September 25, 2018
- Route: Filloval to Ferreiros
- Distance: 35.3 kilometers (21.89 miles)
If I take anything away from this Camino, I want it to be these past three days! Today was a hat-trick day. (For those of you who don’t follow sports – a ‘hat trick’ generally refers to scoring three consecutive times). And, for me, these past three days have been truly exceptional ones.
Two days ago, I took the mountain alternate out of Villafranca de Bierzo and wound up spending the night up in a tiny, peaceful village with a Belgian couple and no other pilgrims in sight. We ate and laughed, and had a splendid time together.
Yesterday, I returned to the mountains, climbing to the unique town of O Cebriero. I had the fortune of running into Tomas again and experiencing a new level of gratitude for my good health, before finishing the day with the absolute best meal I’ve eaten in the weeks.
And today, I took a pre-planned detour to visit the Samos monastery with its magnificent murals and ornate architecture. I was simply blown away by its beauty and serenity. It left me asking, does it get any better than this?
But first, no pooping…
Before I begin talking about the Samos monastery though, I need to recount something that had me cracking up on the side of the road. My early morning route took me through the tiny town of Lastres, Spain. Under normal circumstances, I probably wouldn’t have thought anything of the town. It only consists of a smattering of small houses, and you can walk through it in a less than four minutes.
Yet, this town will continue to remain in my mind because of its unusual signs. Apparently, the villagers have a bone to pick with some of the pilgrims who walk through their community.
This tiny hamlet has no restaurants, thus there are no public bathrooms available. And when you’re out walking in the countryside with no access to such facilities, you might need to quickly find somewhere to answer nature’s call.
Apparently not everyone is so discreet in this pursuit. Or perhaps some pilgrims come from countries that don’t fully embrace the 7 Leave No Trace principles. And so, the villagers felt they had to post a few reminders.
I won’t lie, all this seemed pretty funny to me. It’s like that feud between neighbors when one person has a dog that continues to relieve himself in the other person’s yard.
Yet, does their message really require THIS level of graphic detail? And, frankly, I worry about the person in the sign. His arms make it look like he’s ready to lose balance. Plus, I’m not sure his right foot is going to come out the situation completely clean.
Samos Monastery
After that amusing interlude, I continued to walk toward the town of Samos in high spirits. Samos isn’t actually on the Camino, but it’s one of those detours that every guidebook about the Camino Frances endorses because of the beautiful monastery located there. Not wanting to miss anything, I followed the recommendation and arrived shortly after 9 am.
The Benedictine monastery in Samos was founded in the 6th century as a school of philosophy and theology, and there are still monks actively using it. It’s been renovated several times after wars, plundering, and several destructive fires.
The building is remarkable with a beautiful neoclassical facade, enclosed gardens, and amazing murals. I was able to take a tour, and although it was completely in Spanish, I was able to understand about 80% of the discussion. Rather than waxing on about everything I loved, I’d rather show some of my favorite images.
All told, the tour of the monastery was completely worth walking the additional kilometers to Samos. It easy to see why so many pilgrims and guides strongly recommend this short detour.
Sarria
The rest of my day flew by after my visit to Samos. I rejoined the main Camino route again near the town of Aguiada, and from there is was only another eight kilometers to the town of Sarria.
Sarria is well known because it’s only 125 kilometers from Santiago. Pilgrims are only required to walk 100 kilometers to earn their compestela (the certificate for completing a religious pilgrimage). As a result, Sarria has become a major starting point for those hoping to complete a short camino, as well as pilgrims who have to jump ahead from a longer route because they are running out of time.
This is also where the Camino tends to feel much more congested. Yet, it also brings an increase of cafes and albergues to accommodate the increase of people walking the Camino. In fact, Sarria is believed to hold the record for the most albergues in one town.
The city of Sarria is also where most pilgrims start to become more diligent about ensuring they are getting their credential stamped. In determining whether someone has completed a sufficient distance on the Camino Frances to earn a completion certificate, the Pilgrim’s Office scans the pilgrim’s credential for stamps between Sarria and Santiago de Compestela. Consequently, most pilgrims aim to get at least two stamps each day to document the final 100 kilometers of their journey.
I opted to pass through Sarria quickly, knowing that it would be the launching point for so many new pilgrims. After nearly three weeks on the Camino, I still enjoy ending my days in the smaller towns that are off the beaten path. And that’s how I ended up spending the night in Ferreiros, directly adjacent to the 100 kilometer marker this evening.
