Day thirty three El Camino

Brrr....it was a cold and misty morning, but we were off by 8:15 to accomplish our 12.5 miles and thus arrive by early afternoon in Sarria, a city of special significances: 1) a lot of people, known as pilgrims, do only the last 100 K of the walk; for them Sarria is the starting point, it being about 115 K from Santiago. OK, for us this is not so special. But 2) Some of our travel literature promised antique shops at this destination. After roaming huge markets selling shmattahs and souvenir shops selling tchatchkies, we were so up for antique shops! To kill the suspense I will tell you we never found any.

How are we doing, now over 400 miles into our trek?





A slice of the morning landscape:





Sweet....





Water drops or lace?




The walking was pretty, but the weather was slightly too cold and damp to be comfortable, so when we came upon a place to stop, about an hour before our destination, we gladly took advantage. Cafe con leche, perfectly hot and a huge slice of almond tart, a specialty of the area, were utterly delicious to the last crumb:




Tanya lingers over her coffee:





A pig in a shop window in Sarria:





King Alphonso IX. Is he stern or what?




I was somewhat concerned about our







because it was at the bottom of the hotel list for the city, but it was surprisingly decent. No rustic touches or charming design features, but an elevator, spacious, sunny rooms, and walls thicker than paper. We are perfectly satisfied.

The shower-clothes washing-document shifting, all part of the robotic daily cycle go fast, and we head out in search of sustenance so that we will be full of energy to attack the never-to-be-found antique shops.

Remember him?





Well, this is him for lunch:





I am less adventurous:





Maybe they "all look the same," but the church bell towers are ever lovely to look at:




What did this guy do to deserve that?




There was less to investigate in Sarria than we expected or discovered, so we hit the supermarket to buy supplies for an eat-in dinner. No complaints!

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Location:Triacastela to Sarria