Day 35: Samos - Barbadello (5/5/14)

With the walk today, 

I was now entering both the Province of Galicia 

and the last stage of the Camino before Santiago.

In order to qualify for a Compostela -

a document issued by the Cathedral in Santiago  

which verifies that the holder has faithfully completed the Camino -

a pilgrim, traveling on foot, has to only walk the last 100K.

Sarria is generally the town from which these last stage pilgrims begin.

We immediately noticed a whole different crop of walkers -
with behavior and attitudes that were hard not to hate.

They were, by and large, perky and energetic;
they walked in packs and didn't seem capable of going more than 5 feet
without squealing with laughter.
They had matching outfits and most even had jewelry and make-up.
OMG, some of them even had hairdryers.
They could have all these luxuries because they weren't carrying backpacks;
they were sending then ahead
to the next town where they intended to stop for the night -
in an albergue where they'd made reservations.
They carried little daypacks and simply 'went walking".
True, they were struggling with blisters and all the aches and pains
of the first few days
and I had no idea of what was in their hearts...
but they were nothing like the pilgrims
who had been on the path for over a month!

The whole tone of the Camino had changed -
and, as all the long term pilgrims agreed,
it wasn't for the better.