Enjoying God's Goodness: Sunday Rest Day

Great to sleep in this morning. Was a bit chilly in the room when we finally got up. Heavy fog settled in until about 2:00 this afternoon. Now it is sunny and warm. We went to a modern cafe for breakfast this morning and stayed to catch up with email and post yesterday's blog. Nice little place...great pastries!

Rested for a while and then walked down to the river walk along Rio Sarria for lunch around 1:30. Ended up having omlettes. Then we followed the Camino through town to see the sights. We had turned off the Camino yesterday to get to our Pension. It turned into a beautiful day...lots of locals out walking. Saw the Church of Santa Marina and the church of El Salvador. Neither was open so we couldn't stop and meditate or pray along the way. Also discovered a small chapel dedicated to the lepers which dated back to the 1400's. There isn't much left of the old castle on town, but we did find where the locals eat on Sunday!!! At the local market place which sells fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses, and all kinds of leather goods, shoes, sports clothing.... All along the outer wall there were tents with dozens of people eating. We saw one sign with a menu that had squid fixed about 5 different ways. Seemed like one big ongoing party to me. There was also a large building where they must have animal auctions....lots of stalls and smells. Just a few cattle left when we got there.

We walked on to see the beautiful old ancient Convent called Monsterio da Madalina which overlooks the River Celiero at the other end of town. We found the back way to the Camino path that avoids the long uphill climb through town, so we will know where we are going in the morning.

Sarria has Celtic roots and was a major medieval center for pilgrims...churches, chapels, monasteries, and places for pilgrims to stay. Even today there are lots and lots of places to stay in town.

Sarria has become a major starting place for pilgrims with limited time, but wanting to earn their Compostela at Santiago. Starting from here will give them the 100 km to the Cathedral required. You must have your passport stamped each night where you stay to prove you went the whole way. In this last 100 km you also must get al least one other stamp at a church, museum, or cafe to prove you walked and did not bus from one place to the next. We were reminded to be aware that the new pilgrims may be unsure of what to do and may be nervous starting out. They asked us to watch our attitude (feeling superior) and to be kind and helpful. "A loving pilgrim welcomes all they meet along the path without judgement."