Day 18 (April 13) — Sunday In The Park With Jorge And Thousands More — 15 Miles

I am hard pressed to describe the feelings between walking the Camino where one is alone for miles and being swept along in an endless peloton of people.

Only 400 meters after leaving my hotel, the Camino path began receiving pilgrims from the streets it passed. It was like a river being fed by its tributaries. Within minutes, the flow increased until people were less than a few feet in front or in back of me.

Alas, the stories about Sarria are true. The Camino is no longer a path of solitude. As John put it, I felt like crossing the bridge from the parking lot to the stadium for a Raiders game. Anyone starting from Sarria will come away with a different impression of the Camino than those who began their journey at say Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Sahugan (the halfway point), Leon, Astorga, or Ponferrada. However, it will be their Camino. I can only hope that they will meet new people and the stories of their life experiences; that they will appreciate the nature before them — the changing sky, the sound of the birds, the smell in the air. The walk in the park with Jorge and thousands more starts now.

As you look at the above photo, can you name some characteristics of a newby pilgrim? First, they are waiting in line to have their credential stamped. Second, they typically are wearing new shoes. Third, many of the women are wearing latex pants. Finally, they are mostly young people — definitely an under 30s crowd.

I caught up with Keith and John by this point. By the seven mile mark, we were ready for our near noon cerveza. Our gracious tapper poured us some Mahou. Andrew and AJ soon joined us. They had started at 9:00 about an hour behind us. They must have been jogging at times.

While waiting for my beer, I had some fun with a young pilgrim comparing his shoes with mine. He definitely stood out in the crowd.

The day still had its charms with this display of the standard white scallop shells and more colorfully designed ones.

Like a newby, I had my picture taken at the 100km marker. As I mentioned before, a pilgrim must start at least 100km from Santiago to qualify for a Compestella.

Portomarín, my final destination, appeared on the right bank of the Minho River. I last crossed this river at its mouth — the border between Portugal and Spain — during my Portuguese Camino that I walked with Laird Evans. We took a motor dinghy to cross. This time, a sturdy bridge.

On the other side was a staircase that transported one to the streets of the centro. After settling in, I did some laundry before starting this blog.

This would be a fitting end to this blog. But dinner was ahead. While ordering, a young woman at the next table suggested that I try the lentil soup. That opened up a conversation in which I learned that her father encouraged her to do a Camino. He walked the Portuguese in 2023. She was from Toronto, grew up in northern Michigan, worked in California’s Bay Area, and now lives in London. We talked about the Camino experience. I hope that she returns in the future to walk the Camino in the places before Sarria.

I don’t know what was going on in my head. I did not ask to photograph her. She has a million dollar smile.

I opted for the mixed salad, broiled hake, and the Santiago cake. To end the meal, I tried Galician vermouth. Did you know that Spain has hundreds of different vermouth and bars that specialize in locally produced vermouth? My server, Senora Cruz, gently poured the vermouth that yielded a richness that paired well with the sunset I was witnessing.