Villa de Salas Alojamientos, Salas. Stage: 14.53 miles (23.38km); Total distance: 30.24 miles (48.66km)
Map and Elevation
Elevation Profile by Stage
A very tough day on the road. Anna injured her knee on one of the hills and was in discomfort for half the day. The likely culprit was the sharp descent after leaving Grado – the road was gravel atop broken pavement, making for uncertain footing. For my part, I acquired a blood blister the size of a raisin between two of my toes. My left foot is a bit of a mess but I have a weird set of callouses there anyway.
Only got lost once. As I said before, the path is well-marked until it isn’t.
We are evaluating the best plan for tomorrow. Salas has a pharmacy that caters to peregrinos – surprise, surprise! We purchased a knee brace for my Beloved and a king’s ransom worth of Compeed blister treatments. If she is not feeling up to it tomorrow, she will give her knee a rest and take the bus to meet me in Tineo.
Despite our mishaps, it was a decent day. It was a brutal climb out of Grado followed by an equally nasty drop. Weather was warm, but clear. The route was through the forest more than the previous day so it was a little more scenic. A woodworker’s shop set up a pilgrim’s bench so we were able to watch him at work while resting our feet. We stepped into the Monasterio de San Salvador outside Cornellana for a brief change of pace (and a sello). My focus was worrying about my travel companion’s condition and getting to Salas so it was not a reflective day.
Salas
Salas is a lovely village with a medieval look and feel. A river runs alongside. If every step wasn’t agony, it might be fun to explore. We ended up with a private room in the albergue that, inadvertently, sleeps four so we have room to spread out.
We walked with a different cohort today; curiously most stayed at our hotel the night before. There was an Irish couple that is tackling the Primitivo in stages: they will walk to Pola de Allande and fly home. Sometime later, they will come back to Pola and walk a few more days from there.
The Compostela is the official document of completion of the Camino provided by the Pilgrim’s Office in Santiago. To earn a Compostela, a pilgrim documents their travels through the collection of stamps or “sellos” (literally, “stamp” in Spanish). The minimum distance required for a Compostela is 100km – the last 100km into Santiago. A pilgrim only needs one sello per day of travel except for the last 100km where two sellos per day are required. Sellos are recorded in the pilgrim’s credencial (or passport). Churches, albergues, bars, museums, municipal offices and roadside vendors have opportunities for sellos. My completed credencial is as good a souvenir as my Compostela.
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