In today's episode of the podcast, Elyse Rivin of Toulouse Guided Walks shares a brief history of the Chemin de Compostelle, how it evolved over the several hundred years and what it looks like today. Walking the Chemin de Compostelle is more popular than ever, even for pilgrims who are not religious at all. Many people walk a section of the Camino every year because it's good for the body and the soul as well.

Table of Contents for this Episode

• [00:00:00] Intro
• [00:02:04] The Pilgrimage
• [00:02:49] Pilgrimage routes in different religions
• [00:03:41] What matters most in this pilgrimage?
• [00:05:05] Kinds of pilgrimages
• [00:05:47] Why Compostelle?
• [00:07:04] James the Apostle
• [00:07:49] Spain didn’t work
• [00:08:15] Herod killed him
• [00:09:01] Took him out of Jerusalem
• [00:09:31] Washed out in Spain
• [00:09:53] Renewed interest in this spot in northern Spain
• [00:11:14] Discovery of Saint James’s remains
• [00:12:07] People started coming to the place
• [00:12:50] French monk
• [00:13:31] He wrote a detailed guidebook
• [00:14:23] Pushback
• [00:15:24] Promoted by Ferdinand and Isabella
• [00:15:56] Popularity wanes
• [00:17:17] Revival of pilgrimages
• [00:17:37] The pilgrimage routes
• [00:19:14] The seashell symbol
• [00:20:58] Souvenirs
• [00:22:23] Other symbols
• [00:22:44] The staff
• [00:25:30] The four routes
• [00:25:32] The first route from Paris: la Tour de Saint Jacques
• [00:28:17] The second route from Vézelay
• [00:29:28] The third route from Puy en Vélay
• [00:30:04] The fourth route
• [00:30:47] Doing the routes
• [00:31:06] Free lodging?
• [00:32:34] Apps and guides
• [00:32:55] Where to stay?
• [00:33:34] A fascrinating endeavor
• [00:34:43] Villages everywhere
• [00:35:51] Not a party route
• [00:37:27] Bicycle route?
• [00:38:45] Outro[00:38:45] Patrons
• [00:39:28] Video for patrons
• [00:39:55] Hire my services
• [00:40:55] Paris self-guided tours
• [00:41:43] French tip of the week
• [00:44:15] This week in French news
• [00:46:59] Travel news
• [00:47:50] Personal update
• [00:52:10] Reading Victor Hugo
• [00:53:34] Closing
• [00:54:49] Legal notice

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