Today was a beautiful stroll in fantastic weather with only a few arduous sections. We were in the woods. We were surrounded by grazing animals. We went through tiny ancient villages that have preserved their original character. We arrived in Sarria, the closest town from Santiago de Campostela to officially complete the Camino. When we checked into our hotel, many pilgrims were just arriving in Spain for their 5 day journey. They engaged us and asked us many questions about our journey. A few of them noticed our mangled feet (we wear Oofos sandals after our walks) and called their friends over to look at them. The book we’ve been using warned us that Sarria would expose us to a bunch of new pilgrims just doing the 5 days and the author urged us to be patient and understanding. Carla and I were. Others weren’t. I have always maintained the types of Camino journeys are only limited by the number of people who make the trip. We attended a pilgrim mass this evening and the priest, after saying the mass in Spanish, gave us a Camino blessing in English. It was awesome.

Camino fun fact- due to the proliferation of Camino cheaters, in order to get your official certificate for completing the Camino (regardless of where you started), you need to have your Camino Passport stamped twice a day from Sarria to Santiago. Apparently people will take a cab and skip walking the route. Cheating on the Camino dates back to medieval times. Truly weird- of all the things to lie about!

Carla leading the way out of town

Iglesia Santa Marina where we attended the pilgrim mass