<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; color: #000099'><div style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><div><div><div><div><div><font style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> </font><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT525"></span></font><font style="font-style: italic;" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT526"></span></font></div></div></div></div></div></div><span></span><b>From: </b>"Jennifer Gaines" <jgaines@clamsnet.org><br><br><p style="margin: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Event: Travel Talk: Camino de Santiago</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Date: Saturday, Feb 19, 1:30</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Place: Woods Hole Public Library, 581 Woods Hole Rd</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">An illustrated talk about the ancient pilgrim route across northern Spain, the Camino de Santiago, will be presented<span style=""> </span>at the Woods Hole Public Library on Saturday afternoon February 19 at 1:30. The speakers will be Ellie and Rich Armstrong of Woods Hole who walked for three weeks on the ancient route last June.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Pilgrims have trekked this route for more than 1,500 years, seeking the final resting place of the remains of St. James. The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain owes its origin to the discovery, in what is now Galicia, of the tomb of the Apostle James the Great sometime early in the 9th century. It probably achieved its greatest popularity in the 12th century, when it came to rival Rome and Jerusalem as goals of Christian pilgrimage, and though it declined thereafter, it has never been entirely forgotten. In recent years it has seen a renewed surge of interest, and in 1987 it was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">The Camino is actually a network of paths beginning in many places in Europe including Paris and parts of Germany, coming together in a few passes over the Pyrenees mountains, and across northern Spain, all the routes finishing at the town of Compostela, in the north-western corner of Spain. Rich and Ellie started on a part of the Camino in south-western France, walking in that country for two days before hiking over the Pyrenees into Spain. By the time they reached the end of their journey, they had walked about 250 kilometres. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style=""> </span>Every fifteen years there are special holy years when even more <span style=""> </span>pilgrims walk the Way. 2010 was one of those holy years and as a result, the Armstrongs met many other people on the trail, walking and talking with pilgrims <span style=""> </span>from France , Holland, England, and Japan, as they all wended their way towards Compostela. Some were on bicycles; one was on a horse. They proceeded through all kinds of terrain, across streams, fields, farms, mountains, and even several cities just as pilgrims have done over the centuries</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Ellie and Rich travelled with ATG (Alternate Travel Groups), a British company that specializes in walking tours, providing guides and luggage transfers. In several cases, when the Camino went through what have become industrial zones, ATG arranged transport for the group.<span style=""> </span>They stayed in a variety of accommodations: pensiones, small hotels, Bed & Breakfasts, all pre-arranged by ATG.<span style=""> </span>The Armstrongs have travelled with this company on several of their other European walking trips and are very satisfied. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style=""> </span>Along the way they were able to visit the traditional hostels for pilgrims, many of them in monasteries and convents. Occasionally they were able to break away from the group when they arrived in towns for the evening and searched for even more of the local culture. One night they discovered colorful <span style=""> </span>flamenco dancers with their clicking castanets accompanied by a guitarist. Another time they entered a medieval church only to discover a rehearsal of a medieval musical group, their harmonies echoing from the ancient rafters. All these side trips enriched their enjoyment of the land they walked through.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">This talk marks the beginning of the Library’s annual series of travel talks. They will all be held in the meeting room on the lower level which is handicapped accessible. All the talks are free and open to the public. For more information either call the Library at 508-548-8961 or visit the <span style=""> </span>website at www.woodsholepubliclibrary.org.</span></p>
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<p>Jennifer S. Gaines<br>
Woods Hole Public Library<br>
Woods Hole, MA 02543<br>
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508-548-8961</p></div></body></html>