Zombie apocalypse fog, portable speakers, overwhelmed dogs, and a shower that felt like pure therapy. Day 29 – the Sarria effect is real.
📊 Stage Quick Facts:
- Distance: ~25 km
- Time: ~8 hours
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Terrain: Rolling Galician hills, forest trails, and small rural roads.
The Zombie Apocalypse in the Mist
The morning in Portomarín greeted me with super thick fog. After a slow breakfast, I left town around 9:00 AM, and honestly? Wow. The sheer amount of pilgrims on the trail was absolutely overwhelming! I can only imagine and hope that the main crowd had left even earlier.
Walking through that dense, foggy weather with hundreds of people moving in one direction gave me a bit of a “zombie apocalypse” vibe. I saw pilgrims with dogs, and even dogs were quietly overwhelmed by the amount of people.
If you’re looking to enjoy peace, nature, and solitude, you might have to shift your expectations- the Sarria stories are real. There were big groups of kids with unlimited energy, teenagers carrying portable speakers and playing music at full volume, and many other characters who are starting their Camino journey from Sarria. It’s a completely different energy compared to the quiet mountain paths we left behind.
But Galicia, as always, had the last word. Even through the fog and the crowd, the forests here are something else entirely — ancient, moss-covered, dripping with green. The kind of forests that make you feel like you’ve accidentally walked into a fairy tale. No amount of portable speakers can ruin that.
Another major heartbreak was the change in the food scene. As the crowds grew, I found it increasingly difficult to find genuine local spots; most of the places along the way felt a bit too faceless and commercialized to capture that authentic, rustic Galician charm I had grown to love.
Breaking Through to the Blue Sky
Thankfully, the weather began to improve throughout the day, and by noon, the clouds parted to reveal the beautiful blue Galician sky. The walking itself was still lovely, despite the hustle, as the rolling hills and green forests never truly lose their magic.
My destination for today was Palas de Rei, which I reached around 17:00. By the time I arrived, I was completely drained- not just from the distance, but from the sheer sensory overload of the crowded trail. After a light dinner and a hot, boiling shower that felt like pure therapy for my tired muscles, I dropped dead on the bed and didn’t wake up until the next morning.
Next stop: Arzua – and Santiago was now just two days away.
Leave a Reply