Sarria ride from the airport and check in

Please be aware that I am writing this on my iPhone and any spelling errors are as a result of the platform being used not necessarily of the operator.

So we found our driver and made our way to Sarria. We had a great driver and I sat in the front seat; she assumed that I was completely fluent in Spanish. We actually had a great conversation and she had some great stories. Her name was Gruc and she was very into the Camino having completed two of the stages as well doing research about it. That was one of the reasons she always does the Airport pick up.

We talked about the plants and trees that are native to the area and I managed to get most of what she was saying.   For example there are oak, pine, hazelnut, chestnut, orange, lemon and eucalyptus trees. There are a plethora of hydrangea plants everywhere and they are huge.  There is a tradition in southern Spain to have them as part of a wedding bouquet but in Galicia it is considered bad luck.  As she drove, she pointed out where the paths for the Camino approached the road and even crossed it.

She told me the story of St Andres of Texieras.  Many Gallegos believe that the spirits of the lost inhabited Galicia and that they eventually end up in St Andres where they remain as lost souls or they inhabit small animals and insects.  That is why in St Andres it is illegal to hurt any small animals such as ants, other indects and mice and rats.

As we approached Portomarin, she pointed out some ruins under the bridge. She explained that the area would flood on a regular basis and so the government encouraged the people to move further up the hill.  They went so far as to move the church of St Nicholas to the top of the hill.   To move it the marked each and every stone so that it could be put back exactly where it belong.   To get the more reticent people to move, the government released some of the water from a nearby dam; eventually everyone moved to higher ground.

Carleana noticed the pilgrim's shell hanging from her rearview mirror.   Gruc explain that in 2010 her youngest daughter's principal contacted her about helping to set up a short Camino for the school--her daughter was eight by the way (and Gruc has 5 children).   2010 was a holy year and she helped to set up a couple of different caminos: the 8 to 10 year olds walked a 5 - 6 km stage and even the 4 year olds walked 3 km.   Afterwards the whole school walked the last 3 km to the Cathedrale de Santiago.

We got to the hotel and checked in.  We got settled in the room and organized our stuff.   Then we went for a walk looking for the Pilgrim's store that Gruc had pointed out to us. We found it and a grocery store where we grabbed some cold cuts, cheese, bread and few other supplies for a picnic on our room.  By 10 pm I was done and sound asleep until 3 am when the noise from the downstairs wedding woke me up (we had left the window open).   I closed the windows and fell back asleep.