Gonzar

What an amazing country. I feel bad that I didn’t notice it yesterday but knowing we were on our way, some kind locals put up a welcome mural of none other than our beloved Efe Bomba. Gestures like this really do lift our spirits and keep us pushing on to the end.

Something feels different about the trail today. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but looking at these two pictures, one from back on the meseta and one from this morning on the way out of town, there’s been a subtle change.

As i mentioned before, Sarria is the closest city to where a person needs to walk from to earn a compostela so it is also the most popular place for those starting on the camino. I knew this coming in and was prepared for things to get busier but never in my wildest dreams did I expect this. It feels like the long walk back to parking lot after Disneyland closes.

After weeks of near solitude, the noise this many people generate assaults the senses and I have a moment of panic that this is but a sample of what the next 5 days holds. Then I remember our first 20 miles days and, looking down at all the shiny new boots and the blisters they have in store, I get the feeling things might start to open back up fairly quickly.

Sure enough, by the time we close in on Portomarin, the typical stop for this stage, we’re able to find some quiet pockets in between clusters of people that started together this morning.

It is encouraging, but even though we can move faster than the horde, they have already booked up all the available rooms and the closest one we are able to find means another 4 miles. Efe Bomba seems displeased, but I think she’s just upset she didn’t spot this fine, free hat before Nick. Such a sophisticated look. The lice are totally worth it.

Gonzar is but a speck of a town but it comes in the nick of time as, any further, and we’d be looking at a repeat of last year’s Finisterre protest where certain individuals simply sat down in the middle of the trail and refused to go a step further. Just under 50,000 steps is a new record for her though. Not too shabby.