Camino Day 36: Sarria to Portomarin

Day: May 6th, 2022

Time: 6 hours (9:00m to 3:00pm)

Distance: 22.4 km/13.9 miles

If you read my last Camino post (Day 35, my birthday), you know I was about to wake up with a killer hangover. (Worth it!) Nuno and I left the others at the Airbnb at 9:00am, and we walked through throngs of clean, chirpy pilgrims (ugh) who were starting their journey here in Sarria. Sarria is a popular starting point because it’s the closest distance to Santiago where you can still recieve a certificate- 3 days, 114km.

Putting on a backpack and walking for 6 hours is the last thing a hungover body wants to do, but the fresh air and movement revived me a bit, the vibrant green trees working their magic on the cloudiness in my head.

Nuno and I pushed on. I was motivated by the fact that I had an interview at 5:00pm for a job I had applied to a couple months prior.

At our first stop, when I sat down with multiple beverages and food items, Nuno looked at me, eyes wide, and said, “Is that all for you?” The hunger was real, and the refueling was necessary.

We began looking at counting down the kilometers, walking and watching the posts go from 108, 107, 106… we were excited to reach 100km.

Nuno and I arrived at the 100km point in the afternoon, and we felt like it was a big milestone. We started the journey with more than 800km to go, and now we had only 100km left.

Yes, we had celebratory vermouth from a plastic cup while judging people. We watched pilgrims walk by, and we knew whether they had just started in Sarria or back in Saint Jean. The folks who had just started walked right past the 100km post, looking way too fresh and uninjured. The folks who started in Saint Jean stopped to celebrate for a moment, realizing the end was finally in sight.

I took off after the 100km mark- listening to music, speeding past cows, and getting teary about having only 3 more walking days.

I stopped for a late lunch and ate a juicy burger… The junxtapose of the next 2 pictures is not lost on me. At least I know it’s fresh!

I cruised across a nauseatingly high bridge and into Portomarin with 2 hours to shower and prep for my interview.

I stumbled through my interview, and then Chris and I had a chill pizza dinner. When my head hit the pillow, I fell into a much needed deep and rejuvenating sleep.

P.S. I did not get the job.
Pro tip: Don’t do an interview hungover after an epic birthday celebration when your brain can’t manage to string sentences together…. how’s that for potent Camino wisdom 😉