July 18 - 19
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143 km So close I can feel it.
I left the mysterious village of Sames early in the morning. Since it wasn't on the usual trail there weren't many other people walking, yet. I decided to take a chance and get off the trail, or I got lost I can't remember. If I did it on purpose it was because it was easier to walk on the highway, and a shorter distance. At any rate I did catch back up with the Camino. |
| Much of the route now was following the highway,
which was uncomfortable because of the noise and danger of cars
nearby. But since Sames was off the regular path it was really the
last good chance to walk through the country.
I think this picture is of a small village shrine, probably to a patron saint. |
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The Camino winds its way over an old bridge. |
| And down a tree lined road. Notice the rock fence on the left. |  |
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Just 100 km left to go! The end is in sight! |
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In a tiny church or large shrine, people put notes up on the altar, and sometimes the walls. They were all in Spanish, and I wasn't able to figure out what they were for. Wishes for blessings I would imagine. |
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Possibly the worst day I
spent. It was a sizable city, and cram-packed with walkers and
tourists. I estimated there were 250-300 people in this place.
Most looked to be local teenagers traveling in groups. The albergue
was long filled, and the only place to stay was in this gym. It was
noisy late into the night. To get the Compestellum, the certificate
of completing the Camino, one only had to walk 100 km. At the
beginning it wasn't crowded, but now there were thousands of people
walking just to get the certificate, and with it, an indulgence from the
Catholic Church. Since this was a Holy Year, the indulgence would be
for the remission of a lifetime of sins.
100km could be done in a long weekend. |
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When I first saw these things, I thought they were shrines since they looked like a little church. I later figured out they were for storing corn. It was kept inside and in the summer it would become dry.
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