6/10/10
Today was the least eventful day so far, as we spent over 11 hours on a train between Barcelona and Sarria, our departure point for the Camino. A few people in the group started the day with an early morning Starbucks run, which, like the trip to Burger King, really helped us get a feel for the local food scene. We got to the train station around 8:30 to catch our 9:00 train to Sarria, and like yesterday, it was raining.
On the train we nearly filled up a car (except for a few unlucky Spanish people who had to sit in with us and our noise), and for the next 11 hours we found time to deepen relationships with people people through card games, conversations, and trying to translate the Spanish version of “It's Complicated.” Though the train was boring at times, it was a great way to bridge the gap between the sightseeing of Barcelona and the actual walking pilgrimage we start tomorrow. Passing through the Spanish countryside, we saw the varied landscape of Spain – the sights of mountains, valleys (with lots of windmills), forests, and rivers excited us as it gave us a glimpse of our upcoming trek.
We arrived at our hotel in Sarria around 9:00 after a short bus ride from the train station, quickly checking in and eating dinner. Our hotel is really nice – the rooms are spacious and all of us were really happy to find our bathrooms equipped with bidets.
We have an early start tomorrow so we can get on the trail as soon as possible. We're all a little apprehensive about the physical demands of our trip, but the train ride today gave us renewed focus on our goal. As Kathy Roberts emphasized on the train, we are now leaving behind our ties to Atlanta and embarking on something completely new as we make our way to Santiago de Compostela in the community of other pilgrims pushing towards a common goal.
See you soon, Ben & Robert
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