At 32 years old, he desperately needed to find direction and meaningful purpose in his life. With no physical training, he decided his answers were waiting for him somewhere along the historic 490-mile pilgrimage route called the Camino de Santiago in Spain. From the physical high of crossing the Pyrenees Mountains to the mind numbing rhythm of walking through the endless wheat fields of the Meseta, the route was filled with many challenges. Accompanied by his “guru” wife Amy, Schirm faces setbacks like bed bugs and tendinitis, all in the pursuit of elusive answers. The lessons came from the serendipitous experiences and conversations with fellow pilgrims from all over the world. Sunrises to Santiago chronicles a wondrous journey of personal growth, physical pain, and outdoor adventure while teaching us all to enjoy life’s incredible journey.

    Once free, she discovers that leaving is really only fleeing if there's no new direction. Could this be the reason for her husband’s sudden inspiration?"I want us to walk the Camino de Santiago, it’s an 800 kilometer pilgrimage across Spain.”After deliberating the wisdom of walking 500 miles with no planning or physical conditioning and little religious faith, the two set off to walk the “Way of Saint James.”Their "no-plan” plan sets off a series of extraordinary events that can only be explained as divine intervention. It starts with an enigmatic suggestion from a former pilgrim who sends them off with a caution: "There are no coincidences on the Camino."The tale itself is a funny, fascinating pilgrim's progress seeded by unique characters and full of amazing surprises. Follow along the pilgrim's path as it shares its secrets on how to:Create a life that's unafraid of deathMake a leap of faith and land closer to paradiseExperience emotional lightness by carrying a smaller physical loadJourney without plans, and have more fun doing it

    Walk? 500 miles? Across Spain? We can't do that!And so began the journey of a lifetime for Reg Spittle.An outwardly well-adjusted professional and family man, Reg was a master of disguising a lifetime of debilitating anxiety that undermined his self-confidence.Recently retired, he never dreamed he'd soon find himself chasing distant boundaries across a foreign land, sleeping in dorm bunks and sharing bathrooms as if he were a teenager experiencing his gap year.When tragedy strikes, Reg reluctantly accepts his wife's challenge to carry his red backpack on the historic Camino de Santiago, confronting past fears and humiliations, while packing weighty new worries.Self-reflection, humor, and a recurring cast of characters create the backdrop for a story of hope in Camino Sunrise: Walking With My Shadows.

    James. Overview route planners plus daily stage maps and detailed town plans help sojourners with as much advance preparation as they need. The maps feature contour guides to help distinguish the terrain that will be crossed each day, while full information on all pilgrim hostels, as well as details for alternative accommodation, allow travelers to plot adequate nightly stopping points. All reference information is accompanied by helpful spiritual guidelines to support the seeker's inner journey as well as the outer pilgrimage. Otherwise known as the Camino Frances, the main route covered in this volume is the most popular sacred route through Spain, from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago.

    I was not a hiker and I wasn’t a Catholic. In fact, I wasn’t even sure I was a Christian. On the last government census when I had to state my religion, I said I was a Buddhist, mainly because they’ve had such a hard time in Tibet and I felt they needed my statistical support.”And so Bill Bennett, an Australian based film director, set off on an 800 kilometer walk across Spain to Santiago de Compostela, not sure why he was doing it, particularly when his knee gave out and the rest of the walk became a “pain management pilgrimage.” He kept his sense of humour though, and The Way, My Way takes you on a transformative spiritual journey that's both enlightening and also very funny.

