connecting - making memories.

I look forward to having her with me all summer.

Things in my life are getting better these days.

Joe built out a safe house
in my son's attached garage,
in the hopes I would be able to sleep there.
It would be a fragrance-free place where I could control
the substances that make me sick.

I saw my specialist Thursday and he called last night with my bloodwork results.

Kidneys are a bit stressed so I need to drink more water.

The major thing was my Vitamin D levels, which should be around 50, but are at a low 12.

He prescribed high doses of D-3 until the levels come up.

With MCS, my body has difficulty absorbing and using Vitamin D from food.

The best source, according to my doctor, is the sun, and Portland, Oregon doesn't have much of that! In fact, it's now June 1 and raining cats and dogs outside.

He said that this explains why I feel so much better on those 3 month treks. 

I'm outdoors for 6 to 8 hours a day, 

absorbing natural sunlight and getting plenty of Vitamin D. 

Then once I stop trekking, 

my levels slowly divebomb and I begin feeling bad again. 

This made a lot of sense. 

Now if I could just convince my attorney 

and the folks at Disability 

that I NEED those treks for my health. 

I'm chomping at the bit to go walking now, 

but there's really no place in the USA that I feel as safe, 

and no place as well-supported as the Camino Santiago. 

So I'm looking into a walking club here, 

and will try to get some walking in 

as soon as the rain lifts.

The new futon I bought made me sick, sick, SICK!

Why, oh WHY do people use Febreze?

If they knew what it was doing to them...

Anyway, I covered the futon with a plastic cover, 

but that was no better, 

so I listed it on craigslist and it sold with a day. 

Joe helped me hang my Clark Hammock 

and now I'm sleeping like a baby. 

It's the most comfortable thing I've ever slept in. 

There are no pressure points, 

once it is correctly adjusted, 

and I have gotten over 8 hours each night since hanging it, 

which is amazing for me!

I also found a new potty chair at Goodwill, 

which makes nighttime potty breaks more convenient!

To top off the week,

Joe put a new breaker in for this Little House, 

so now I can make coffee and have heat at the same time

without tripping the electricity!

Life is good!