Carroll Koepplinger is a hike leader with the local Carolina Mountain Club, but in the past three years the 79-year-old has spent each May walking a pilgrimage route in Europe, covering in stages most of the distance from Geneva, Switzerland, to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

The historic pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago, is now known to many people from Western North Carolina, who have done all or part of the section in Spain which runs 460 miles from the Pyrenees in the East to the shrine of St. James in Santiago de Compostela in the West.

But Carroll is different. In 2007 he trekked two weeks in Spain, but in 2008, he walked a longer stretch from LePuy in France to the Pyrenees, a total of 430 miles, with four friends from the CMC.

In May 2009 he and three CMC friends, Jay Bretz, Don Walton and I, began the route that starts in Geneva, Switzerland, and walking the 230-mile section from there to LePuy through the French Alps, crossing the Rhone River, and then hiking through the mountainous Massif Central, all in 16 days.

Staying in hostels and private homes, we shared experiences with fellow pilgrims and talked with the people of Spain, France, and Switzerland who hosted them, served them in supermarkets and bakeries or noticed them and asked where they are from. Especially in France, few Americans do the pilgrimage. On the section from Geneva to LePuy several of their hosts in private homes said they had never had Americans before.

Jay Bretz, of Weaverville, the youngest of the group at 58, said, “Carroll is an inspiration and role model for us all. When he gets going, we can hardly keep up with him. He's sometimes incredible going up hills.”

In Spain Carroll always seemed to be the oldest person in the hostel, but in May 2008, he met two women pilgrims from Belgium who were 82. “I thought they were fabulous,” he said.

A native of Kansas and a retired labor union official, Carroll came to Asheville in February 1995 and immediately decided to get into hiking.

At age 77, I awakened interest in the pilgrimage route by walking solo across Spain in 2001 and the LePuy route in 2002. Talking about my experiences, I got the others involved, and now they find hiking in Europe in May, when the weather is marvelous and flowers bloom, to be the best way of spending their time.

Doing the Camino is different from hiking in WNC. Tents, cooking gear and quantities of food aren't necessary because there are sleeping and eating facilities along the way. One encounters plenty of mountains, but the true appeal lies in the historic towns and churches, meeting fellow pilgrims from other countries, and enjoying the local food and wine.

Don Walton said each of the last three years has been a different adventure, the first year in Spain hiking with the large number of people (200,000 a year) from all over the world, to this year in eastern France with relatively few people (10,000 a year) hiking the remote trail. This year, staying in many private French family homes and the remote hiking were an exciting daily adventure.

Next May, the three plan to do the Camino in Switzerland, called the Jakobsweg, which runs from the Bodensee in the Northeast to Geneva in the southwest, a total of 330 miles.

The public is invited to a presentation at Diamond Brand in Arden at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23, which will feature the Geneva-LePuy section.

Tom Sanders is a hike leader with the Carolina Mountain Club who lives in Asheville. E-mail him at tomary.avl@gmail.com.

With its cobbled alleys, old convents and Gothic-Baroque cathedral, Galicia's Santiago de Compostela seems plucked, Brigadoon-style, from the Middle Ages as Catholic pilgrims mill outside the place where St.James the Apostle is allegedly buried.

This summer, however, Santiago was buzzing with new energy.

In a downtown garage, Fernando Cortizo was completing an exquisite thatched-roof cottage miniature for Spain's first digital 3-D stop-motion movie, "The Apostle."

Meanwhile, Alfonso Cabaleiro, Galicia's new media minister, met with Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez to discuss Galician support for Estevez's film "The Way."

All these events are connected.

In 2010, Santiago de Compostela celebrates its Holy Year. The next won't come until 2021. Galicians are taking it very seriously.

"The Holy Year's the best calling card possible to give Galicia the international profile it merits," says Galicia's president, Alberto Nunez Feijoo.

In its ancient pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James), Galicia has discovered a 1,196-year-old movie brand.

With Rome and Jerusalem, Santiago was once Christendom's most important city. Santiago Cathedral's extraordinary Portico de la Gloria, which Estevez aims to film, ushered in Gothic architecture.

For Estevez, "Way" coincides with a global "spiritual crisis."

"The Camino's principal facet is its spiritual component, a rich well of personal stories and tales of living together," Cabaleiro adds.

This year has already generated four Camino movies: Estevez's Sheen starrer "Way," "The Apostle," "Where Is Happiness?" and Roberto Santiago's "Road to Santiago."

"Way," "Happiness" and "Road" -- it's no coincidence -- are journeys of self-discovery.

But how can producers' monetize the spirituality of the place? There have been some bestselling books -- German TV presenter Hape Kerkeling's Camino diary "I'm Off Then" sold 3 million copies while Paulo Coehlo's "The Pilgrimage" is an international hit.

"Former pilgrims represent an avid Camino movie fanbase," says Gonzalo Salazar-Simpson, producer of "Road," which, helped by this, has grossed $3.6 million in Spain.

That base will grow. Via Google Travel, the Xacobeo 2010 org will launch the biggest campaign ever for this unique destination.

"There's probably $50 million worth of locations along the Camino," Estevez says, adding that the vistas from O Cabreiro, a mountain village, are "absolutely extraordinary" and that Muxia's Atlantic-coast Nostra Senora de la Barca Sanctuary, where "Way" ends, is "spectacular."

"The growth of a Galician film industry also explains Camino movie production," Cabaleiro says.

Galicia, with Catalonia, boasts Spain's most vibrant regional film hub.

On "Road," the Xacobeo org put up $285,000-plus in sponsorship.

A Galician co-production can trigger Galicia government subsidies (up to $285,000), Brazil-Galicia and Galicia Audiovisual Consortium's Raices co-production funds (at $171,00 per pic), and maybe investment ($1 million-plus) from SempreCinema risk equity fund, says Galician Audiovisual Consortium director Ignacio Varela.

Coin from pubcaster TVG averages $285,000.

Written off as Spain's deep north, the Camino's growing recognition may allow Galicia to walk into the future with a spring in its step. It may also reboot the economy.

The local tourist org calculates that 9 million visitors in 2010 would hike tourism's contribution to the Galician GDP by 1.5%. Galicians -- including Sheen and Estevez, who are of Galician heritage -- share a sense of mission.

"This is a place people ought to see," Estevez says. In film and in larger terms, the Camino is one way forward.

The Camino de Santiago has a way of humbling the proud. My feet had been trouble-free until the halfway point of the 800-kilometre trail, that runs from the French border across the mountains, valleys and plains of northern Spain.

Most fellow travellers had experienced foot problems, some serious enough to make them quit the journey to the city of Santiago de Compostela. Well, I mused, am I genetically superior to these, my hobbling comrades?

Now came my comeuppance. Outside Sahagun, on the broad plain called the Meseta, pain surged up my right foot from the big toe to the ankle. I was forced to the nearest clinic to deal with an infection.

The next day, thanks to a quick and free fix from a Spanish doctor, I was able to carry on to the trail's end, a humbler and wiser person.

Foot pain and other trials aside, few, if any, who complete one of the world's great treks regret the experience.

The Camino is not for everyone. But if you want to see Spain close up, crave a physical challenge and enjoy meeting people from all over the world, this could be for you. Not everyone will have time to do the whole trail in one go, but you can walk sections of it, as many Europeans do.

Christian pilgrims have endured the journey for over a thousand years but, before that, the Romans used the road to extend and maintain their empire and the Celts walked this way toward the setting sun and the supposed end of the world. With this history, it's not surprising that the Camino itself is a World Heritage site.

Today about 100,000 people a year, more on holy years, complete the walk. They come mainly from Europe but also from places as far apart as Nigeria and Korea. Many Canadians make the trek. When my wife and I walked, Canadians ranked only behind the Germans, French and Spanish in numbers.

In the tiny mountain village of Foncebadon, not only were we served supper by a volunteer waitress from Toronto, but the local bar owner proudly displayed a Canadian flag and Montreal Canadiens plaque on his wall.

The trail, marked by yellow arrows and scallop shells, is supposedly the route taken by disciples of St. James, Santiago in Spanish, when they carried his remains to the far reaches of the known world to protect them from discovery by hostile Roman authorities. His bones are said to be buried in the city that bears his name.

Today, people make the journey for many reasons - religious, spiritual, cultural, to meet people from other countries, or simply to see if they can do it.

"Everyone walks their own Camino," said Peter Schmitt of Sidney, B.C., whom we met on the third day of our walk.

