We arrived in Sobraro before we could check in so we stopped for a coffee. As we walked in, we were pleased to see Sylvia and Eugenio. They were just finishing their coffees It was nice to see them as we didn’t think we would run into them again on the trip. They were not staying at the monastery but we’re going another 8 kilometers. The Monasterio de Santa Maria de Sobrado was founded in 951 and was handed over to the Cistercian monks in 1142. In 1954, the Cistercian (Trappist) monks began reconsruction. The monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hostel is located in the cloister. It is very clean and organized and also very cool to stay in the monastery (also literally cool). It has a huge kitchen and we prepared pasta and salad for dinner. We met abril from Ukraine and a guy from Barcelona. They met on the Camino 3 weeks ago and have walked together every day and shared a bottle of wine each night. Romance on the Camino ;). At 7:00 pm we attended vespers service at the chapel.
Our destination the next day was Arzua. It was a long 24k walk in the rain. I walked most of the day with a 78 and 76 year old couple from France. They walk on Camino every year for at least 6 weeks. They firmly believe that walking has helped them stay healthy. We were happy to arrive at the Albergue San Francisco and dry off. It was a little jarring as Arzua is the place where the Camino Frances, the Camino Norte and the Camino Primitivo all join together. Many pilgrims begin their walk at the 100k mark which is the minimum needed together a compestella showing you have completed a Camino. For much of the last couple weeks we saw pilgrims on the trail only intermittently. On some days we only saw 8 or 10 the whole day. We saw more in the evenings at the albergues. Now there was a steady stream of pilgrims walking into Azure. It will be a different experience for the next couple days with all the extra pilgrims walking. We now have only 38.5 left to reach Santiago.
Iglesia de Santiago de Boimorto
