In the town of Portomarin

Since I had walked an extra bit yesterday, this morning I was pretty close to what would otherwise be a logical stopping point --Sarria, about 112 km from Santiago. Since you must walk 100 km to get the compostela (the certificate that says you've "done it") Sarria is a hugely popular starting point. As I walked through the town around 9:30 this morning (having last done it in 2005, I think), I counted 19 albergues, but later saw a list that says there are 24. It has been a town that lives off pilgrims. The beautiful old quarter is nothing but pilgrim business. 

I decided to continue 24 km more on to Portomarin, which means I'm now well under 100 km from Santiago. By pushing things a bit the last few days, I'll get to Santiago a day earlier than I had thought. So I'll have a rest day in Santiago before the four day walk to Finisterre and Muxia. The life of Riley. 

The walk today was very pretty and rural. 

In spite of the huge numbers of walkers, there's plenty of alone walking time. Lots of green tunnels, lots of nice views over hills and valleys, lots of rolling ups and downs with no extremes --gentle walking. 

The town of Portomarin is another one of those fake towns. The dam in the 50s flooded the original ancient town and they built a new one. The Romanesque church, however, was dismantled and moved up to the new main square.  In general I would say that the rebuilding hasn't been terribly successful. The place lacks its soul. But the church was definitely worth saving. 

Weather couldn't be better, but some have said a heat wave is in the way!