The Spain´s Parador line of hotels is a state-run chain that takes historical buildings, and converts them into five-star stays in the most luxurious parts of the city.  The Parador in Santiago is only a stone´s throw away from the cathedral and after walking for a total of 32 days, one night´s stay almost makes up for sleeping in a room with a dozen snoring hikers for that long.  Also needless to say, I was happy to stay in my hotel room and watch the Spain-France match.  The added bonus of sleeping in a place which was built and dedicated in the 1490´s by Ferdinand and Isabella was the stone walls muffled my shouts at the TV when Puyol unfairly received the yellow card which led to Spain´s defeat.

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