Part adventure story, part cultural history the
author of Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light
explores the phenomenon of pilgrimage along the age-old Way
of Saint James in France
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. 32 pages of
color photographs by Alison Harris. 32 pages of color
photographs
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