    But you have questions, many questions: What does the daily life of a pilgrim actually look like? How big should your backpack be and do you need xyz? What is the best time to walk the Camino? Is it dangerous to walk alone, especially as a woman? What about the dangerous dogs you have heard so much about? Are there gender-separated showers and toilets in the pilgrim hostels? And when nature calls when you are on the trail, will there be outhouses or not? How can you prevent blisters and other health problems? Will you find enough places to buy food from or restaurants to eat in? And what about if you are vegetarian – will you find adequate food to keep you going? Do you need to speak Spanish to walk the Camino? Do you need to be religious and / or baptized to do The Way? Where does the Camino start and how long does it take to walk “The Whole Way”? And, and, and ... If these are your questions, then this book is for you. Read about what you need to know beforehand, what you need to take, and what you can leave at home - which is the most important bit! Read about how to prepare for the Camino de Santiago in a book written by two experienced pilgrims and hospitaleras that, between them, have walked more than 10,000 km / 6,000 mi on European pilgrimage routes in Spain, France and Italy and have looked after, over the years, ten thousands of pilgrims in over twenty different refugios (pilgrim hostels). Some of the many topics covered in this book are: Introduction into the daily pilgrim life – So that you know what to expect and what not. Movies like “The Way” are not always true to reality ;-) Which way and when? - Choosing the right Camino for you, and yes, there is a choice! And choosing the right time to go, plus many insider tips on how to experience a somewhat quieter Camino, even in the midst of the pilgrim season. A detailed explanation of the few things you need to take, where best to buy them and what to look out for when buying them. And a longer list of things you don't need to take and the reasons why. A lot of practical background information covering pretty much every aspect of the pilgrim life. Plus pilgrim stories out of our real life experience to make it a more entertaining read and a large appendix with many useful addresses and texts. Also included is a free download link to a template that will allow you to create your very own, personalized packing list for your very own Way. If you are still unsure if this is the book you are looking for – just use the “Click to look inside” function here on Amazon to get a good impression of it. In all cases, we want to wish you a ¡Buen Camino! - A Good Way! And yes, you will pick up a few essential Spanish pilgrim terms in this book also ...

    Amazon reviews show that this book resonates deeply among readers, hikers and armchair travelers alike. "While the narratives of other pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela are available in an array of languages, Soper stands out as a unique and rewarding guide.... for the quality and detail of her descriptive and narrative writing, as well as the interest level of her reflections.... Soper seems to have put as much care into her book as she did, indeed, into her pilgrimage. She imbued both works with dignity and relevance in a straightforward, honest manner that will not be lost on the reader. I tip my hat to a formidable traveler/writer." Judge, 22nd Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Part memoir, part travelogue, Steps Out of Time details the fascinating history and traditions of this ancient way, its breathtaking beauty, great food, and extraordinary camaraderie. As well, it conveys the realities of a secular pilgrim's journey - the pain, the hilarious situations, the unexpected, and the moving. It is also a deeply reflective memoir on aging and the pace of modern life as seen through the eyes of a fifty-seven-year-old wife, mother, and professional who worries that recently diagnosed medical conditions might prevent her from accomplishing her goal. Her gender, stage in life, age (and hopefully, her maturity!) set the stage for her journey and the discoveries she makes along the way. This book is a book that will resonate with anyone who has felt overwhelmed by the pace and demands of life and who remembers - but cannot seem to recreate - a life that was calmer, richer and more fulfilling. All who desire to take that first step of personal rediscovery will want to read Steps Out of Time.

    The amusingly told story of how and why a British couple escaped from noise, traffic and junk mail and built their home and their dream on water. An embarrassingly mouthy parrot, a cat that wants to walk on water and an antique toilet that swallows buttocks are just a few of the ingredients in what becomes a far from normal life.

    But the author takes on more than she bargained for when she buys a dream cottage near Budleigh Salterton on East Devon's Jurassic Coast. The problems begin before she has even moved in. Wheeler is left reeling when Plum Tree Cottage reveals a very unwelcome surprise. She then receives the shocking news that her mother – from whom she has been estranged for most of her life – has been sectioned. Against her will she returns to her hometown in ‘The North’ and is drawn back into a malfunctioning mother-daughter relationship. Living the dream by the seaside rapidly descends into a living hell as each day brings a new onslaught of domestic and mother-related disasters, in this powerful, tragicomic tale of relocation – and a maternal relationship – gone wrong.

