Paris to the Pyrenees : a skeptic pilgrim walks the way of Saint James / David Downie ; photographs by Alison Harris.
Material type:
TextPublication details: New York : Pegasus Books, 2013.Edition: 1st Pegasus Books edDescription: xviii, 317 p., [32] p. of plates : ill., map ; 24 cmISBN: - 1605984329
- 9781605984322 :
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Main Library | NonFiction | 944.0841 D751 | Available | 33111007087337 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Part adventure story, part cultural history, this "enjoyably offbeat travelogue" explores the phenomenon of the spiritual pilgrimage ( Booklist ).
Driven by curiosity, wanderlust, and health crises, Downie and his wife walk across Paris on the old pilgrimage route Rue Saint-Jacques then trek about 750 miles south to Roncesvalles, Spain. The eccentric route would take 72 days on Roman roads and The Way of Saint James, the 1,100-year-old pilgrimage network leading to the sanctuary of Saint James the Greater in Spain. It is best known as El Camino de Santiago de Compostela - The Way for short. The object of any pilgrimage is an inward journey manifested in a long, reflective walk. For Downie, the inward journey meets the outer one. More than 20,000 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.