Day 29, Sarria to Portomarín, Under 100 km to Go

I haven't really had much to report the past few days other than the countryside just keeps getting more and more gorgeous. Seriously, if you are thinking about doing the Camino, you could start by walking to O'Cebreiro and than carry on to Santiago. At least based on what I've seen so far, if you are into pretty scenery, this last part is to die for.

Yes, it rained today. Big deal. I live in Luxembourg. It rains all the time. My only complaint is that I was sorta warm (I over dressed today) and then I had to put my coat on, and I was really warm. But I had a shower, and my clothes are in the washing machine (WASHING MACHINE! Again! Stink-free -- well, soon). The albergue (yes! An auberge! But there are only two of us in it) folks are so sweet. The dad got me change for the washer. The daughter is in med school in Santiago. Could not be more charming.

Speaking of characters, I've walked with a few recently. Saturday I ran into an Italian -- Marco from Rome. We walked together for a bit, but then he needed to go faster (I was really gimping at the end), so, as you do, he went on. But later, I ran into him in the albergue. He was wearing his slippers; I was wearing my Crocs. We were both shuffling around, stiff and barely able to move. "We look like we are in a hospital!" he announced.

The next day I walked about half the stage with him. He was really amusing, holding forth on American and Italian politics and life in general. "Remember this one thing," he said out of the blue. "Life has more fantasy than we can ever imagine!"

Then he told me a hilarious story about a time he was in New York for work. "What is it with Americans and their business cards?" he said. (Obviously, he's never spent any time in Slovakia -- the Slovaks love their visit cards.) "I want to talk to people! I say 'Who are you?' and they all pull out a little card and say 'This is me.' I don't get it!"

Apparently, he printed out his particulars on an A4 piece of paper (8.5 x 11, for the Americans), and the next time some guy pulled out a business card, Marco produced HIS business card. "I told him, 'Mine is bigger!' He wasn't happy."

Today I walked most of the day with an Austrian carpenter named Bastian. Bastian has already walked to Santiago. He was on the bus heading back to Linz when he decided he wasn't done. So in Ponferrada, he got off the bus and is now walking back to Santiago again. When you are 21, you can do this.

Now my laundry is done and my hair is mostly dry, so it's time to look for a glass of wine. I'm counting down the days until I arrive in Santiago, but I'm equally excited to see my darling Home Team on Saturday.

As always, thank you to everyone for all your lovely words of support. It means more than you know.


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Location:Portomarín, Spain