Sunday, October 7, 2012

Triacastela to Sarria (Oct 4)

Being in a valley, our room at Triacastela was cold and damp and it was too early in the season for the heating to come on. When we started out nearly 9am the sun had yet to appear above the surrounding mounains, it was freezing cold and the ground around looked frosty.

We climbed out of the valley through a rain forest and then cow pastures. The village of San Xil was not unlike the dung coated Fonfria of the previous day only that the path was steeper, and with a careless slip one would end up covered in cow excrement! Needless to say we were pleased to move on to still higher grounds, once more into forests of oak, chestnut and birch trees.

Birch forest near Triacastela.


The rest of the walk was through similar landscape of forests and pastures, a scenery of beauty except that one had to constantly watch one's feet from stepping on the even ground or cow dung!

Walking towards Sarria we were joined by a Dutch lady we met several times after Cebreiro, over the past couple of days. While chatting as we walked we discoveded we had some common background. She actually went to school in Singapore while her father was working in Java. What's more her father was working in Batu near Malang, a very little known hill resort outside of Dad´s home town of Surabaya in East Java, where we happened to stay in some years ago.

After Triacastela, we were determined to be comfortable at Sarria so we stayed at a 3-star hotel. The hotel had a "3-fork" restaurant, which we eagerly dined in. K had their pork dish in the "menu del diaz", which was always good value, and I had turbot and clams casserole even though I had never heard of the fish before. Quite a change from a diet of jamon and tortillas.

Sarria was a prosperous looking small city. We took a walk through the new part of town and topped up on our shopping needs.


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