Saturday, June 4, 2011

Journey to Santiago - Day 28, Twenty-sixth Stage

Day 28 - Triacastela to Sarria
Distance walked today: 18.3 km (11.4 miles)
Total distance walked: 411 km (256.9 miles)
Total distance left: 115.3 km (72 miles)
Information on the stage traveled here.


So Adal traveled today another stage, putting him in Sarria.  Sarria is the minimum distance starting point to receive the Compostela in Santiago, which means that you can walk the 115 km from Sarria to Santiago and get the same church document that you completed the pilgrimage as those that walked 800 km.  It seems unfair, but it's not.  Those that have traveled from Roncesvalles know who they are, there is a look to them that is missing from those only traveling from Sarria.  Not that it is any small feat anyway from Sarria, but you can tell who has walked 6 days and who has walked over 31 days.


The practical portion of this is that are many more pilgrims from Sarria on, since so many start there.  This means the albergues and hostels get very full very quickly.  Luckily, he walked very quickly today, getting to Sarria at about noon, which was quite fast for travelling 18 km!  He was able to get a bed very easily at the alberque, but by 2 pm it was completely full.  He says the new walkers starting in Sarria saw his feet and were in shock.  He must've freaked out a few of them!  I think he got a rise out of it, he he.  He's kind of proud of the lesions and callouses he has accumulated on his journey.


There are different flavors of accommodation when on the Way; there's albergues, hostels, and hotels.  Albergues are generally free or take a donation, and can be run either by religious organizations or the municipality.  It's usually a very large room or two, bunk beds all around, common toilet facilities, sometimes they have a communal kitchen, clotheslines, etc.  These get filled up quickly and first by the walkers.  Once these are full, most walkers move on to the hostels, which are usually privately run by individuals, but with the same facilities more or less.  These can cost from 5 euros to 15 euros.  In this category you can also count those rooms which are usually a double room or so, for a slightly higher price.  Then you have the hotels, which can vary from European one stars to four stars.  One stars are much like hostels, except they might be individual rooms, usually bathrooms are shared.  Two stars are nicer, usually have their own bathrooms in suite.  And three stars is more of what we are accustomed to; spacious rooms, nice bathroom, tv and a/c, etc.

Today we traveled home from Santiago.  We caught an early morning (very early!) flight to Madrid and then changed to Stockholm.  It was exhausting.  I realized when we got home that we had no food in the house since we had finished everything before going.  So, it was a McDonald's day.  I took a two hour nap, enough to recover some energy, and incredibly N played quietly by herself and let me sleep!  She was such a trooper the whole trip!

We are all missing each other, but we are at peace.  We know the other is doing fine and happy.  And I know Adal is happy.  Very happy.  And that's what counts.

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