Lace up your hiking boots, limber up your legs and set out on an unforgettable pilgrimage to Spain’s holy city, Santiago de Compostela. Join Judy Colaneri, seasoned Spanish Steps guide, and Lydia B. Smith, Director/Producer of The Camino Documentary, on the walk of your life as we trace the footsteps of the millions of pilgrims who have ventured across the Iberian Peninsula for over 1,000 years.
The remains of St. James, apostle of Jesus Christ, are said to be buried beneath the grand cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Based on the 9th c. folklore of a lone shepherd being led to the disciple’s bones by a beam of celestial light, the journey to Santiago has become a popular modern-day trek. In 2010 alone, about 300,000 people set foot on the trail, each one a seeker of something.
For some travelers, the Camino remains a quest of deep faith; others seek a unique cultural immersion and some are in it for the sheer adventure. Today, the path is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and the Council of Europe named it the first European Cultural Itinerary.
A 10-day Walking Tour with Spanish Steps and The Camino Documentary offers a rare sense of history, dramatic sight-seeing, and a comfortable daily regimen of hiking across the Spanish countryside. The peaceful pace of foot travel provides an extraordinary perspective on this fascinating part of the world.
€500 of your cost is fully tax - deductible and will go straight to finishing the film, which follows five strangers from around the world as they attempt the entire 500-mile trek on foot with only a backpack, a pair of boots and an open mind. On this exclusive tour, you will have the one-of-a-kind opportunity to see the Camino firsthand and through the eyes of the filmmaker.
We will meet in the city of León, renowned for its 13th c. cathedral’s awe-inspiring stained glass. From there, we will travel westward across the regions of Castilla y León and Galicia with a support vehicle. While loping across the Camino’s rolling hills, hikers can gaze out at the serene grasslands, quaint hamlets, lush eucalyptus groves, ancient castles and vineyards bustling from the fall grape harvest.
We will average 8 - 14 miles a day, with shorter options available to suit each traveler’s needs. Tour guides will be available at landmarks and cities along the way, offering expert background information on the route. You will even get a chance to meet the experts, hospitaleros and other faces from the film!
Breakfasts, dinners, land transportation and nightly hotel stays are provided. For lunch, pilgrims are encouraged to explore the villages, sip coffee at charming plaza cafés, and sample local wine and tapas from popular bodegas.
We will walk the last 100 kilometers into Santiago so that you may recieve a Compostela, the official document from the grand cathedral in Santiago recognizing your completion of the Camino. We look forward to walking with
you this fall!
Tour Dates:
October
17th-26th, 2011
Tour Price
€2500
Space is limited, so reserve your spot early!
To book and find out more, contact:
Judy Colaneri
(877) 787-WALK
spanishsteps2010@gmail.com
www.spanishsteps.com
Lydia B. Smith
(310) 663-6256
lydia@caminodocumentary.org
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Judy Colaneri, owner of Spanish Steps, has been leading tours since 1996. Ever since taking her first steps along the Camino, she was hooked. Judy is also a culinary trained chef in Aspen, Colorado and spends 8 months out of the year personally guiding adventurous travelers through her favorite part of the world: Spain.
Lydia B. Smith, Director & Producer of The Camino Documentary, walked the Camino during the spring of 2008, and the effects it had on her have been truly life-changing. While doing the pilgrimage, she realized that she was not fulfilling her life’s purpose. Since the Camino is all about stepping out of one’s comfort
zones, Lydia felt called to step into her full potential and direct her first feature-length film: The Camino Documentary.
