The Camino Made Easy: Reflections of a Parador Pilgrim: Three Walking Tours on the Way of St. James Through Spain and Portugal to Santiago De Compostela and Finisterre

by Olivia Pittet

Overview

The Camino Made Easy: Reflections of a Parador Pilgrim relates three fascinating, culturally rich journeys on the Way of St. James, or the Camino, through Spain and Portugal to Santiago de Compostela. This personal, practical, and informational story testifies to the advantages of doing the Camino on a walking tour, while offering fresh perspectives on this long-distance medieval pilgrimage route for pilgrims and tourists alike.

Olivia Pittet describes stunningly varied landscapes, including the Basque country, the Rioja wine region, and Celtic Galicia, as well as the World Heritage cities of Burgos, León, and Santiago, while gradually unfolding the Camino's extraordinary cultural legacy and religious history, its present-day relevance, and its enduring appeal. She recalls what it was like to walk over one hundred miles on each journey, interweaving her Chaucer-style interactions with her fellow pilgrims, her love of landscape, and her special interest as a former medievalist in the Camino's literature and legends. Olivia also interjects her own tale, tracing her unexpected spiritual journey from its initial stumbling blocks to a developing sense of pilgrimage the closer she came to Santiago, where there are as many answers waiting to be found as there are ways of walking the Camino.

Beautifully written and deeply felt, this rich fusion of pilgrimage and personal narrative, landscape and cultural legacy, literature and legend vibrantly re-creates the Camino anew.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781480863477
Publisher:	Archway Publishing
Publication date:	11/21/2018
Pages:	262
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.59(d)

About the Author

Olivia Pittet was born in England and moved to America in 1963. She received her BA from London University and her master's degree in English and comparative literature from Columbia University. Now a freelance editor, she previously worked for many years in book publishing. Olivia is also a dedicated walker who has taken walking tours throughout Europe and North America for over twenty years, on one of which she met her present husband. This is her first book.

Editorial Reviews

2019-05-16
A chronicle of one woman's 500-mile European trek that's equal parts travel guide and memoir, offering up plenty of historical details along the way.

The Camino de Santiago comprises a vast network of ancient trails that extend across Europe, traveled by numerous religious pilgrims each year. The routes cover a variety of terrain, including coastal cliffs and forested trails, all eventually leading to the burial site of St. James, whose remains were discovered in the ninth century. For debut authorPittet and her husband, Michael Crowley,making the decision to walk the Camino was an easy one, and it led to an incredible journey of self-discovery, legendary antiquity, and lasting friendships. Pittet eagerly dissects the dizzying amount of medieval history surrounding the route and its many infamous pilgrims. Quotations from such luminaries as Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare abound, as do engaging stories of legendary skirmishes. General advice and travel tips cover the basics for beginners, and there's a skillfully curated list of recommended guides and travel agencies. A handful of black-and-white photosshow rest stops along the route, complete with picturesque villages and cobblestone streets. As they make their journey, Pittet is candid about the daily challenges and unpredictability of hiking long-distance: "The weather may play foul or other glitches may occur, but one simply has to ascribe such mishaps to the fates, or else say with the Spanish, ‘Cosa Camino' or ‘No pasa nada'—it doesn't really matter; it's no big deal." Descriptions of medieval churches and ornate architecture offer professional, informative glimpses into the buildings' origins. There are vivid anecdotes throughout that will give readers a deeper education than other casual guides. The book thoroughly examines what it means to be a pilgrim in the 21st century as it shares Pittet's thoughts on the journey's transformative power.

An insightful and enlightening account of the Camino de Santiago.

Kirkus Reviews