Portomarin to Ventas de Naron

EVERYDAY ROUTINE: Albergue Style
1. Get up -Either with an alarm you've set, when you wake up (in your own room) or when everyone starts to rustle around packing their bags (anywhere from 5am onward with a headlamp whipping around)
2. Use bathroom/brush teeth etc with all other 20 people and one bathroom, one of each if you are lucky.
3. Pack up your stuff and get it all back into your backpack or pack one bag for transport and one to carry.
4. Pack up sleeping bag/ sheet. Strip bed of real sheets (more Sarria in) or paper sheets.
5. Put on stinky shoes which are usually in the hall or near the outside door. Collect trekking poles.
6. Grab breakfast if available.  Usually coffee con leche/tea, fresh orange juice and toast. Toast is usually a half a baguette with jam or tomato
 and oil.
7. Start walking, looking for second breakfast, elevenses, lunch etc. Walk for 6-8 hours.
8. Arrive at Albergue, register with passport and get stamp on credential.
9. Make bed. Put sheets on bed and pillow. Pull out sleeping  bag and put on bed. Put blanket on bed if available.
10. Take backpack apart and get out clean clothes and have a shower. 
11. Wash  clothes by hand or machine as available.
11. Relax and wait for dinner.
12. Sleep at 9.
REPEAT EVERYDAY

PORTOMARIN TO VENTAS DE NARON 

Some of the high-school kids we met yesterday.
The Estrella Galacia beer company has paid honour to those along the Camino who sustain and give help to pilgrims who pass their doors everyday. There are seven of these portraits along The Way from Sarria to Santiago. This one is on the way out of Portomarin and is for an eco-agriculturial tourism business who has taken houses and converted them to welcome guests. They started out making organic milk, yogurt and cheese and expanded into a sustainable rural and agricultural environment that respects the land.

We made it a short day today so that we would be off stage and not leaving at the same time as all the groups. Roz and I decided the Camino hadn't made us very nice people or this was us being nice. When we would take a break we would assess people. Oh those are newbies, they smell good. Or they are newbies as there are still folds in their ponchos. We spent several hours the first day out of Sarria saying Hola and Buen Camino to people passing by. One young man shyly said Buen Camino back then said to his friend, "that was my first one." The next day when we met the kids from Belgium again they
 were "Buen Caminoing to everyone." 
Again today there was a lot of woodland paths. It made it very nice for walking.
Some people are so creative in their yards. I love the horreo with the thatched roof.
At a place  called Castromaior there are these ruins that date back to the iron age. They were built between 4-3 century BC and were used until the Roman occupation. 

only 78.1km to go.
This little chapel was originally a pilgrim hospital run by the Knights Templar. Today there is a blind man that gives out stamps. Jarrod received one but unfortunately Roz and I missed out.

Comments

  1. TerryOctober 31, 2024 at 5:20 PM

    What's with the finger? You just finished saying that you were nice people. I love the forested trails, very pretty. I like the idea of having two breakfasts, not sharing the bathroom with 20 people!!! You are so on schedule, 78 kms, I'm counting the days that I will be able to have a visit. Safe travels.

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