"wallace.shackleton" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The old road was not marked and two of us ended up on the motorway (I understand that the police
> pounced very quickly) while my friend and I finished the last part on the pilgrims route. Hilly
> though it was that last day I could not have chosen a better way to finish the pilgrimage.
>
> Did any one else find the actual entry into Santiago to be a bit of an anti-climax?
>
> I too got slightly lost for the first time around Santiago airport. The
brilliant signposting all along the route seems to end there. The entry into the city is
disappointing, as you arrive all geared up for some medieval experience, only to find yourself in a
modern city. I actually had to ask the way to the cathedral! The man I asked looked at me as if I
was mad for not knowing. Once I found myself in the Plaza Obradoirio (I know it's spelt wrong) it
all became quite magical. I think the experience was heightened because the night before a dental
abscess that had developed (painfully!) burst. This had caused me to be quite ill, fainting every
time I tried to stand. I was sweating so much that I ended up crawling out of the refugio and lying
on the cold concrete in the rain until I had cooled off sufficiently to be able to stand. I didn't
tell anybody because I was afraid of being prevented from completing my ride the following day.
Although I made very slow progress the next day, I did reach Santiago, several hours after I had
expected to make it. I think you can see why I found reaching my destination so magical! A couple of
days rest in Santiago meant I was fine by the time I flew home. Jo