I, alas, am such a spoilsport, but it must be said. This seems to be a very good day to avoid arriving in Santiago. Some of my most stressful times in Santiago have fallen on days of celebrations. Feria del Ganado in May is quite colorful and happy, people in traditional dress, street concerts of traditional ensembles each with at least one Gaita galega (Galician bagpipes) and drums, dancers in the squares, the orchestra appears on Rua Villar all very lovely, the students of Santiago University also mark the week with processions and happenings, restaurants offering Galician menus– however – the throng of tourists packed into the Cathedral, busloads of schoolchildren, chartered tours, come rushing in at noon with their cameras flashing, cellphones cocked and relating the experience to those afar, all herded about by irate priests do not make for a peaceful and introspective Pilgrims mass-should you even manage to squeeze in. July 25th? Can be a very similar experience depending on the weather. Several hundred cyclists, bright team uniforms, helmets flashing, shoes click-clacking, bicycles all over the place can be exciting, colorful, and joyous should one be a cyclist, part of the team, or family – perhaps an interesting backdrop for a picture to remember your pilgrimage by but there are also several other options. Consider well.