Most pilgrims - peregrinos in Spanish - carry everything they need, except food, on their backs, which means travellers need to pack light.

Along the trail, there is a network of shelters called albergues or refugios, where you can stay the night, sharing accommodation with scores of others. Most are pretty basic, but if you prefer and are willing to go upscale, there are also private hostels and hotels along the way. The annual influx of Camino walkers is a great boon to the Spanish economy, so the locals are generally friendly, generous and helpful.

A typical day might start at 6:30 a.m., when you rise, pack and head out on the trail. We would take a break for coffee and breakfast after an hour, then carry on hoping to reach our daily target before the mid-day heat became too oppressive. We actually surprised ourselves with this routine, averaging more than 20 kilometres a day, and we were far from the fastest on the trail.

Despite the occasional grumble, you adapt to the pace. "Six kilometres to the next village?" said Helen Collins, a feisty young Irish lawyer we walked with for several days. "We scoff at six kilometres!"

After stopping sometime between noon and 2 p.m., we would rest, shower, wash clothes, and repair to a local bar for refreshment. A daily highlight was the opportunity to chat with fellow walkers. Or you see the local sights, before preparing for dinner. Most travellers were abed by 9 to 10 p.m.

OK. . . blisters, loud snoring by fellow travellers in dorms, up early, toting all your belongings on your back, sharing showers. Doesn't sound like a dream holiday. Are the pain and the trials worth it? Emphatically Yes!

Here's why: The Camino takes you across the Pyrenees, the range dividing France from Spain, either using a valley route travelled by Charlemagne where his friend Roland met hi doom, or the spectacular road over the top taken by Napoleon, who'd learned from history. Then it is through the forested hills of the Basque country, and by mile after mile of vineyards and olive groves.

We stayed in a pensione in the tidy village of Burguete with its Napoleonic-era houses and a piano Hemingway played when he wasn't trout-fishing in local streams. We passed through the sparkling hilltop town of Cirauqui, surrounded by prosperous vineyards and complete with cobbled Roman road.

Then it was on to the golden plains of the Meseta (which resemble parts of Saskatchewan), and to the green hills of Galicia, called by some the "Ireland of Spain."

Along the way, we passed through Pamplona, where the running of the bulls occurs near the end of July each year; and the city of Burgos with its massive gothic cathedral - another World Heritage site - and the burial place of the Spanish hero, El Cid.

We ventured to the city of Santo Domingo, where chickens are kept in the church, a reminder of an old medieval legend. It's good luck if the rooster crows while you are in the church. (He obliged for us.)

Our favourite city was Leon, where we were fortunate to be when harvest celebrations began, and the townsfolk turned out in medieval or traditional costumes, often dancing to roving bands of clarinet, castanets, drum and bagpipes.

But the greatest gifts were the people met en route. Most were Camino friends - people you meet on the trail and walked with a few days. Others became fast friends and will be in touch again.

The Camino, after all, is a great equalizer. Whether you are a Dutch engineer, a Canadian restaurant owner, a retired Korean teacher or a young German aspiring actress, social status, age and wealth are not obstacles to sharing the common experience of the trail.

If You Go . . .

Getting there: From Paris, take the fast train to Bayonne. Then a one-hour slower train through the foothills of the Pyrenees to St-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

From Madrid, take a train to Pamplona, a bus to Roncesvalles, then a taxi to St-Jean.

Money: Spain uses the Euro, trading at about $1.55 Cdn for a Euro. Along the Camino there are many ATMs in the towns, most of which accept Canadian bank cards.

Where to stay: Many albergues are situated along the trail. These offer bunk beds, showers and washing facilities and many have kitchens. You share these with many other pilgrims. Nightly charges per person range from a simple donation to nine Euros (about $14).

If you want more privacy, there are pensiones and modestly priced hotels in the towns. It's heaven to be able to stretch out in a hot bath from time to time.

Meals: Many restaurants offer pilgrim menus from 7 to 9 p.m. These are cheaper than regular restaurant meals and range from seven to 10 Euros ($11-16). A typical pilgrim meal starts with soup or salad, then a meat-fish course with fries, and dessert. Good Spanish wine, is usually included. Spaniards have not yet caught on to the vegetarian agenda, but people we met often would ask for two first courses.

In Spain the main evening meal generally starts about 9 p.m. For Camino walkers who want to hit the trail early this is not convenient.

We stopped at bars for breakfast and carried food (bread, cheese, ham and olives) for lunch.

Walking light: Remember you are carrying everything with you. A good knapsack is essential: We were able to find sleeping bags weighing half a kilo, which helped keep our total pack weights down to about seven-nine kilos. You will also wa

(Tribune Media Services) -- I'm tucked away in Santiago de Compostela, in the northwest corner of Spain. I have a three-part agenda: see pilgrims reach their goal in front of the cathedral, explore the market and buy some barnacles in the seafood section -- then have them cooked for me, on the spot, in a cafe.

Whenever I'm here, I make a point to be on the town square facing the towering Cathedral of St. James at around 10 a.m. That's when scores of well-worn pilgrims march in triumphantly from their last overnight on the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) -- a 30-day, 500-mile hike from the French border.

Since the Middle Ages, humble hikers have walked these miles to pay homage to the remains of St. James in his namesake city. Their traditional gear includes a cloak; a pointy, floppy hat; a walking stick and a gourd (for drinking from wells). The way is marked with yellow arrows or scallop shells (a symbol of the saint) at every intersection. Doing the entire route from the border to Santiago takes about four to six weeks.

At journey's end, hikers complete their pilgrimage by stepping on a scallop shell embedded in the pavement at the foot of the cathedral. I just love watching how different pilgrims handle the jubilation.

Most people picture Spain as a hot, arid land, but if Europe had a rain forest, it would be here. Rain off the Atlantic has colored Santiago's granite green with moss. But there are no showers this morning. The church is backlit by the rising sun and, looking up, the weary pilgrims squint ... small before God.

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Routinely, pilgrims ask me to take their photo and email it to them. Then they say, "I've got to go meet with St. James," and as has been the routine for 1,000 years, they head into the cathedral.

Two blocks away, Santiago's public market is thriving, oblivious to the personal triumphs going on at St. James' tomb. There's something basic about wandering through a farmers market early in the morning anywhere in the world: Salt-of-the-earth people pull food out of the ground, cart it into the city, and sell what they've harvested to people who don't have gardens.

Dried-apple grandmothers line up like a babushka cancan. Each sits on a stool so small it disappears under her work dress. At the women's feet are brown woven baskets filled as if they were cornucopias -- still-dirty eggs in one; in the next, greens clearly pulled this morning, soil clinging to their roots. One woman hopes to earn a few extra euros with homebrews -- golden bottles with ramshackle corks -- one named "licor cafe," the other, more mysteriously, "oruzo casero" (could it be homemade ouzo?).

I see rickety card tables filled with yellow cheeses shaped like giant Hershey's Kisses ... or, to locals, breasts. This local cheese is called "tetilla" to revenge a prudish priest who, seven centuries ago, told a sculptor at the cathedral to redo a statue that he considered too buxom. Ever since, the townsfolk have shaped their cheese like exactly what the priest didn't want them to see carved in stone. You can't go anywhere in Santiago without seeing its creamy, mild tetilla.

Stepping farther into the market, I notice spicy red chorizo -- sausage in chains framing merchants' faces. Chickens, plucked and looking as rubbery as can be, fill glass cases. Fisherwomen in rubber aprons and matching gloves sort through folded money.

There's a commotion at the best stalls. Short ladies with dusty, blue-plaid roller carts jostle for the best deals. A selection of pig's ears mixed with hooves going nowhere fills a shoebox. The ears, translucent in the low rays of the morning sun, look as if someone had systematically and neatly flattened conch shells.

From one vendor I buy "percebes" (barnacles) at about $16 a pound; they're one-third the price I'd pay in a bar. I get a little less than half a pound and hustle my full bag over to the market cafe called Churro Mania. There, Ramon and Julia boil them for $4 per person, plus 10 percent of the cost of whatever you have them cook up. Feeling quite like a local -- sipping my beer so early in the morning -- I wait for my barnacles to cook.

Then comes the climax of my morning: Julia brings my barnacles, stacked steaming on a stainless steel plate, as well as bread and another beer. I'm set. Twist, rip, bite. It's the bounty of the sea condensed into every little morsel ... edible jubilation in Santiago.

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Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. E-mail him at rick@ricksteves.com, or write to him c/o P.O. Box 2009, Edmonds, Wash. 98020.

