Days 27 to 33 - Triacastela, Sarria, Portomarin, Palas de Rei, Ribadiso, Arca and Santiago

Thursday, December 31, 2009 by Johanna , under , , , , , , , , ,

Hi all, and sorry for the long, long gap between posts! For the last week almost we've been staying in Xunta hostels (since Sarria) and they had no internet and only once did Charlie find a wifi connection. I started typing this long post about everything from Christmas in Sarria to Palas de Rei, but then his computer downloaded  virus with a movie and went completely beserk, poor guy. He's had so much trouble fixing it.

But anyway, to kep things brief in the twenty minutes I have left: We spent the 23rd and the 24th of December in Sarria, had a massive Christmas Eve dinner complete with pumpkin soup, asparagus and smoked salmon, ratatouille and desserts of various kinds, and set out the next morning in glorious weather to reach Portomarin and the 100km to Santiago marker, where we took lots of photos! A couple are here, which the computer luckily saved before the virus hit.


There's me balancing like a tree... a slightly wonky an entirely unflexible tree due to me wearing too many clothes to do it properly.


There's me and Ariel posing with arms and legs (haha Jet, get it?)... yes, we went a bit nuts.


And there's my mud encrustd foot - I couldn't help this one because of all the speculation on the forum of Gareth's boots being so clean. Let no-one say that mine are!!! They even had mud on the inside. It was very, very muddy and there were creeks all along the camino. We had to detour across the fields at some points.

Yay for photos. The days between Sarria and Ribadiso (wonderful albergue there!) were a dream, with sunshine and lovely temperatures. After that... It poured. And poured and poured. The creeks rose a meter overnight, we got absolutely drenched, my sleeping bag got wet inside my pack, everything was wet. In Arca the dorm stank to high heaven because we all had our boots on the radiators inside to dry! Didn't really work that well. Going into Santiago was a little better, we had some really sunyn spots in between some heavy showers, and even a Rainbow getting into the old city! Very nice indeed. It's very strange, the last two days' walk, because there are so many eucalyptus trees everywhere. Made me feel like I was back in Australia... in some of the photos, you'd think I was!

Arriving in Santiago was a stange experience. In one way, completely relieving and wonderful and amazing, and in another quite sad, because the camino life and rhythm truly is amazing. That said, I'm very happy that now I can relax, put my feet up and just chill - my feet really were at the end yesterday after going to the pilgrim office (not a single person queuing!!!) and back to the albergue, 3km from the city center. (Grr.) They were soaked and the tendons were being really annoying and painful again. Did I say that I met a physio in Ponferrada who said that I had several inflamed tendons (something like that) which actually needed time not walking to get better? Well, that wasn't going to happen, so I just kept walking... as you do. Just walk it off, is my philosophy. But now I think I really do need to let them heal a bit before stressing them out again.

Some really good news from today at Frank and Ivar's travel center - the one box that did arrive had my down winter coat for Germany, my books (books!) and my favourite long skirt in it - yay for comforting home things! It brighteend up the whole albergue when I wore it. Luckily it's warm and I can! And I'm so glad my warm jacket was in there too - don't have to wear thirteen layers anymore now. Today was a bit sad too, though, because I had to say goodbye to a pilgrim I've become very close to after the mass at the cathedral (which was very elaborate, very spanish and had very nice choir music), who walked on to Negreira that day on the way to Finisterre. I think I'll have to go there by bus anyway after a few days here in Santiago - so maybe, just maybe, we'll see eachother one more time. Fingers crossed.

Anyway, that's all for now because I have to go and buy shoes. This camino experience has truly been an amazing one and I may even have picked up a few wisdoms along the way. I'm so, so very happy that I went through with it all! The last month has just gone by so quickly and amazingly, and the people I've met I will hold very close for a long time.

Adios!

4 Responses to 'Days 27 to 33 - Triacastela, Sarria, Portomarin, Palas de Rei, Ribadiso, Arca and Santiago'

December 31, 2009 at 7:08 AM


Well done Jo (& Ariel). Enjoy the New Year celebrations in Santiago and the rest of your travels in Europe.

Cheers Rose Louise

December 31, 2009 at 9:44 AM

Comment by Unknown.

All I can say is :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where's your swan pose, hmmmm??? :D

Love you x a million billion. :) ~Jet.

December 31, 2009 at 10:11 AM

Comment by Kiwi Nomad.

Congratulations! Love the photo of the two of you on top of the 100km marker!!! Thanks for sharing your exploits with us. Happy New Year! Margaret

January 1, 2010 at 11:58 AM


Happy New Year, Jo.
You did a wonderful job and I'm very proud of you. Now enjoy the sunshine in the south before sticking your nose in the Snow further North. At least I hope you will see some of the whote stuff. Love Dad

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