Paris to the Pyrenees: A Skeptic Pilgrim Walks the Way of Saint James Audiobook (Free)

Driven by curiosity, wanderlust, and health crises, David Downie and his wife set out from Paris to walk across France towards the Pyrenees. Beginning within the Rue Saint-Jacques then trekking 750 kilometers south to Roncesvalles, Spain, their eccentric route takes 72 times on Roman streets and pilgrimage paths-an 1,100-year-old network of paths resulting in the sanctuary of Saint James the Greater. It is best known as Un Camino de Santiago de Compostela-“JUST HOW” for short. The object of any pilgrimage is an inward trip manifested in a long, reflective walk. For Downie, the inward trip fulfilled the outer one: a combined mix of self-discovery and physical regeneration. More than 200,000 pilgrims take the highly commercialized Spanish route each year, but few cross France. Downie experienced a goal: to look from Paris towards the Pyrenees on age-old paths, making the pilgrimage in his personal maverick way.