Big Gee in Action
From Caminosantiago.com: "Follow the yellow arrow. Over more than a thousand years, the Route to Santiago has been trodden by millions of feet. The most important holy route of christianity attracted millions of Europeans in the Middle Ages, and people from the world over in the late 20 C. After some centuries of abandonment, the pilgrimage recommenced. Some of the pilgrims who follow the route are motivated by religion, while others set out in search of adventure.
For many centuries thousands of pilgrims have followed the diverse ways through Europe that joined the French Route in Spain, the official and best-known route. The works of recovery and signposting have extended to these secondary routes, where the yellow arrows and stone signs can also be found."
The long walk was approximately 725 miles from Toulouse in southern France to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. It is an old pilgrim's path described by some as a living museum. I left for Madrid September 29th and returned to the States December 2. I had time for siteseeing before and after.
Special thanks to the wonderful German couple, Tanja and Hartwig, who first started me thinking about Jakob's Way last year while trekked in Peru.
Also, a thank you to Allie who walked it in 2001 and gave me some first hand info. It looks like I will follow a year behind you on yet another trail. She also did the Appalachian Trail the year before me as Allison Wonderland. It seems she is thinking about a trip to Peru for the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. Finally, she is following after me!
Lastly, thanks to Jim Damico/Dragon's Breath, Wandering the World. He is another that I have used as a resource for both the AT and the Camino. He started his hike several weeks ahead of me.