Walking the Camino: A Modern Pilgrimage to Santiago
Tony Kevin
In May 2006, armed only with a small rucksack and a staff, Tony Kevin, an overweight, sedentary, 63-year-old former diplomat, set off on an eight-week trek across Spain. But this was not just a very long walk — it was a pilgrimage. Tony followed the Camino Mozárabe and the Vía de la Plata, two of the many pilgrim trails that crisscross Spain and Portugal and that all lead to a single destination. Every day towards noon, hundreds of hot, tired, and dusty pilgrims stream into Santiago Cathedral for the daily Pilgrim’s Mass. What, in our busy, materialistic 21st century, is this apparently anachronistic phenomenon all about? What drives tens of thousands of people of all nationalities and creeds to make long, exhausting walks across the cold mountains and hot tablelands of Spain, to take part finally in a medieval Christian liturgy of spiritual renewal and reconciliation with God? Walking the Camino beautifully captures the flavour of this epic journey, and is filled with fascinating observations and anecdotes about contemporary Spain. It is also a profound personal meditation on the nature of modern life.
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About Tony Kevin
Reviews for Walking the Camino: A Modern Pilgrimage to Santiago
Warren Brewer
Hobart Mercury
‘Go the distance with Kevin this one: it may well help inspire your own faith journey.’
Marjorie Lewis-Jones
Insights
‘In this lovely book about an inspiring journey, this 'rather overweight and sedentary 63-year-old man' writes about the enormous challenges of walking across Spain and the rewards he found in contemplation, reflection, and the spirit of fellowship he shared with his fellow travellers. This memoir is a deeply personal journey, but Kevin also ponders the old-fashioned notion of pilgrimage in the frenetic 21st century.’
Sunday Telegraph
‘Its strength ... is its observant, informed, humane reflectiveness. Kevin's excursions into practical advice alone make the book worthwhile.’
Gerard Windsor
Sydney Morning Herald
‘Walking the Camino is like a cold Spanish beer .... [Kevin] takes the less travelled trail from south to north; longer, but a lot more interesting. .... If you're brave or foolish enough to tackle the trip, Walking the Camino, as replete with travel tips as it is with wisdom, would be the perfect partner.’
Barry Oakley
Weekend Australian