Today many people are seeking out more heartfelt stories with substance—with soul—to bring light and understanding to a sometimes soul-less existence. Somewhat disgruntled with the media-designated celebrities and heroes of yesterday, people instead are moving toward finding “real” people who can inspire and motivate them to be the best that they can be. Our nation has requested such monumental change that some days, we all wonder if we are in fact moving toward progress or away from it. With concerns and unrest coming from areas such as politics, joblessness, bankruptcy and foreclosure, and health care issues, Americans are becoming hard-pressed to find something to believe in. And many Americans are beginning their own inward search for peace and understanding in an often chaotic existence. German comedian Hape Kerkeling brings such substance and hope in his book, I’m Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago.

For Americans, the closest thing to the pilgrimage that Kerkeling tackled would be the Appalachian Trail, which reaches from Georgia to Maine, yet this account was not simply of the flora and fauna, the vistas or even the waterfalls and the multi-state crossings. There’s no doubt that those who choose to walk the AT in America truly find change within themselves, but Kerkeling’s journal entries leave all his readers privy to the amazing transformation that took place within both the pages of the book and within the very crux of who he was.

Reading this book and knowing it was the first hand account of a spiritual journey as well as an account of the 500+ mile hike through a part of the Pyrenees and across hot and grueling areas of Spain, I found myself looking for pieces of the book that I could apply to my own life, to my own spiritual journey. For Kerkeling, keeping a journal was the right thing to do so he would be able to recount the days and nights as he searched for the things within himself that were important. He carefully documented instances and people as he wound up his day in the local hotels and restaurants. What I noticed almost immediately was his humor and his honesty.

Within a few short pages, he mentioned that he had suffered a temporary but sudden hearing loss, and had also suffered a gall bladder removal surgery, which shook him awake. “…it’s high time I readjust my thinking. It’s time for a pilgrimage,” alerted me immediately to his own taking responsibility for his health and for his realization that those maladies could be connected to his less than healthy life. He immediately followed that with his statement that he’d been ignoring his inner voice. He knew it was time to make changes when he found himself suffering from the symptoms of heart attack. And I knew this was going to be my kind of book.

You see, this guy needed to create the time and the space he knew it would take to approach the tough questions of his life. His initial question of “Who is God?” morphed into the more direct question of “Who am I?” And within pages, he admitted a knowing that only through finding out who he was, could he then find out who God was.

Although many people ponder the same questions, very few are able (or willing) to take months away from their schedules of busy-ness, their families, or their careers and totally concentrate on answering these questions, but the beauty of the whole thing is that no one has to “check out” to find themselves. Hape Kerkeling shows us that through daily interactions and noticing the presence and power of the universe within the mundane, the self exists.

Kerkeling is a funny guy. Many of his tales of adventure leave the reader laughing loudly while others surely keep a smile coming. For those reasons, the book does not simply appeal to the spiritual seeker who is always looking for inspiration within the pages, but to the average person who isn’t ready to begin the challenge of discovering as he put it, “illumination.” His accounts and descriptions of his fellow travelers indicate for the reader just how his comedic genius has vaulted him to become a household name in Germany. But for those of us who search for the real people with real stories, he shows the way.

Kerkeling tackles major universal questions during his countless hours of walking. Who am I? Who, where, and what is God? How are my thoughts connected to me? Do I have more control over the way my body handles things? Is there a driving force behind what people call coincidence? Are the people we meet throughout our lives connected to us? Are they extensions of who we are? Is it necessary to suffer? What does it mean to be a good Christian? Should we detach ourselves from material things and focus more time inward? How serious is it to deny the inner work? Do we round metaphorical corners and fail to recognize ourselves? Can we tune into our own intuitions and accept that we are capable of greater understanding? As we walk farther in life, how hard is it to stay true to ourselves? How much do we learn about ourselves through our interactions with others? Do we think too much? Do we believe we are our thoughts? And can we escape those thoughts if they don’t serve us? Are our dreams meant to teach us things we cannot see in our waking lives? How valuable is meditation? Should we rethink our current beliefs on life and death?

Kerkeling’s account of his own spiritual journey began in France and ended in Spain. He walked more than five hundred miles in just over a month’s time. In addition to sharing with us the intimacies of the over-crowded cafes, or the recurrent meetings of the pilgrims, he gently guides us into a closer examination of our own lives. His portrayal of the physical challenges one meets along such a quest are minimal in comparison to the daily spiritual gains he made as he internalized and made sense of first himself, and then of his connection with all that surrounds him.

If you are one who is standing on the precipice of change, wondering if you have enough strength to keep going, Hape Kerkeling’s book is one which will help reveal some truths. This international bestseller (published by Free Press) has only been available in America since June, has already been translated into eleven languages and has sold upwards of three million copies. Yeah, I will say that many people are looking for everyday heroes to illuminate the path for the rest of us

We send this information from Internacionational Courses of Universidade de Santiago de Compostela in order to inform you about our Spanish Language and the Road to Santiago Course, which will take place between 5th and 23rd October this year.

Our pioneering programme combines: multi-angle approach to the study of the Road to Santiago and improvement of Spanish language skills. Our Spanish Language Course + Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage Route, focus on Spanish language and culture using a multi-disciplinary approach. It takes in the history, art, literature, gastronomy and current state of -as you know- one of the most internationally known Spanish spiritual and cultural phenomena as it is the Camino de Santiago or St James’ Way.

If you want to get more information about our academic and cultural programme, accommodation & meals during these three weeks, please click on:

In Spanish:

http://cursosinternacionales.usc.es/Docs/curso_camino_de_santiago.pdf

In English:

http://cursosinternacionales.usc.es/Docs/curso_camino_de_santiago_en.pdf

Pilgrims arriving in Santiago de Compostela after a long, 800km trek across northern Spain are quietly being told they shouldn’t end their pilgrimage with the traditional kiss of the patron saint.

That’s according to The Associated Press, which is reporting that the Swine flu scare is prompting church officials to discreetly ask visitors not to kiss a statue of St. James the Apostle, Spain’s patron saint (www.newadvent.org/cathen/08279b.htm).

Officials within Spain and other European nations are trying to stem the Swine flu scare. So far, 12 people have died in Spain of Swine flu and according to government officials, more than 10,000 people per week are coming down with the flu (abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFlu/story).

Kissing between friends and even strangers is popular in Spain, but officials are encouraging Spaniards to shake hands, American-style, instead.

Pilgrims and other worshippers trek to far-flung Santiago de Compostela (wikitravel.org/en/Santiago_de_Compostela) to visit the towering cathedral where legend says the remains of the saint appeared in the 7th century.

Some walk or cycle from the Pyrénées, tracing a medieval pilgrimage route along the Camino de Santiago (elcaminosantiago.com/) that’s enjoying renewed interest along spiritual-seekers, trekkers and pilgrims.

Thousands a day converge on the historic cathedral to bless themselves, including a ritual where visitors hug and sometimes even kiss a statue.

Church officials are asking believers to hold back on kissing as a measure to prevent the spread of the Swine flu and have removed holy water from the popular area, the AP reported.

AN award winning landscape and garden designer from Salisbury will be taking part in a 700km cycle ride across Spain to raise money for the city’s new Quaker Meeting House.

Catherine Thomas will begin the sponsored ride along an ancient pilgrim route called the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain in September, and is aiming to travel 32km a day to complete it in three weeks.

She is funding all the expenses, meaning all the money raised will go towards enhancing the facilities on offer at the new meeting house,which is a Grade II listed building on Wilton Road.

“Salisbury Quaker Meeting is a growing community desperately requiring more space than our small, previous meeting house afforded,” said Ms Thomas.

“Besides providing a new spiritual home for Salisbury Quakers, we are keen to have a prominent building which we will be able to open to the wider community including groups offering social support, mediation and all the many forms of educational programmes.

“We are privileged to be restoring one of Salisbury’s neglected historic buildings which we hope will become an asset to community groups in the local area.”

Stonehenge Cycles, EcoPrint, Addison Design and Fisherton Mill are all sponsoring Ms Thomas on her journey.

Fisherton Mill, where her studio is based, is also offering a lunchtime special with a Spanish twist in their café during August.

To sponsor Catherine, visit www.justgiving.com/CatherineThomassponsoredbikeride2009 or post a cheque payable to Salisbury Quakers (Construction Account) to Ms Thomas at Fisherton Mill, 108 Fisherton Street, Salisbury, SP2 7QY.

