Author: Thom

This is probably one of the most iconic photos I took on our first Camino. It’s about two in the afternoon. We made it to the top of the stairs in Sarria. We stopped in the little café there for a late lunch. And Francine, still suffering from fatigue and sleep deprivation thanks to Mad Mike from Manchester, just sort […]

After navigating through the outskirts of the city,we come at last to the iconic steps that lead up into the older portion of Sarria. They may not seem like much, but after walking all morning, they’re not the best sight. Eamon tackles them first. Francine is seriously lagging by this point, as the lack of sleep is catching up to […]

We’ve reached the outskirts of Vigo de Sarria, the last village – suburb, really – before we get to Sarria, our intended lunching stop. Perhaps to make up for the recent sticking-out-of-the-tongue, Francine makes a smoochie face for the camera. In the photo, you can just see Eamon on the far left walking down the trail. We’re about a kilometer […]

Here, Francine sticks out her tongue at me. I’m probably being impossibly positive and chirpy, and she’s having a terrible day. She didn’t get very much sleep at all, thanks to Mad Mike from Manchester, so she’s tired and grumpy, and now it’s raining. Again. It’s hard to tell here, but she’s at her absolute limit, on what would otherwise […]

As I mentioned a few days ago, there are a maze of paths and roads from Samos to Sarria, many with Camino signs and markings, and we weren’t entirely sure which route we were on. This sign, which in theory gives us the name of the village and the distance to Santiago, is actually no help whatsoever. I defy you […]

These carts, called carro, are ubiquitous in the rural areas of Galicia. Generally horse-drawn, they were once the mainstay of rural life, transporting hay and harvest. Nowadays, they’ve been retired in favour of motor vehicles, but you will still see them in yards and fields, often put to creative re-uses. Supplemental Map! Date: 27 April 2013Place: between Samos and Sarria […]

My apologies! I’ve been having some computer trouble the past week, and I’ve been unable to post until today. This roadside shrine is located somewhere about two walking hours from Samos. It is representative of a number of similar shrines found along the Camino, many of which date back to the medieval era. I believe this to be a representation […]

There’s a lot going on in this photo, from the semi-wild stream and woods, to the farmed trees in the background. I’m not entirely sure which path it is that we’re taking from Samos to Sarria, but it sure is beautiful. For the record, I think we actually crossed this stream at a bridge slightly after this photo was taken. […]

Despite the rather simplistic map we’ve been using throughout this project, there are actually a maze of paths and roads from Samos to Sarria. (I’ve added a supplementary map, below.) We elected to not walk the version along the highway the entire route. Which route we actually took, though, is a matter up for some debate. We passed waterfalls and […]