Paris to the Pyrenees

Availability:
Ebook in PDF format. Available for immediate download after we receive your order

DRM:
Watermark

Publication Year:
2013

ISBN-13: 9781480419575

<DIV><DIV><B>Part adventure story, part cultural history, this &ldquo;enjoyably offbeat travelogue&rdquo; explores the phenomenon of the spiritual pilgrimage (<I>Booklist</I>).</B></DIV><DIV>&#160;</DIV><DIV>Driven by curiosity, wanderlust, and health crises, David Downie and his wife set out from Paris to walk across France to the Pyrenees. Starting on the Rue Saint-Jacques, then trekking 750 miles south to Roncesvalles, Spain, their eccentric route takes 72 days on Roman roads and pilgrimage paths&mdash;a 1,100-year-old network of trails leading to the sanctuary of Saint James the Greater. It is best known as El Camino de Santiago de Compostela&mdash;&ldquo;The Way&rdquo; for short.</DIV><DIV>&#160;</DIV><DIV>The object of any pilgrimage is an inward journey manifested in a long, reflective walk. For Downie, the inward journey met the outer one: a combination of self-discovery and physical regeneration. More than 200,000 pilgrims take the highly commercialized Spanish route annually, but few cross France. Downie had a goal: to go from Paris to the Pyrenees on age-old trails, making the pilgrimage in his own maverick way.</DIV></DIV>