One week after graduating from high school Luis Gonzalez-Bunster suffered a terrible car accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down.

Now fifteen years later Luis remains in a wheelchair, but is more hopeful than ever for a cure.

Thanks to exciting new clinical trials and the recent approval of federal funding for stem cell research, many in the medical community believe, like Luis, that it is now no longer a question of if, but when they'll find a cure for paralysis.

"Stem cells have always been our best hope," says Luis. "After Obama's first bill as president called for funding we have even more reason to be hopeful about their potential."

Starting August 1st, Luis will begin a 28-day, 800km marathon along the historic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail from France to Spain to raise money and awareness about spinal cord injuries.

In preparation he has been swimming laps and hand cycling at least 15km every day, mostly up hills, on his Freedom Rider.

As his journey begins so does the world's first-ever clinical trial using stem cells in humans to repair spinal cord damage.

"This marks the beginning of what is potentially a new chapter in medical therapeutics -- one that reaches beyond pills to a new level of healing: the restoration of organ and tissue function achieved by the injection of healthy replacement cells," explained Dr. Thomas Okarma, CEO of biotech company Geron, in a statement after receiving F.D.A. clearance earlier this year.

The study, run by Geron, will use a "conservative, low dose treatment" of cells on 10 newly injured patients (one to two weeks after the injury) at participating hospitals around America.

"The ultimate goal [for the trial] is to achieve restoration of spinal cord function by the injection of hESC-derived (human embryonic stem cells) oligodendrocyte progenitor cells directly into the lesion site of the patient's injured spinal cord."

"If all goes well, researchers will have taken a promising step toward a goal that once would have been considered a miracle -- to help the lame walk," explains Anne Underwood in Newsweek.

As far back as 2004 a similar treatment tested on paralyzed rats enabled them to walk again, albeit with some difficulty.

Helping fund this type of groundbreaking research is just one of Luis' goals. He, along with his younger sister Carolina, 26, are undertaking the "Camino" to inaugurate the Walkabout Foundation.

Last year Carolina got the idea for Walkabout after Luis was denied access to the Greenwich YMCA swimming pool. Although the newly built $36 million Olympic-size pool was wheelchair accessible, the YMCA building itself was not.

This past spring a Connecticut Superior court denied their legal appeal to get the YMCA to install a temporary handicap ramp. The Greenwich YMCA then said they would install a permanent one by June 2009. Today there is still no ramp.

"We decided we needed to take a stand, spread the word and build awareness," explains Carolina. "It is a blatant violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act."

Carolina and Luis decided to make their mission global. The Walkabout Foundation, aptly named for its missions "to get people back on their two feet" and "cure paralysis one step at a time," has multiple aims.

At first, money raised by Walkabout will go to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, who help identify and support promising research worldwide. In addition Carolina is partnering with hospitals in the United States to help bring new modern wheelchairs to poor parts of the world.

"It's incredibly exciting and inspirational," Luis says about the upcoming marathon. "Setting goals for yourself is important, it pushes you and motivates you to get out there and exercise every day, even the days you don't have energy. The walk is giving me a purpose. Life is all about having a purpose."

For years, my travels have prompted me to think about religion. When I got my history degree at the University of Washington, one of my favorite classes was “History of the Christian Church.” And for years, I've believed that anyone who enjoys getting close to God should pack their spirituality along with them in their travels.

Here are some magical experiences in Europe that spiritual people — from conservative Catholics to Buddhists to tree-huggers to Methodists to curious European bus drivers who've never thought about this while on a tour before — would enjoy. Attend an evensong service in one of England’s many historic cathedrals. You’ll be surrounded by men and boys singing their hearts out for the glory of God today, in a church built for the glory of God hundreds of years ago. You’re in the middle of a spiritual Oz as 40 voices sing Psalms — a red-and-white-robed pillow of praise, raised up by the powerful pipe organ. You feel as if you have elephant-size ears, as the beautifully carved choir stalls — functioning as giant sound scoops — magnify the thunderous, trumpeting pipes. If you’re lucky, the organist will run a spiritual musical victory lap as the congregation breaks up.

In Santiago de Compostela, in the far northwestern corner of Spain, stand in front of the cathedral at mid-morning to greet the daily batch of well-worn pilgrims completing the Camino de Santiago — “the Way of St. James,” a 500-mile pathway that starts at the French border and ends in Santiago. For centuries, humble seekers have hiked from France and points all over Europe to pay homage to the remains of St. James in his namesake city. (The word Santiago stands for St. James, and Compostela for the “field of stars,” perhaps the Milky Way, that guided monks a dozen centuries ago to what appeared to be long-lost tomb of St. James.) With leathery faces, tattered pants, and frayed walking sticks, modern-day pilgrims plant their hiking boots victoriously on the scallop-shell symbol of the saint imbedded in the square, look up at the cathedral that marks the end of their journey, and are overcome with jubilation.

Anyone walking through Santiago with a backpack is likely a pilgrim. Some 80,000 are expected in 2009 — I figure that's about 500 a day through the season. If a backpacker walks past, I spin around to see the scallop shell dangling from the pack — as it has from the rucksacks of pilgrims for over a thousand years. I love the idea that the first guidebook ever written talked up “going local, packing light, and watching out for pickpockets” for pilgrims traveling the Camino de Santiago more than a thousand years ago.

To experience the latest in European monasticism, drop by the booming Christian community of Taizé, a few miles north of Cluny in central France. Here, thousands of mostly young European pilgrims ask each other, “How’s your soul today?” The community welcomes Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic Christians who'd like to spend some quality time getting close to God. At any given time there are several thousand here from about 100 countries enjoying a week-long retreat. When the bells ring, worshippers and white-robed brothers file into the long, plain, and modern church. Taizé-style worship is a cycle of Bible readings, meditative silence, and mesmerizingly beautiful chants. Meals are in keeping with the joyful simplicity of the place. The uplifting ambience of this place — with thousands of pilgrims spending days enjoying a break from fast-paced living — is remarkable.

In Rome, drop by St. Peter’s early or late for a Mass at the high altar. With the alabaster starburst of the dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit before you, the greatest dome on earth rocketing above you, and the nearly 2,000-year-old tomb of St. Peter below you, commune with worshippers from around the globe. On the way out, kneel before Michelangelo’s Pietà and ponder what humankind can do for the glory of God. While St. Peter’s is inundated with noisy tour groups all day long, early and late it’s filled only with pilgrims and worshippers, giving the greatest church in Christendom the impact its creators intended.

Rome is the capital of the “Seventh Continent” — more than one billion Roman Catholics spread across every nation, language, and ethnic type. Swahili-speaking sisters, Romanian theology students, extended Mexican families, and American tourists converge on Rome. You feel you’re in the presence of God and all humankind all at once.

Throughout Europe, regardless of your religion, if you’re seeking an experience beyond the material world, there are special places where you can go to feel the spirit.

Bio: Chandi Wyant, 44, a history professor at Front Range Community College, walked for 30 days on the Via Francigena (fran-CHEE-jee-nah), a medieval pilgrimage route between Canterbury, England, and Rome. Equipped with a 19-pound pack, two walking poles, four sheets of moleskin, two journals and three pens, Wyant left for Italy at the end of May and returned July 13.

The challenge: Last summer, facing a divorce after nearly 10 years of marriage, Wyant traveled to Italy, "the greatest love of my life," to gain some perspective on her past and find a vision for her future.

"It wasn't just a vacation," she says. "It was a trip that had profound meaning for me."

Two days into the visit last July, while preparing to spend a day on the Tuscan seaside, Wyant fell ill with what she and doctors thought was a virus. "Suddenly everything completely shut down, and it was clear I had to call an ambulance. My appendix had burst, and sepsis was spreading in my system."

She was so sick that the anesthesi- ologist's first words when she awoke from emergency surgery were "era una cosa bruttissima" ("that was really horrendous").

She spent three weeks in the Italian hospital and another week recovering at a convent before returning to Boulder.

For the next six months, she recuperated from the near-death ordeal and worked through the divorce, blogging about the pain of both (italiandreams .wordpress.com).

But she didn't get much exercise. Before her illness, Wyant was a fairly active person, doing a hut trip every summer and taking dance classes in the winter.

The idea for the walk: "It sort of dropped out of the blue sky and landed in my brain. I learned this year, for the first time, that it is not only OK to choose my passion, but it is actually the right way to approach life choices. This was a stunning revelation for me, to realize I had never lived my life that way, and to realize that in fact I could," she says.

