Spain, Day 7

May 29: Sarria to Portomarin

It should have been an easy day: there are only 23 km between Sarria and Portomarin and that is starting to feel like an unremarkable distance to walk. But I was stiff and sore for no good reason and so the distance seemed plenty long enough. The scenery was gorgeous: fields of flowers, country roads, shady paths through the forests, picturesque pueblos. The use of stone is amazing: they use stone (especially slate) like we use cheap wood. It's used for houses, churches, roads, bridges, fences, monuments, fountains. We even saw a picnic table and bench put together with slabs of slate. But we are coming to expect beautiful scenery and antiquities around every corner.

What was most notable about the day was the increase in perigrinos on the trail. In order to be counted as a pilgrim, you must complete at least the last 100 km of the Camino on foot (the last 200 km if you are biking). And Sarria, as it turns out, is the last big town just outside the 100 km mark so many people take the bus this far so they can do the minimum. Some people cut the distance even shorter: not far out of Sarria we came to a little hole-in-the-wall coffee stop; nothing much there except for a credencial stamp but waiting in the parking lot was a big tour bus full of people from the Czech Republic who were doing only the last 100 km. Precisely. And perhaps some of the increase in traffic was due to 'weekend pilgrims': people who were able to purchase a credencial in Sarria and enjoy a couple of days as a peregrino.

It is understandable. Taking on the role of a pilgrim adds a whole new dimension, a deeper layer to the experience and in my opinion it is the most unique aspect of the trip. A pilgrim is not a tourist. The sign over the doorway of the aubergue in Ponferrada reads “The tourist demands. The pilgrim thanks,” but there is more to the distinction than the level of service expected. I might write another sign, with something like “The tourist is a spectator; the pilgrim is a participant in the journey.” This slice of Spain has been living with perigrinos for 1000 years and they have carved out a cultural niche for them. How often do you get to travel to a foreign country and experience it from within the culture?

We arrived at Portomarin early and had our choice of places to stay. Portomarin is quite tiny but it is FULL of aubergues! We booked ourselves into a new aubergue with at least 100 beds, a kitchen, cafe, nice laundry area, and internet: all the essentials! Portomarin is a town built for perigrinos all right. Besides the aubergues, the church dominates the skyline (can small communities have a skyline?) The church is quite remarkable. You can see it from a long way off and although it is apparently quite a famous Romanesque church it looks more like a big box store; rectangular, grey, and unremarkable except for its size. Of course looks don't matter and we went to the Mass anyway. The church was more crowded than usual, I suppose because it was the Saturday night version of the Sunday Mass. Before long it was standing room only, stuffed with about half perigrinos (you can tell from the way we don't dress) and half locals. The inside of the church was no more remarkable and except for a large 'rose' stained-glass window, I don't think you could accuse it of being pretty.

It wasn't until the congregation started to sing that we realized this church was not designed for architectural beauty. The acoustics were astounding; the sound was beautiful, strong, and deeply moving.

Back at the aubergue, we are cold. Someone said this is the coldest it's been in this area for 150 years. I am wrapped in my fleece jacket but wishing I had something more. No doubt it's better this way because it would be much harder to be walking so much in the heat.