Under the Milky Way 24: From Villafranco del Bierzo to Sarria --

June 21, Wednesday, Day 24, take a bus from Villafranca del Bierzo to Sarria: 68 km.

Before my final destination, I scheduled another rest/bus day, thus fast forward for 2-3-days’ worth of hiking. Many resources mentioned that the closer the walkers got towards the final destination, the more villages there were along the Way, and that the villages would be closer to each other. Right before L and I departed, we saw a motor-cade getting ready to file out – quite a scene to see!  

I met quite a few Korean hikers – of a wide age-range. Many restaurants/diners/cafes along the path also prepared menus in Korean. One could also often see albergue flyers, ads, and guest books printed/written in Korean. I heard from some fellow hikers that, as early as 2019, in South Korea, there was a very popular Korean TV drama/series by the name of Korean Hostel in Spain, which had broadly increased the awareness of the Camino Frances. Many from that country, especially the young people, became motivated to walk the Camino Frances. Through L’s introduction, I learned that the chosen site for the TV series was this very town (of Bierzo)! Since we had planned to ride a bus this morning, L and I were not in a hurry to get to the road. Thus we wandered around town, got to see more of the city that we otherwise wouldn’t have seen. Our first destination was the Korean drama filming location -- Albergue San Nicolas el Real Hostel. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Hostel_in_Spain)

I walked in and took a quick peek – bright and spacious interior, with the tone of some history. When we visited, all the guests had already left for the day. The cleaning crew were busy preparing for the new wave of pilgrims in the afternoon. 

It was still quite early in the morning. Most businesses were not open yet. I was a tourist today, in no rush. L and I walked to the bus station right outside of a hostel/bar (La Charola Hostal). I were to ride the bus to Lugo, eat something quickly in Lugo, then hop on another bus to Sarria. I stayed in a room for five, with two vacant beds. There were only the three of us! Yay, what a luxury!  

The town/city of Sarria had a population of 13,316 in 2021, with the size of 72 square km. Some online info stated that, in northwestern part of Spain, in the region of Galicia, Sarria had the highest population density. If a pilgrim wants to obtain a compostela/certificate of completion of the Camino Frances, the least amount of walk he/she must do is to start from Sarria, and walk to the final destination of Santiago de Compostela, approximately115 km. 
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarria)

What an honor to have dinner with L again! We heard  from many sources that, once in Sarria in the region of Galicia, we must try the very famous and popular local specialty – Octopus. That was one of the first dishes we tried in town. The one we ordered – the smell was so terrible and strong that we both had to hold our breath, squeeze our nose, then taste it! I wondered if we walked into the wrong restaurant, or our expectations and taste buds totally disagreed with what the majority recommended.  

In town, there was no lack of thirteenth-century architectural designs and early gothic styles. The history and civilization revealed as one strolled along the streets and alleys.

By the time we returned to our albergue after hours of wandering about in town, the hostess, wearing a black cross bag, held a large wine bottle in her hand, and offered us all her homemade vodka. The wine she poured for us had the strength of liquor, but bore the aroma of fruits (pear?), and was delightfully sweet. L and I, either was a serious drinker, joined the fun! With Vodka as an icebreaker, we all had a great time, chatting and laughing in that cozy little room in front of an active fireplace!  

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