Did she consider going from a near- death experience to walking across Italy in less than a year might be a little much?

"There is cause to be concerned that I am not in shape," she acknowledged in May, days before departing. "But I can walk. I just know this is how I'm going to get strong. I haven't done training but this walk is how I'm going to get my mind and body back. I feel that I have a very strong spirit and staying alive in that Italian hospital took everything out of me. If I can do that, I can do this walk. I just hope my knees will not give me too much trouble."

The journey: Less well-known than the Spanish pilgrimage route, Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the Via Francigena ranges over asphalt highways and tractor tracks through farmers' fields.

Before she set out, Wyant wrote her intentions for the walk in a journal: to regain strength in her body, empower her spirit and trust her heart. She took the first steps toward that goal in Fidenza, a town near Parma in the Emilia-Romagna region.

After walking all morning, she stopped for lunch in Costamezzana, a one-restaurant village where the waiter handed her a magazine to read while she feasted on prosciutto, sopressata, pancetta, crepes and fizzy regional white wine. A quote in an article set the tone for the trip: "The journey of the pilgrim is from the head to the heart."

About halfway through the pilgrimage, Wyant felt a shift: "I stopped thinking about what went wrong with the marriage and stopped having flashbacks to the hospital."

She learned quickly that the hybrid sandals and lightweight trail runners she thought would be just right for hiking the rolling Appenine Mountains were no match for the miles of pavement along the way. Finding ice for her aching feet was a challenge, but her hiking poles provided essential support.

"My trekking poles were the best item I brought with me. For one, there are vipers in the Italian countryside. I used them to pound the ground in front of me vigorously to warn the snakes," said Wyant. "And there were a lot of dogs barking ferociously. I could fling a pole out at them."

By the end of her 30-day walk, Wyant developed plantar fasciitis, a painful heel condition. She let go of the idea of a triumphant stroll into Rome and decided to take the train. She spent extra time with nuns as they sang "Ave Maria" for afternoon prayers in small towns on the route — Bolsena, Montefiascone, Vetralla and Sutri — where convents often host pilgrims.

What she gained (and lost): Wyant walked about 425 kilometers, or 264 miles. She learned that the rule of thumb that your pack should be a fifth of your body weight was wrong, at least for her. She shed as much as she could and found that 13 pounds (about a tenth) was more manageable.

She will return to teaching this fall and update her blog, which she thinks could turn into a book. And she will continue to muse on what she learned as a pellegrina (pilgrim).

"I was tested toward the end because I had to really recognize my body was falling apart and I couldn't walk the last couple of days into Rome, but my time with the nuns was more valuable to me. Although it took a toll on my body, my spirit got stronger. There's been a big shift because I love my life again."

Spain - Cool, fruity and light, the wine tastes surprisingly good considering it's free. At the Bodegas Irache in the northern Spanish region of Navarre, anyone can partake of the Fuente del Vino, or Wine Fountain. All you have to do is turn the stainless steel tap in the old wall of the adjacent monastery, and out comes red wine. Up to 2,000 litres of wine a month is estimated to flow through the tap during the hiking season. The bodega lies on the historic Way of St James, and Christian pilgrims as far back as the 12th century have known the part of the route passing through Navarre as the "land of good bread and good wine."

Just outside the town of Estella, two very different routes cross: the old Way of St James and Navarre's young Ruta del Vino, or Wine Route. The region's wines are well known in Spain, and a Navarre wine was served at the 2004 wedding of Spanish Crown Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz. A Chardonnay Coleccion 125, it came from the Bodegas Julian Chivite, one of the region's oldest wineries.

The Chivite family has been producing wine since 1647. Today it can hardly satisfy demand for the "wedding Chardonnay."

There are more than 120 large bodegas in Navarre, and tourists can visit more than 20 of them on the Ruta del Vino. Most are located around the small town of Olite. A young woman by the name of Adriana Ochoa runs the Bodegas Ochoa. It produces nearly a million bottles of wine a year.

"Yes, it's definitely a trend. About 50 per cent of the winemakers in Navarre now are women," noted Ochoa, who took over the business from her father. White wines have a soul, she said, and red wines a personality to be discovered. As Ochoa sees it, women may have special talents as winemakers.

At the Bodega Tandem, a woman and man have joined forces with the aim of producing elegant and complex red and rose wines. She makes the wine while he takes care of the finances and marketing. This bodega, like many others, offers little in the way of nostalgia, however. Its architecture and equipment are modern. Everything - the steel, computers, cement and concrete - is bright and shiny.

Wine lovers see no nooks filled with patina-encrusted bottles of wine at Bodega Tandem. The buildings there are cool, modern and sober-looking.

The romantic moments of a Navarre tour are provided by Olite itself. Situated some 40 kilometres south of Pamplona and with fewer than 4,000 inhabitants, it was the seat of the medieval kingdom of Navarre. The Palacio Real still dominates the townscape. With its small crenelated towers and bays, it resembles a giant toy castle.

Olite also has a winery, the Bodegas Vega del Castillo, where townsfolk supply themselves mainly with table wine. They do so at a facility that is remarkably similar to a petrol station pump. First they choose the kind of wine they want, then they set the amount and pump the wine out of a nozzle into canisters they have brought.

A litre of Bodegas Vega del Castillo's Rosado costs exactly one euro (1.44 dollars), and a litre of its red wine from the Tempranillo grape costs 1.15 euros - considerably less expensive than petrol.

Internet: www.spain.info, www.turismo.navarra.es/eng/home, www.rutadelvinodenavarra.com/en/index.php

The U.S. actor Martin Sheen celebrated his 69th birthday in Galicia this Monday, where he and his actor-director son, Emilio Estevez, are seeking locations for their new film on the Camino de Santiago, ‘The Way’. Sheen’s father was from Salceda de Caselas, in Pontevedra.

He and his son will be back in Galicia in October to film scenes for the film in Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.

After attending the pilgrimage mass at the Cathedral on Monday, the actor met with the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who he presented with a signed DVD of his Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning series ‘The West Wing’. It was signed ‘From one president to another’.

Pilgrim friends: this is to inform you that the Asociación Galega de Amigos do Camiño do Santiago, AGACS, continuing their intention to offer hospitality in Galicia, have come to an agreement with the fransiscan community of the historic Convento de San Antonio de Herbón, in Padron to be responsable for, and offer shelter and hospitality to pilgrims on their way to Santiago. The albergue is cared for by pilgrims for pilgrims and offers shelter with the spirit of the original hospitality of the Camino of Santiago. With this in mind the Albergue de Peregrinos de San Antonio opens daily at 16.00 hours and has 22 places priority being given to pilgrims who have come on foot, IT IS NOR POSSIBLE TO ACCEPT GROUPS, PILGRIMS WIHT MOTOR TRANSPORT ASSISTANCE, NOT RESERVATATIONS

the places must be for those who arrive exhausted, tired and in need of finding somewhere to sleep. Within the traditional hospitality we also offer the evening meal and breakfast thus sharing your Camino in a place of peace and wellbeing.

To arrive at the albergue, in the village of San Xulían, in the Concello de Pontecesures, you come to a cross-road where if you turn to the left you continue the Camino Portugués towards Padron 2.7 Km, but if you turn to the right you take the "ALTERNATIVE" which will bring you to the Convento de Herbón 2.7 Km from the Camino Portugués. As you can see the distance from the cross-road to the albergue in Padron or to the albergue of Herbón is the same either way. In order to avoid any confusion for pilgrims we have marked the alternative to Herbón with red arrows and we have put this information notice at the cross-road.

Buen Camino, ultreia y "San Yago" adjuvanos

(USC) in collaboration with the Directorate-General of Tourism of the Regional Council of Galicia is organising a Course on the Spanish Language and St. James’ Way from 6th to 24th October 2008. For the first two weeks participants will improve their Spanish and will be given classes on different aspects of St. James’ Way, history, culture, art and gastronomy by lecturers from the USC. In the third week the students will walk a section of the French Way, from O Cebreiro, accompanied by a lecturer. Places are limited. Includes academic fees, board and lodging and medical insurance. More information at www.usc.es/spanish

A FORMER Bridgwater greengrocer has completed a gruelling 778km walk across Spain to raise money for two vital charities.

George Cossey, former owner of Cossey Fruit and Vegetables, took part in the St James pilgrimage from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago in Spain with friend and fellow fundraiser Joe Bass.

