Portomarin. Not quite what I expected - a holiday resort!
A walk round the old walls of Lugo while waiting for the next bus to Leon
Portomarin. Foot doctors at work (and below)
above and below. Dawn on the way to Sarria
Portomarin. A few of the pilgrims setting off this morning
Have arrived back in Leon and will do walk from here to Astorga which I missed out. Its a long sad tale that forced me into backtracking but as you might deduce from the pictures in Portomarin (70km from Compostela), it was full to bursting. I had already decided that Sarria was not going to be a good place to stop so I carried on hoping for something better. Exhausted, I found that Portomarin was full to bursting point with literally coachloads heading off along the way. Of course, no where to sleep so I so had to sleep in a small grassy area behind a chapel. I felt sure this situation wasn't going to improve and successive nights bivying behind holy places was not very appealing, to say the least. The only other option would have been cheap hotels which are at least 6 times the cost of the albergues. Went through Lugo on the way back which is one those important cathedral towns with a long city wall to walk around. Hopefully now I can wile away several days before I get to Astorga and then get a bus to Compostela, to be there on the 16th August. This is the crux of the matter, I have a flight home on the 20th and I cant spend too much time in Compostela because the cost would be astronomical. But still, feeling good now because I found a bed in Leon, and had my first shower for 2 days. Must find somewhere to eat now. Ola