    Febles has written a gripping tale that presents the tragic impact that the Castro Regime had on all aspects of life, for so many families – both then and now. Highly recommended!" The Columbia Review.

    Having spontaneously sold their house along with everything they owned they embarked on the road trip of a lifetime around Western Europe. Living in a camper van on a shoestring budget and accompanied by their two dogs, we follow them on the first leg of their epic journey through the beautiful French countryside on a simple quest for some warm Mediterranean sunshine. This is a light hearted and easy to read account of their often hilarious adventures.

    Heading to Australia after selling everything that he owns, apart from the contents of his rucksack, the story follows Paul Elliott’s four month journey around the continent.It chronicles his adventures and the myriad of people that he encounters in a humourous and entertaining way. Not only does he begin to find a direction for his life, he also begins to find his true self in an ultimately uplifting adventure.

    Seventy-nine days, a thousand miles, two countries, two mountain ranges, and three pairs of shoes later, they reached the Atlantic Ocean.More than two million pilgrims have walked the Way of Saint James, a long-distance hiking trail familiar to most Americans by its Spanish name, the Camino de Santiago. Each pilgrim has their own reason for undertaking the journey. For the Jusinos, it was about taking a break from the relentless pace of modern life and getting away from all their electronic devices. And how hard could it be, Beth reasoned, to walk twelve to fifteen miles a day, especially with the promise of real beds and local wine every night? Simple.It turned out to be harder than she thought. Beth is not an athlete, not into extreme adventures, and, she insists, not a risk-taker. She didn't speak a word of French when she set out, and her Spanish was atrocious. But she can tell a story. In Walking to the End of the World, she shares, with wry humor and infectious enthusiasm, the joys and travails of undertaking such a journey. She evocatively describes the terrain and the route’s history, her fellow pilgrims, and the villages passed, and the unexpected challenges and charms of the experience.Beth’s story is also about the assurance that an outdoor-based, boundary-stretching adventure is accessible to even the most unlikely of us. In her story, readers will feel that they, too, can get off their comfortable couches and do something unexpected and even spectacular.Walking to the End of the World is a warm-hearted and engaging story about an average couple going on an adventure together, tracing ancient paths first created in the tenth and eleventh centuries, paths that continue to inspire and reveal surprises to us today in the twenty-first.

    Hundreds of improvements and updates for the new tenth anniversary edition from CostaRicaGuide.com and Toucan Maps.2 sided, 39 in. x 26.25 in. (4.875 in. x 9 in. folded)Roads are clearly differentiated by color and line width for classes from limited access divided highways down to 4WD seasonal tracks - improved and even easier to see the main route to your destination at a glance.Locations and easy to read indexes are included for cities and towns, National Parks and other natural areas, beaches, rivers, peaks, volcanoes, waterfalls and the best hotels, lodges, resorts, restaurants and activities.Exclusiveso The only street level map in print for the entire Central Valley from the International Airport to San Jose.o Detailed maps of Arenal Volcano/Fortuna, Alajuela, Escazu, Heredia, Manuel Antonio/Quepos, Monteverde/Santa Elena, Playa Jaco, Playa Tamarindo/Langosta, Puerto Jimenez & Tenorio/Celeste.o Proprietary symbols for distinctively Costa Rican attractions like zip-line and hanging bridge canopy tours, butterfly gardens, waterfall rappelling, rain forest horseback rides, SCUBA, deep sea fishing, golf, white water rafting, trails and many more. See at a glance what to do where.o Driving distance table and mini map for calculating trip distances and estimating drive times.o Printed on high tech synthetic "paper" it s lightweight, durable & totally waterproof - works great as an emergency umbrella!o A few dozen useful English to Spanish phrase and word translations are provided in an inset. You will appreciate having 'What is the best way to get there?' and 'Can you please show me on the map?' at your fingertips if you need to ask directions.

    In this chronicle of his travels to this captivating place, Rudolph melds the ancient and the contemporary, the spiritual and the physical, in a book that is at once travel guide, literary work, historical study, and memoir.