Taking part in the pilgrimage was an ambition for George ever since he took a family holiday to western Spain 20 years ago.

People of all ages and cultures have been walking the Way of St James as a pilgrim route for over a thousand years.

It has been viewed as one of the three pilgrimages on which a plenary indulgence could be earned, the others being the Via Francigena to Rome route and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

After extensive preparation, the pair set off on their journey at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on April 13 and arrived at their final destination, Santiago, on May 15.

advertisementA proud George said: "It was a remarkable experience. On the way, we stopped off in basic accommodation, such as pilgrim refuges and hostels, but we met so many different kinds of people from 29 countries.

"We even met a 73-year old woman who had started her journey in Bordeaux!"

He added: "Although there were people on the pilgrimage who were not as fit as us, it was wonderful to see so many people taking part.

"Witnessing the pilgrims' mass at midday in Santiago made the whole trip worthwhile and, although we walk a lot, we have yet to plan any more pilgrimages."

Together, the pair have raised over £4,000 for the St Margaret's Somerset Hospice and St Julia's Hospice in Cornwall.

Forget the flamenco. What about some stirring reels from a Galician piper?

Far from the golden sands of Andalucia, beyond the great plains of Castile, a different Spain awaits along the Atlantic, a land of cloud-wrapped crags, apple orchards – and equally fine beaches. ‘Green Spain’ stretches from the stylish resorts of the Basque coast, through mountainous Asturias to reach Galicia, with its lingering Celtic heritage

The Basque Country, Asturias, Cantabria and Galicia are all distinct regions, but they hold in common a zest for life, in particular a love of eating well. Lunch, the main meal, never kicks off before two; dinner is served some time after nine.

Whoever passes this way crosses paths with the Catholic Christian pilgrims who, for centuries, have followed the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela, where St James the Apostle supposedly lies buried.

Today’s pilgrims, around 100,000 in an average year, choose which sections of the trail to walk or ride, and what to spend on creature comforts along the way. Pilgrim hostels stand ready with bunkrooms, but countless bars, cafes and hotels also cater to the itinerants.

On the Basque coast, San Sebastian is an elegant nineteenth-century resort where Queen Maria Cristina used to bathe within the privacy of her transportable cabin. With its pair of perfect sandy bays and its fin-de-siecle charm, this could be the most delightful small city you’ll find anywhere in Europe.

Apart from their ancient and inscrutable language, the Basques keep up a rich tradition of gastronomy. Tapas is the best-known expression of Spanish culinary arts, and Basque pintxos raise this art to a pinnacle. Meanwhile, three-star Michelin chef Juan Mari Arzak conjures up exquisite banquets for those in the know.

The route west continues through Guernica, the traditional Basque capital bombed by Hitler’s aircraft during the Spanish Civil War 60 years ago. The fishing towns, the hamlets and the homesteads of the Biscay coast appear through rain showers. Granite-walled towns huddle around harbours for the fishing fleets, which ensure that Spaniards consume more seafood than anyone else, barring the Japanese.

In Bilbao, once better known for steel than for style, the Guggenheim spaceship landed 10 years ago, but the world’s leading architects continue to redefine the city. Bright, shiny colour-coded tramcars glide past the iconic art museum, with piped Tchaikovsky playing on board. Even so, pilgrims still tramp through the narrow streets of the old city, where the St James Cathedral has been completely rebuilt although its original Pilgrims Gate remains intact.

Our road continued west, through Cantabria into the Principality of Asturias, a lush, mountainous region which jealously guards its Spanish-ness – and produces superlative cheeses. In Asturias, the Reconquest began, the eight-hundred-year campaign to win back Christian Spain from the Muslim conquerors from North Africa.

In Oviedo, the Asturian capital, we picked up the pilgrim trail once again. One wall of the Cathedral is pockmarked with slots where ladders were once fixed, so the weary and dishevelled pilgrims might scramble up to their own gallery.

Across the Ria do Eo begins Galicia, where the local people speak a version of Portuguese. Further southwest on the main pilgrims’ route, the thirteenth-century cathedral of Mondonedo blends Gothic and Baroque styles. Our most vivid memories, however, are from lunching on Galician fairground treats: pulpos a feria, cubed octopus with paprika; pimientos de padrone, baked green peppers; local smoked cheese, beans with clams, and all washed down with red wine from the Ribeira Sacra (‘sacred river’) region.

At Sobrado, another grand monastery has been restored although an echoing, mildewed chapel remains stripped of furnishings. Bunkrooms accommodate the passing pilgrims.

Near Melide, walkers tramp along stone-flagged paths, crossing a stream on a medieval stone bridge as the routes to Santiago converge. Those who have hiked at least 150km will soon present themselves to the Pilgrim Office in Santiago to receive their certificate. Three middle-aged Germans had tramped 740 kilometres from Pamplona, covering the distance in four weeks. None were normally active walkers: ‘every town you reach is like climbing a summit’, one told me.

The aisles are stacked with backpacks at the midday Pilgrims’ Mass at the Cathedral of St James in Santiago de Compostela, consecrated in 1211. Between celebrations of Mass, the faithful file up into a chamber behind the altar, brushing past the apostle’s head, then down into the crypt to view the legendary silver casket. In times past, pilgrims would ceremonially burn their travelling rags up on the granite slabs of the cathedral roof.

Housing, feeding and ministering to the pilgrims is a long-established custom. Santiago’s finest hotel, the Parador dos Reyes Catolicos, was constructed as a pilgrim hospital around 1520.

The modern-day pilgrim need not forsake the pleasures of the flesh. This is the way to enjoy Galician barnacles: take hold, twist and withdraw the edible portion, not much bigger than your thumbnail. Pardon? Well, move on to the clams or just hold fire until the three-kilogram baked sea bass makes a grand appearance. Lunch would not be complete without postres or sweets, which in Santiago includes the local almond cake, and of course thick black coffee.

Pilgrims often continue on to Finisterre or Fisterra, in Roman times the end of the known world. In spite of the disastrous Prestige oil spill of Dec 2003, these cold, dark Atlantic waters still teem with life.

Philip Game travelled as a guest of Spanish Tourism

In May 2005, Michael Walker and his wife set off on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, in northern Spain. We publish an extract of his pilgrim's diary

May 28, 2005 Bilbao to Ponferrada



By train (9.15am-3.45pm). Deep rocky chasms line streams and then “the plain” — flat, vast and treeless. Then more chasms and Ponferrada, a new town, characteristically joyless. But then we find the old town across the river with its castle in ruins and behind it a smart, new plaza where we have beer and potatoes in a spicy sauce while watching the town’s youth perform tricks on bicycles. Then a wedding — women in glorious reds and greens and most elegant. Much kissing. The men stop at the bar for a drink and a cigarillo. Then the bride in ivory white and her groom. They vanish into the church in the corner of the plaza.



May 29 Villafranca del Bierzo



A most extraordinary refugio run by a former monk, Dom Jésus Jato.



Old, rickety and delightful. We are put on our own in a dark overflow room of bunks and blankets because the place is full. Too late for supper, we go down into the town to eat an indifferent meal, struggling to make ourselves understood. It is always strange if exciting arriving in an alien culture, particularly when one can barely communicate. The Spanish “can talk”.



May 30 Triacastela



This is a large stone complex geared entirely to pilgrims (peregrinos). We ordered milky coffee and bocadillos (great hunks of bread with ham or cheese inside) and set off. The way is well marked with either an emblem of St James’s shell set in the wall or a yellow arrow. There are also milestones with little piles of pebbles perched on top.



After we had arrived we were invited to the church in a field on the edge of the village for a pilgrims’ service at 7pm. The priest summoned a French woman pilgrim to join him at the altar, together with a German in braces and me, the only English person there apart from my wife, Candy. We each in our respective language read a passage from Luke 24 about Christ’s mysterious appearance to some of the Apostles on the road to Emmaus after his crucifixion which I had found strangely moving some four or five weeks earlier when it was read at Clare Priory in Norfolk.



May 31 Samos



We are deliberately going slowly, having reckoned that otherwise we will arrive in Santiago far too soon. Our destination is Samos and a Benedictine monastery. No blankets, so spartan.



June 1 Barbadelo



Up and away at some ungodly hour. The air wet and crisp; mist hanging in the valleys. Silence. Emptiness. Peace. Back to the familiar medieval Pilgrim’s Way lined with oaks. Bagpipe music lures us to an albergue with a warren of rooms stuffed with beds. That evening, over supper, Pilar, a pretty Galician, comes up and asks why we are walking the camino. I reply we had recently lost one of our children, Sam, aged 19, and that we were walking the camino to try to make sense of it, to try to get closer to God.



