Thoughts from my Camino Frances Journey- Day 24
Date: May 3, 2025 Saturday
Where did I begin today?
Sarria (Albergue Don Álvaro)
Where will I stay this evening?
Sarria (Albergue HR)
How far have I come?
0km; no walking today :(
Got a picture without my poncho
View over Sarria
Since I’m not walking anywhere today, I took my time leaving the Albergue and asked them if I could store my backpack until 2pm when my next check-in was. I walked part of the Camino through town to see the old bridge, church, monastery, etc. The downside of arriving one day ahead of schedule: I honestly felt bored and missed my routine of walking. I felt like I had already seen most of Sarria yesterday and was trying to come up with things to keep me occupied.
Monasterio de la Magdalena
Definitely an influx of pilgrims after Sarria, I miss walking already
Convento de la Merced
The medieval bridge Ponte Áspera
At 9:45am, I got breakfast (egg, tomato, spinach, and avocado on toast and chocolate tea) at Eco Espazo Vitriol, then went looking for Camino themed souvenirs at some of the local shops. Since Sarria is a major starting point for pilgrims walking the last 100kms it felt a bit like Saint Jean Pied de Port in some ways. At 12pm I returned to the upstairs of Vitriol for a 30min leg massage. She used citrus oil which smelled amazing and my legs felt rejuvenated afterwards (although my left knee was still a bit delicate). In the afternoon I did more shopping, took shelter from the rain, then finally retrieved my backpack and went to Albergue HR at 2pm.
Nice vegetarian restaurant with lots of tea options
Choosing souvenirs
Passed a random flea/furniture market
I sat outside for 20mins waiting for someone to open the door, another pilgrim was also waiting. An older teenager arrived to unlock the door and check us in, when I told him my name from the private room booking, he said something about needing to wait for his dad to arrive. Finally, the dad came and brought me by car to a different location on the opposite side of town! An apartment building with a windowless bedroom and multiple keys for the building door, apartment door, room door, and bathroom door. I considered leaving and trying to get a refund since this wasn’t as advertised on the app I booked it through. However, I was starting to feel a bit unwell and wasn’t sure walking all the way back to the town center in the rain was a good idea.
Tiny church I passed earlier that day
Capela de San Lázaro
It felt sketchy but not unsafe since I appeared to be the only occupant and I could lock all the doors (I still jammed the doorhandle like I do with any hotel room as a solo female traveler). Ultimately, I stayed, but I definitely wasn’t happy and cried a bit. I got ahold of the owner on WhatsApp and convinced him to drive me to the train station first thing tomorrow morning. I said it was the least he could do since this was much further away then I planned and played up my knee injury too. He agreed to come get me at 9am.
When I went to dinner, I had to take a picture to remember which nondescript building was mine
All the doors looked the same inside too
I decided to listen to an audiobook I was planning to read on the train tomorrow to take my mind off things. I got dinner at ORest just on the corner of the street, then went back to the room and read some more. I also messaged my hotel in Madrid asking for the best way to get there from the train station. They were super helpful and told me which city line stop I should get off at. I could tell at this point that I was definitely running a low fever so went to bed early. I think that once I stopped walking, my body decided to fully quit and get sick, typical. I got hot flashes and chills all night and slept terribly. Overall, a depressing final day in Sarria and I’m sad to be leaving the Camino on such a low note.
The 1 bright spot of an otherwise dismal evening
