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The Route of the Camellia

World Gardens
A path of scallop shells leads through a mystical garden, drawing the visitor in on a journey symbolic of that taken by the pilgrims on the camellia-lined route to Santiago de Compostela.

The landscape is mist-drenched and blanketed with moss. As the pilgrim wanders through the wild and romantic garden, he nears the shrine to the Virgin Mary. Here the ground is strewn with crushed pink shells of St James of Santiago de Compostela, symbolising the long-gone carpets of camellia petals, which represent the magic of this tantalisingly undiscovered corner of Spain.

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