Sarria is a starting point for many with a limited time frame. You can complete the 114 kilometers to Santiago in a week and have the 100 kilometers needed to qualify for your Compostela. We had watched on Tuesday morning the school of pilgrims swimming their way past our hotel in numbers we had not seen since our start in St. Jean. We were not sure what to expect when we started out before dawn on Wednesday morning, and were pleasantly surprised when the numbers, still more than usual, were not as great as the day before. I am not sure if it was the early hour, the slick footing from the rains the night before, or the exuberance of the newly joined pilgrims, but most had passed us in the first hour. The sky was threatening rain and it soon delivered.

So that morning ponchos went on and off as needed.

One of our first stops was in a small village very much in tune with the excitement of the new pilgrims, offering all kinds of trinkets for sale. It was a bit of a carnival type atmosphere and I too got caught in the frenzy buying pins for my hats.

Bus loads of people and what appeared to be church groups arrived. Then as if on queue, a herd of sheep was led by. It reminded me of the cattle drive in the Fort Worth stockyards for all the tourists to enjoy.

We were glad to get down the road and back to what we do best, looking at old churches and enjoying the sights.

The normal stopping point after Sarria is Portomarin, which is a 15 mile walk. So in keeping with “doable”, we chose the halfway point of Morgade. We again were pleasantly surprised that this less used option was so nice. They had converted an old building into private rooms with a common sitting area to complement their bar/restaurant and Albergue.

After doing laundry, there was not much else to do but drink, nap, eat, and sleep some more.

After sleeping nine hours we were ready for another leisurely walk of just over seven miles to Portomarin.

We took our time, enjoyed the walk, and enjoyed the lack of crowds that comes with a midpoint start. Soon Portomarin was in sight. The city was relocated in the 60’s when they dammed the river to make a lake down stream. Historic buildings were dismantled and reconstructed brick by brick as was the church.

But to get to Portomarin you have to cross the river.

Then once across the bridge, we met steps similar to what we encountered entering Sarria.

Portomarin is a nice town with some pretty sights. We plan to attend mass tonight, grab a vino and tapas, then swim out with the school of pilgrims tomorrow morning. But they will pass us by soon enough and we will enjoy our 8 to 10 mile short, doable, and fun walk to another halfway point.