Asturias vs. Galicia

In this photo, you see an obelisk and a yellow arrow. This is what I´ve been following for the past 280 km. I hope there´s a really big piece of cheese at the end. And a glass of vino tinto? A few words about the markings along the Camino. First, you´ll notice a number, which on this particular marker appears to be 123.810. That is the precise number of kilometers and meters separating this particular point in space from the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. The exact number of meters. That´s pretty specific, right? Yes, to be sure, but not as specific as it could be. Why not centimeters or even millimeters? In the age of GPS, I´m not sure that meters is good enough anymore. A square meter is a relatively large area when compared to the size of... the speed of light. (If you think about that for long enough, maybe it will mean something.) The point I´m trying to make is this: how disheartening, how gut-wrenchingly tragic would it be to walk over 300 km only to get lost in the final meter?

The second thing about the obelisks is actually crazy. The one pictured in the photograph is "un muñon gallego" (that means it´s in the province of Galicia). You may have already wondered why the redundancy of the obelisk and the arrow. Well, in Asturias, the interpretation of the shells is exactly the opposite, which is to say that if the above monument were in Asturias, I would go left. But because it´s in Galicia, I go right. Please, please, help me to understand this system. I have two theories, and I´m not crazy about either of them. The first attributes the difference to a long-standing rivalry between Asturias and Galicia. Perhaps they are like feuding siblings, and the one - not wanting to be accused of copying the other´s system - did exactly the opposite of what the first did. My other theory is that the confusion this causes is intentional and great for the economy. Lost pilgrims spend more time in Spain and furthermore need to buy more maps, more nights in hostels, and probably more rides from the previoulsy mentioned Don Miguel. Yes, it´s a bit of a conspiracy theory, and, if you have a better one, I´d love to hear it.

Finally, if my last entry piqued your interest in the history and legend of Santiago, you should definitely check out the "comentarios" page. There you will find some very interesting and well-reserched additions to the story. It gets even better! (Especially if you enjoy irony.) I am now in Melide - 54 km from Santiago de Compostela - so if all goes well, this leg of my journey should reach its end soon.