Yesterday we got wet. It had to happen I guess having enjoyed unseasonably warm and bright weather;1 we were heading to Santiago, the city of rain. It rained from the moment we started out at about 0930 to when we arrived at the Cathedral at around 4.00 pm. It was 19 km to the city but we hadn't allowed for the extra long walk to the reach St James' rest place. We walked 22 kms; we arrived wet and weary but uplifted by our sense of achievement - and the thought of a hot shower, dry clothes and a beer.
Santiago is old and new, a mix of grey historic, catholic buildings and narrow, stone streets in the old city surrounded by white dwellings with orange roofs further out then industrial sites and modern arterial roads. The cathedral might have looked better in the sunshine but, somehow, the somber, misty dampness was appropriate both to our mood and our surrounds. We would recover quickly as we did each day after washing, resting, eating and drinking.
Some peregrinos had walked much further than us to reach the cathedral - some 750 to our 115 km but whatever their reason or ours we were all pilgrims together at the end we had satisfied our own personal aims.
So we made it and we were happy.
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