Day 17 – Sarria
Song of the Day: Pushin’ On – REO Speedwagon
Read more at: https://angeforsunflowers.com/blog/
Today’s walk was short — just 15 km — but meaningful. I left around 8 a.m., wandered through quiet forests, said good morning to the cows, and allowed my thoughts to drift toward the good things in life:
- I’ve found my hiking legs — walking feels light and natural now.
- There are still exciting walking days ahead.
- New adventures are waiting to be planned once I’m home.
- I had octopus for brunch (because why not?).
- I have friends and family waiting for me with open arms.
But before I can see them, I need to finish what I started. Just over 114 km to go — about five days of walking. That puts me in Santiago next Wednesday if all goes to plan.
Sarria is a significant milestone — not for me, but for many pilgrims who start their journey here to earn the Compostela. And I felt it today. After days of walking mostly alone, there’s been a real uptick in pilgrim traffic.
Along the way, I’ve noticed there are three kinds of hikers:
- Those who get up early and walk reasonably quickly and far.
- Those who push hard for big mileage — 35–40 km a day — and almost treat it like a race.
- And then there are people like me this time — walking 20–25 km a day, taking time to sit, watch the cows, enjoy the scenery, and let the Camino be what it is meant to be.
Sometimes it’s interesting to listen to the “mileage crowd” tell their stories of how far they’ve gone. But I’ve made a deliberate choice to slow down this time, enjoy each day, and not make this journey a race.
Tonight, Sarria comes alive with the DHU Vila de Sarria — an urban downhill bicycle racing event. It’s an unexpected but exciting way to spend the evening, and I’ll hopefully have some videos to share