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    Paris to the Pyrenees: A Skeptic Pilgrim Walks the Way of Saint James
    Unavailable
    Paris to the Pyrenees: A Skeptic Pilgrim Walks the Way of Saint James
    Unavailable
    Paris to the Pyrenees: A Skeptic Pilgrim Walks the Way of Saint James
    Ebook426 pages8 hours

    Paris to the Pyrenees: A Skeptic Pilgrim Walks the Way of Saint James

    By David Downie

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    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, 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—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—“The Way” for short. 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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPegasus Books
    Release dateApr 2, 2013
    ISBN9781453298633
    Unavailable
    Paris to the Pyrenees: A Skeptic Pilgrim Walks the Way of Saint James
    Author

    David Downie

    David Downie is a renowned author who has written numerous books on the topics of travel, food, and the arts in addition to novels. A native of San Francisco, he has lived in New York, Rome, and Milan. He currently divides his time between France and Italy.

    Read more from David Downie

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    Reviews for Paris to the Pyrenees

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Downie walks a portion of the Campostela pilgrimage trail, from south of paris to just across the Pyrenees. His is not a religious pilgrimage; his is supposedly a journey of self-discovery. He is accompanied by his photographer wife. The book certainly fails as a voyage of self-discovery. It succeeds wonderfully, however, as walking, travel literature. Downie visits nunerous small villages and examines their history ranging from Gaul/Roman to WWII Resistance. Humorous and informative, I followed the journey on Google Earth.
    • 4/5
      On the back cover of this book a reviewer is quoted as saying "Downie is the master of educated curiosity" and this sums up what makes this book a fascinating read. If you love books about travel,you'll find plenty in here to give you itchy feet (especially if you're thinking about going to France, as we are). But equally if you're a history lover or of a philosophical bent, there's lots to get you intrigued and pondering all kinds of "life" questions, not the least of which is why do pilgrims do it? Downie and his photographer wife set out on a pilgrimage of sorts, although he describes himself as "a skeptic pilgrim", in that they walk the route defined as "the way of Saint James" (or "El Camino de Santiago de Compostela"). This involves walking from Paris across Burgundy to the Pyrenees and into Spain, which ultimately they do, but in two stages. It is, for Downie, as much an inward as an outward journey and despite the fact that he's beset with numerous physical obstacles (back, knees, eyesight problems), he manages amazingly well. Determination is all is perhaps the lesson to be learnt from this book. His descriptions of Burgundy in particular are lyrical enough to have you digging out the travel guides.