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Paris to the Pyrenees
- Author
- David Downie
- Narrator
- P. J. Ochlan
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 15 April 2013
- Run Time
- 11 hours 55 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
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—an 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.
Critics Review
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“Downie’s adroit, learned, and ambitious book reinvigorates my sense of travel, taking me back to the happy knowledge that the world is still large, and history unfathomably deep.”
Frances Mayes, New York Times bestselling author
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“Evocative and moving…A lively wordsmith, Downie brings a deep and impassioned knowledge of French history, culture, and language to this pilgrimage…An extraordinary account that illuminates France past and present and casts a light on something even greater: the truth that, however we choose to label our journey, we are all pilgrims on a common quest, to answer why we wander life’s question-paved path.”
National Geographic Traveler
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“An entertaining read… fabulous company!”
NPR
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“Astutely ruminative, Downie hovers between past and present in this enjoyably offbeat travelogue.”
Booklist
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“Profound. A witty and intelligent spin on the spiritual-journey motif.”
Kirkus Reviews
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Details
- Author
- David Downie
- Narrator
- P. J. Ochlan
- Duration
- 11 hours 55 minutes
- Release Date
- 15 April 2013
- ISBN
- 9781620649701
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Travel and holiday, General and world history, Geographical discovery and exploration
Synopsis
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—an 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.
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