We woke up this morning to heavy rain and really strong winds. Also it was very cold, of course. We were waiting in our albergue to see if it would let up when three Spanish pilgrims came in. All three of them were drenched and said the wind was so strong, coming right at you, at times you could barely walk forward. And we're going to walk the rocky downhill in this?!
So we decided to take a taxi! This was especially good for Sara so she could take a full day off walking to help her leg recover. I took a video of the crazy weather:
Here's the church in Sarria. It's a lot more simple, I've noticed the village churches becoming more simple in this area. It's actually quite nice feeling like you're a member if the small parish rather than another tourist in a giant church.
In Sarria I discovered my USB plug for the itouch wasn't working. Great, with no way to charge it that would mean no more pictures and no more blogging :( Sara joined Emily and I for Mass and then I set out afterwards to see if I could find one, and hopefully not pay 20e for it! Sure enough, Sarria is a big enough town they have a Chinese store! All along the camino I've joked with Emily when we needed something about how we can get it at the Chinese store (where we bought everything in Belize) and now it was true! I found a USB plug and a new pair of flip flops all for 5e!
After Mass and shopping made dinner at the albergue. Originally Emily and I were going to make a little pasta just for us, but after eating lunch with two sisters from California, a mom and daughter from Canada, and a wonderful Soanish woman, we decided to have a sort of pot luck.
The number of people grew, of course, and it turned into quite a delightful evening!
Here's Sarah with the Stephan and Tara, the two sisters from California, enjoying their after-dinner liquor.
It was a wonderful day. The feel of the camino has really changed. We've been eating more meals together, staying up later, and taking more breaks. In the first two weeks I wouldn't have been up till 11 talking and singing by the fire, heck, I was usually in bed by 9 because I was so tired. Now everyone feels better than they did in the beginning and also they want to make the most if it because we only have 6 days left! It really feels like a big extended family. Every time you get to a new village you see some friends you know from before. I'm amazed at how different the end if the camino is compared to the beginning, well, how different we are, the pilgrims. People aren't worried about the small things. We've all learned to be concerned with the important things instead and just like in life, it's the people in our life that are the most important.
Today I'm thankful for the taxi, the awesome dinner, the singing around the fire, and if course, the Mass.
6 days left!!! Actually, we might push it and arrive in Santiago Saturday afternoon instead of Sunday ... Which would mean only 5 days left!!!