Yesterday and today I focused on getting to Santiago as fast as possible. I left early both days, stuck to tarmac and made few stops for video and photos. As a result I covered the 180km in 2 days. I have now made it to Santiago and the end of my epic journey. Thanks to everyone who has supported me, but especially Gina and Vicki. Here are a few notes on the last couple of days.
As I was storming my way across Galicia I noticed some thing that reminded me of Britain; here they make walls to mark out field boundaries or tracks using large but think slabs of stone. Here is an example where the remains of an old droving track is made using them;
One thing you don’t see in Britain (or anywhere else in Spain as far as I saw) is these very ornate cemeteries:
After 2 days fast travel on tarmac I finally arrived in Santiago (see the video diary for live action!). The center is St James (Sant Iago) Cathedral. It”s pretty imposing on the outside:
And the alter properly reflects the humility and poverty that marked out Christ’s life:
I bet there’s a relic in there somewhere.
Santiago is a big tourist draw with hundreds of pilgrims arriving each day, and the streets are filled with musical and other performers. I came across this chap playing the bagpipes (I think a traditional instrument all over the Celtic world) and surely his dog deserves an award for the most long-suffering animal in all of Christendom.
And finally, my trusty bike with Vicki’s panniers. It’s drive train is knackered and its tyres almost bald. But it has done well.
You can see my final video diary on YouTube.
Note that because I had to take a short-cut to Santiago, my route shown on the GPX file is the official Santiago route, which should be more interesting. I spoke to some chap who did it and he said it’s good but hard – it took him 10 hours to do the 2nd part, from Baamonde to Santiago. There are some carry-ups.
Farewell all.
My Epic Journey 