Camino Day 36: Sarria to Portomarin

Hoards of pilgrims joined our ranks at Sarria. 111 kilometers is the minimum distance a pilgrim must travel to earn a compostella, and Sarria marks that point. These pilgrims carry cameras and shopping bags, travel in packs, and are met in each town by tour busses-- in case they are tired, cold, or wet, and want to stop. They block the path for photo opportunities, and tramp loudly down wooded trails scaring off the wildlife.

We tell ourselves these tourists may fall in love with the Camino and return to walk the full way in the future. We tell ourselves everyone walks their own Camino, and it's not ours to judge. But much of the magic of our Camino has been lost to these newcomers: the quiet, the reflection, the meditation, the connection to the countryside...all gone. Tomorrow, when we leave Portomarin (a tiny slice of Connecticut in Spain), I will focus on acceptance.