Camino Day Thirty-Three- Rest Day in Sarria
Our day off began early at 2 am watching the Mariners in Game 5 of the ALDS series. John figured out how to get and use a VPN and we got to stream the game. It was great! Except that is was 15 innings long! When the game was over at 7 am we rested a little while and then got up to have our quiet day of sightseeing in Sarria.
We meandered through the town looking at churches and the cemetery near the Monastery on the top of the hill. The Monastery’s cloister is being restored so it wasn’t open but a note on the door said to pull the rope by the doors and someone would answer and stamp our credential books. A nice man did just that.
The weather was perfect again and we made our way down to a small chapel called Capilla de San Lazaro. This chapel, in the medieval days of the Camino was established to care for lepers and other sick people who sought healing and comfort. It is believed the original could date from the 13th century bearing testimony to the deep tradition of hospitality and care that characterizes the Camino de Santiago.
We love to walk through antique shops and a friend had recommended a very interesting one that we were able to find open! With Chris’s limited Spanish, we were able to use the translate app with the lady there and had a good look around. We bought a bell with Saint James on top- not sure that it’s an antique, but it will be good added to Chris’s bell collection.
John had organized a lovely 3:30 dinner at a very beautiful restaurant. The Spanish meal times are very difficult for us. Many of the restaurants are only open from 12:00 noon to 3:30. The others are open during those times and also reopen from 8:00 to 10:00. The only alternative to this are the bars which serve Tapas throughout the early evening. We knew the late opening time wasn’t going to work for us so we set up a few reservations for the 3:30 time. We have loved the early mealtime and often that is our last meal of the day.
After dinner we made it to the Pilgrim’s Mass at the Iglesia de Santa Marina on top of the hill. When mass was over the priest invited us into the sacristy where he stamped our credential books.
As we walked back to the hotel we couldn’t help but notice all the new pilgrims wandering around. Pilgrims can start in Sarria which is 100 kilometers from Sanitiago and as long as they walk those kilometers and get at least two stamps a day, they can qualify for the Compostela Certificate. It will be interesting to see how many new people join us in the morning.
