[Gocamino] Walter Starkie's book

[Elin Fowler]

Hello,just a word from a longtime but silent member of the list>
Walter Starkie's book set me on a path of many years' delight and discovery.
I first read it in 1967 while working on an undergraduate degree in Spanish,
and while preparing a report on the knightly orders in Spain. (The Order of
Santiago was one of them).

My Episcopal parish was named St. James, and my first delight was
discovering all the legends and lore of Santiago Apostol. The Camino was not
so well known in America then, at least among my acquaintances and fellow
church members, so we claimed the saint as "ours".

We celebrated a Feast of St. James each year, and learned about the
traditional foods, music and stories. One year the choir learned "Herru
Santiago, grot Santiago.." and processed into the church wearing hooded
robes and playing recorders.

Later I visited S.de Compostela several times; in 1999 I studied there at
the University for a summer and experienced the Holy Year at the turn of the
century. I planned to walk the Camino, but never was able to do so.  I have
loved this list and the previous one, and I've loved talking with pilgrims
I've met through the years.  My husband and I visited Toronto for the
American Pilgrims conference several years ago and again wished we could
have walked when we were younger and more able. (we are 73;in fact, we met
the year I almost decided to become a pilgrim!)

I still teach Spanish, even though retired from high school teaching; I'm an
adjunct at a local university. I encourage folks from my area in
investigating the Camino.

Thanks to everyone for the continued interest in the list.

Elin Mulllins
Marietta, Georgia 
 
>> Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2007 17:14:54 +0200
>> From: sillydoll at gmail.com
>> To: eileen.hamer at insightbb.com
>> CC: gocamino at oakapple.net
>> 
>> But, I *would* like to recommend Walter Starkie's classic account of his
>> pilgrimages to Santiagio to anyone who hasn't already read it.  His book,
>> more than any other, switched historians, art critics etc onto the old
>> camino path.
>> In the book - The Pilgrimage to Santiago by Linda Davidson and David
>> Gitlitz, Linda says: "David's imagination had been fired by Walter 
>> Starkie's
>> vivid account of his pilgrimage experiences in the 1950's.."
>> Abrazos,
>> Sil
>>
>>