Day 11: Sarria to Portomarin

Light rain fell as we started the walk through the medieval section of Sarria but it soon stopped. If the Galician weather forecast continues to be wrong every day for the next five days, we are golden. Even in intermittent rain throughout the day our walk was very pleasant, and we decided we actually prefer the light rain over the blazing sun.



 

The sun comes out, casting Chisoon's shadow.





As the sun comes out, so does the farmer.

Beyond Barbadelo, we passed through one tiny hamlet reeking of cow excrement after another, but surprisingly there were no "bars." Finally, well past our lunch time, we arrived at Morgade, where everyone seems to stop. We saw some familiar faces plus a group of 30 Koreans who hurried on, three women from Argentina who took the overnight train from Zaragoza, and an Australian family with school-age kids whom I reassured with the Mark Twain quote, "Don't let schools interfere with your children's education."



Behind the modest front of the albergue in Mogarde is a charming restaurant with a courtyard.



This local man gave us small chestnuts and asked to pray for him when we reach Santiago.

Arriving at Portomarin, we were a bit annoyed that our hotel is about a kilometer away from everything,  first time we had any such location issue. But walking into a large farm with lush greenery and then the common area with wall-to-wall windows immediately conjured up an image of an isolated but self-sufficient eco-lodge in the middle of nature such as the Amazon jungles.




A grand entrance into Portomarin over Rio Mino




Our accommodation borders on an apple orchard.

A great day overall with Chisoon being able to walk the entire way. The number of people increased today. The amount of rain may increase tomorrow.