June 3 Ligonde



Living this way is exhilarating. You never know what awaits you or whom. More than anything there is a most unusual camaraderie between us peregrinos despite our language barrier. It is as if we have all been liberated from the vexations of daily life.



June 9 Cape Finnestere - off the pilgrim route



This is the very end of the Old World (finis terra) — nothing was known beyond this point till 1492. I sat on the terrace of a bar looking at a fishing harbour much like Padstow, with fishing boats at anchor and chaps paddling in skiffs.



June 10 Santiago de Compostela



A two-and-a-half-hour bus journey back from Cape Finnestere through rugged, mountainous countryside of pine and eucalyptus forests ends at our ultimate destination: a medieval city in stone, of narrow streets lined with bars, restaurants, souvenir shops. The place is teeming with pilgrims, holidaymakers and street musicians playing the ubiquitous bagpipes. There are a few beggars; one very small and twisted sitting by one of the doors into the cathedral which is vast and ornate — Baroque gone mad with an over-the-top sanctuary behind the altar in gold, and many painted plaster or wooden cherubim framing a statue of St James, Sant Iago. Outside is a magnificent square (plaza) banned to traffic so that it can easily accommodate many hundreds of people.



We have been given our compostello, with our names in Latin, to prove that we have walked the camino. We attended the pilgrims’ Mass in the cathedral. It was quite a bunfight as sightseers poured in, chattering, at the back while a great conclave of red-robed priests conducted the service.



The sermon was long and incomprehensible, but the Pater Noster we could join in singing. I cannot say that we have had a religious experience walking the camino, but it has been a pleasantly contemplative one.



For information on how to do the camino de santiago, contact the Confraternity of St James



www.csj.org.uk



Foto: Timesonline

AVILES, Spain, May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Novelist Paulo Coelho today announced the 20th Anniversary of The Alchemist, kicking off a yearlong celebration in Aviles, Spain and across the web. Coelho, invited by the Niemeyer Foundation, will host a special exhibition of his works and a live podcast taking questions both online and in person, and later posting the show on YouTube, Seesmic and MySpace.

The exhibition and podcast boast a complete behind-the-scenes look at Coelho's editorial work that led to The Alchemist becoming one of the world's best selling books, with more than 100 million copies sold in over 67 languages. The two-day event will also have a human element with a photography display demonstrating the diversity of its readers, the original manuscript and other related objects to the history of book.



"Every time I hear his name, I say with great pride that I, too am Brazilian," said Oscar Niemeyer, architect, centenarian, and founder of the Niemeyer Foundation. "I feel very honored to belong to the Advisory Council of the Niemeyer Centre and pleased to have the event in Spain," said Paulo Coelho.



To celebrate the twentieth anniversary, Editorial Planeta, Coelho's publisher issued a commemorative edition of The Alchemist along with previously unpublished materials as a tribute to the book and the author's extraordinary ability to communicate and in honor of the readers.



Coelho is also turning towards the web to communicate the event and in recent years has shared his work through BitTorrent, Netvibes, MySpace and YouTube. Most recently he has added Seesmic, the video conversation plug-in to accept questions before the event through his blog and on Seesmic.



"When you want something, the whole universe conspires to make your desire," Said Coelho. "Just learn to listen to what the heart dictates and to decipher the language that goes beyond words."



The Alchemist tells the story of a young Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago, who leaves his native Spain to travel to Egypt after having a dream of finding treasure there. Along the way he meets with a mysterious alchemist, learning about life, luck and fulfilling his dreams. The Weinstein Company with Laurence Fishburne, star of "The Matrix" who is set to direct, produce and star in the project, is currently adapting the story for the screen.



About Paulo Coelho:



The Brazilian author Paulo Coelho was born in 1947 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Before dedicating his life completely to literature, he worked as theatre director and actor, lyricist and journalist. In 1986, Paulo Coelho did the pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostella, an experience later to be documented in his book The Pilgrimage. In the following year, Coelho published The Alchemist. Slow initial sales convinced his first publisher to drop the novel, but it went on to become one of the best selling Brazilian books of all time. Other titles include Brida (1990), The Valkyries (1992), By the River Piedra I sat Down and Wept (1994), the collection of his best columns published in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo entitled Maktub (1994), the compilation of texts, Phrases (1995), The Fifth Mountain (1996), Manual of a Warrior of Light (1997), Veronika Decides to Die (1998), The Devil and Miss Prym (2000), the compilation of traditional tales in Stories for Parents, Children and Grandchildren (2001), Eleven Minutes (2003), The Zahir (2005).



During the months of March, April, May and June 2006, Paulo Coelho traveled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostella in 1986. He also held surprise book signings -- announced one day in advance -- in some cities along the way, to have a chance to meet his readers. In ninety days of pilgrimage the author traveled around the globe and took the famous Transiberrian train that took him to Vladivostok. During this experience Paulo Coelho launched his blog, Walking the Path -- The Pilgrimage in order to share with his readers his impressions. Since this first blog Paulo Coelho has expanded his presence in the Internet with his daily blogs in Wordpress, MySpace & Facebook. He is equally present in media sharing sites such as YouTube and Flickr, offering on a regular basis not only texts but also videos and pictures to his readers. From this intensive interest and use of the Internet sprang his bold new project: The Experimental Witch, where he invites his readers to adapt to the screen his book, The Witch of Portobello. You can still subscribe in this experiment! Indeed Paulo Coelho is a firm believer of Internet as a new media and is the first Best-selling author to actively support online, free distribution of his work.



go to: http//www.blogtalkradio.com/paulo-coelho.



PHOTO: REUTERS

I want to do the Way of Santiago "the fetishes actor of some directors as Ingmar Bergman and protagonist as" the exorcist "received a tribute by his entire trajectory in the Fantasporto festival.

People remember him playing chess with the death in the seventh seal and also giving life to Merrin father in the exorcist or his character in Pelle the Conqueror. It has several imminent films of opening and shortly he confronts his illusionist project for the 2008, to put himself under the direction of Martin Scorsese in Shutter Island, in which he will share the protagonist with Leonardo Di

The chain of hotels hosteltur will create seven luxury hotels distributed by the Galician section of the French Way, network that it hopes to have operative for the next Holly Year of 2010.

Each establishment will count on 44 rooms and they will be located in Padornelo (O Cebreiro), Triacastela, Barbadelo (Sarria), Toxibó (Portomarín), Carballal (Palas de Rei), Castañeda (Arzúa) and Santa Irene (O Pino).

Between its supplied services it emphasizes the Galician cook, mini spa, attention to bikes and stables.

Through these facilities, the business men indicate that they try to reach a new "pilgrim of the way" and not to the present pilgrim of the Galician route.

They want the client that comes from the centre of Europe and that arrives at the destiny by organized trips.

Our friend Acacio Da Paz send us this article in galego

Viver no caminho.

Primeiramente peço desculpas pelos erros ou termos diferentes do nosso idioma português/brasileiro/galego. O mais importante é que por este meio e forma, posso compartilhar a minha descoberta com todo o Universo Galego.

O idioma comum ajudou, no meu caso, para a tomada de decisão de fincar minhas raízes no Caminho de Santiago. Com muito orgulho pude instalar-me aqui, nos 819 Km. do Caminho Francês, falando meu Galego/Português durante 9 anos em que exerci de voluntário-hospitaleiro; e hoje como proprietário de um refúgio de peregrinos, onde moro com minha companheira Italiana Orietta Prendin, que também fala Galego.

Muitos gostariam de viver no Caminho de Santiago.

Como , Por quê?

No caminho desde St. Jean Pied de Port até Fisterra pode-se dizer que se fala Galego; uma língua natal para nós, brasileiros, que facilita e dá oportunidades de fincar âncora no Caminho a qualquer peregrino originário desta nossa lusofonia.

Hoje existem 4 brasileiros que se dedicam ao caminho de Santiago como hospitaleiros fixos; que vivem e usufruem deste mundo fantástico que envolve peregrinos de todo o mundo. Mas ainda há outros voluntários brasileiros que se candidatam para os meses de maior fluxo de peregrinos.

