1/31/16
Sometime back in 1974, I read James Michener’s book “Iberia”. I was pretty intrigued by his account of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and the pilgrimage routes that people have been following since medieval times. Then after reading Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” and still in my early 20s, a small group of us drove across the Atlantic coast of Spain, mostly surfing and exploring the sites along the way. Spain would need to be visited again.

That was the seed, and when the internet made it easy to discover more about Santiago de Compostela and the pilgrim routes, my interest was renewed. Then, while watching the movie “The Way” with Martin Sheen, I told Christi “Maybe we should do that, what do you think?” Being far from retirement age with not enough time to walk for 42 days, she gave me the go ahead, as long as she could meet me in Santiago and then travel on to Italy for a while!  So that’s our plan.

The trip is planned for a start in the foothills of the Pyrenees in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (SJPP), France on May 14. 2016. There are several pilgrimage routes to Santiago, but the most popular route is the Camino Frances, beginning in SJPP, crossing the Pyrenees, and continuing on for 800 kilometers. There are loads of books and information on the internet, and phone apps regarding the Camino de Santiago – more than enough to plan a buen camino!

“Oh, the places you’ll go!” – Dr. Seuss