Atendendo aos dados estatísticos fornecidos pela Oficina de Peregrinos, este ano de 2007 foram mais de 5.000 os peregrinos originários de países lusófonos que fizeram o Caminho: 4.001 peregrinos Portugueses e mais os 1.395 Brasileiros. E isto sem contar as próprias pessoas da Galiza. Deste modo, o idioma galego adopta uma posição de privilégio numa Rota Milenar que, assim, empapa da sua verdadeira origem lingüístico-cultural.

O caminho de Santiago é rico pela sua própria originalidade; é o que é. Cada um aqui pode exprimir o que carrega dentro de si e para todos, não importando o idioma, sexo, cor, ou credo, e ajuda a colocar para fora seus verdadeiros sentimentos e cultura.

A cada ano encontro com peregrinos que querem estar mais tempo pelo caminho e fazer dele a sua morada, seu albergue, seu caminho, e muitos perguntam como fazê-lo. Na verdade, não tenho a fórmula de como viver no caminho de Santiago. O importante é que cada um esteja ciente e consciente de que é um caminho sem volta. Depois de tomar esta decisão e começar a compartir a experiência, ela certamente muda a vida de qualquer ser humano. Não pretendo interferir esta grande tomada de decisão, mas apenas me coloco a seu lado para fazer melhor aconselhamento.

Este ano completo meus 9 anos fazendo parte deste percorrido. Humildemente vivo dele e para ele, aprendendo de todas as pessoas, verdadeiros peregrinos universais, que por cá se deixam ver. E me alegro imensamente de ter escolhido esta vida e este lugar, incomensurável fonte de conhecimento.

Entregando-nos podemos todos chegar aonde cada um gostaria de estar, mas é um caminho que necessita ser feito passo a passo. Todos podem estar em um caminho e fazer parte dele. Todos têm os mesmos direitos e todos podem estar aqui ou em qualquer lugar, pois um caminho não tem dono, não tem propriedade, somos livres para fincar nossa âncora em qualquer lugar que nos sentirmos bem.

Como fala meu amigo Paulo Coelho; quando desejamos alguma coisa o Universo conspira a nosso favor.

Estou aqui para facilitar o caminho dos amigos Peregrinos e da família peregrina que tem o desejo de ser um dia voluntário. Não sou o único a fazer isso, estou apenas oferecendo uma parte de mim para todos que gostariam de começar seu caminho, sendo facilitador com algumas informações básicas. Não é a verdade e tampouco um manual de sobrevivência, não é nada que não possam fazer todos. Estou de coração aberto para compartir as experiências do caminho donde hoje posso oferecer um pouco para aqueles que desejam começar outra maneira de caminhar.

Claro que estou aqui graças a muitas pessoas que me ajudaram e ainda me ajudam, e a todos aqueles que chegam em minha vida sempre facilitando meus passos e minhas etapas. Sem estas pessoas eu não poderia manter-me por tanto tempo, e a cada dia tenho a surpresa de conhecer mais e mais peregrinos que ajudam a fazer de meu dia mais alegre e mais feliz. Estes anjos do caminho; como chamamos, são o maior presente que o caminho oferece a cada um de quem vivemos nesta ruta. O aqui e agora é real, o universo conspira e fala com todos que abrem seu coração e a vontade chega para os momentos de mais necessidade.

Obrigado caminho , obrigado peregin@s do caminho, obrigado a todos que fazem parte de mim, que em cada passo dado chegam para unir todos os seres deste planeta que na realidade SOMOS UM SÓ, SOMOS TODOS PARENTES.

Todos podem, todos sabem e todos merecem estar aqui.

Acácio da Paz

(Peregrino do caminho de Santiago).

e.mail: acaciopaz@hotmail.com

That amount will be destined to support the infantile school that the athlete James Moiben has in Ziwa (Kenya), with about 200 children.

The first edition of the marathon of the Way, that will be celebrated the 2 of March, tries to collect money to help the infantile school that the Kenyan athlete James Moiben - who has residence in Spain has created in this country. The club Maratón Rioja has been organizing for years an athletic test in the La Riojan section of the Way of Santiago, more than 40 kilometres that they are crossed in two days.

Altogether they hope to have about 250 participants, and they try to collect as minimum 2,000 euros, it has explained, Eugene García, the president of the club Maratón Rioja

The School of Tourism San Lorenzo of Huesca initiates today the XVII edition of its Gastronomically Weeks, dedicated in this occasion to "the Cook of the Way of Santiago".

Between Tuesday and the next Friday it will be selected 16 recipes between the 70 that it will concur.

On Tuesday, the menu is made up of txangurro and cockles, tuna with green young garlic and chestnuts and crepes of cheese of tetilla (typical Spanish cheese).

The City council of Amposta and the Association of Friends of the Way of Sant Jaume of the Ebro, are pleased in inviting to all those that wish it to visit the photographic exhibition "Way of Santiago", that it will be inaugurated now in the fourth of December in the lobby of the Local Library ebastiá Juan Arbó. The exhibition has counted with the collaboration of the Association of Friends of Santiago de Zaragoza

It will remain open until day 16 of December



Schedule of visits: from 10 to 13 H. and from 16 to 20H.

After 2010 there will not be another Holly Year until 2021. Therefore is very possible that the Pope, Benedicto XVI, make the decision to visit Compostela during the next jubileo.

People next to the Vatican guarantee this hypothesis that by third time in the history of Santiago will welcome to his Sanctity.

The Madrilenian metropolitan newspaper ABC even gave already by confirmed the stays in the capitals of Spain and Galicia.

For Benedicto XVI it could be 2010 the only occasion to visit Compostela to participate in the celebrations of the Jubilee Year, since, given its age, the following call would considerably suppose an expanded term.

The area of Culture of the City council of Jaca has organized an open symposium in Albergue of pilgrims that will begin the days 12 and 13 of November, from six to eight in the afternoon.

It will include conferences.

Monday 12 will begin the symposium with a visit to the albergue. Next, it will take place two talks titled them "Peregrination from Somport to Santiago", in charge of Mariano Sevilla, and "the legacy of the Way of Santiago", in charge of Belen Luque. Tuesday 13 it will be another visit to the albegue at six o’clock in the afternoon. Later, Immaculada Suárez will pronounce a conference on the "Birth of the pilgrim refuge of Jaca"

The albergue of Jaca is located in the street de la Salud.

It has 32 seats of lodging and other services, as dinning room and kitchen.

Alatoz welcomed by fourth consecutive year the walk of the Route de la Lana to promote the Way of Santiago.

Last Sunday the walk was organized by the Association of Friends of the Way of Santiago de Albacete (ACSAB). As it is already usual every autumn, the ACSAB, with the collaboration of the City council of Alatoz and the University of Alicante, it organized a new edition of the March by the Route de la Lana in Alatoz, with the purpose of presenting the Ways of Santiago of Albacete.

The idea arose in November of 2004, when the first edition was celebrated, to promote the Ways of Santiago de Albacete.

The Xacobeo begins to privatize the management of its network of shelters.

The Government will assign the service to a company the 28 of November and from the first of January the refuges will stop being gratuitous.

The Xunta has initiated the proceedings to assign to the private capital the ordinary management of the public network of shelters of the Way of Santiago, concept that includes all those routes that arrive in Compostela the well-known (French) like seven considered smaller: English, Portuguese, primitive, arousana, Ruta de la Plata, the north and Fisterra.

There are many ways to go to Santiago de Compostela, although the passage of stars and the traditions has turned to the French Way the favourite of the pilgrims to arrive at the tomb of the apostle.

The fame of the route that starts from Roncesvalles attracts so much people that nowadays it becomes a route with too much pilgrims. For that reason, who flee from this decides to choose other alternatives like the Way of the North.

Of the five great routes that run by the peninsula, the Way of the North is second more journeyed, after the French and before of the Ruta de la Plata that leaves from the proximities of Seville.

The Way of the North begins in Irún and it has 32 stages, of which nine are in the Basque Country - four in Guipúzcoa and five in Vizcaya -.

Altogether are approximately 803 kilometers of walking by the mount and hard ascents that they have it recompense with the beautiful landscape.

We have the pleasure to announce the new extraordinary book guide of the Way of Santiago in 6 languages (English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish). With the title "THE WAY OF SANTIAGO" is developed by stages, with description of each one of them, from Somport (Aragonese French Way) and from Saint Jean Pied de Port (Navarrese French Way) to Santiago de Compostela. Each stage also contains, in addition to the description, the profile and the small-scale map, and brief review of each locality by where it runs. More than 1,000 photography’s of extraordinary beauty, all of them 100% pilgrim.