Customer Reviews

The Pilgrimage to Santiago (Lost and Found: Classic Travel Writing)

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Even though it was written over 20 years ago, this is probably the best book on the pilgrimage to Santiago. Mullins is an architect with words. He turns 12c history into a series of vivid and interesting vignettes and tales, provides a wealth of fascinating detail --such as the digression about the origins of the word Compostella (Campo Stella)-- about churches (trends in Romanesque architectire), places and people. etc. etc. Better than anyone else, Mullins thoroughly covers the principal sights and stops along all four pilgrimage routes dissecting France -- right up to Puente la Reina southwest of Pamplona where they meet; he then leads you on the concluding stage of the journey to Burgos, Leon and finally Galicia.

In the late 80s I covered some of the routes between Paris and Santiago de Compostella. Only after reading his book had I realized how much I had missed. Even though Mullins does not paint himself as a believer, he conveys a certain spirituality with which a believer can relate. One of the best aspects of his book is that quite often he actually gets out of his car and walks through some places along the pigrimage route. I am reminded of a discussion I once had in Paris with a Serb friend on the relative merits of touring holy places, say on a donkey . . . vesus the now ubiqitous automobile. Even though I argued for the efficiency, flexibility and speed of the auto, today I have to admit he was right: covering the same sights on a donkey is by far a much richer experience than rushing through a country in the most comfortable of cars -- a point that Mullins unintentionally brings in his book. A ride on a donkey, or just walking, is more uplisting because it allows you to experience feelings and see details you can never hope to appreciate from a speeding car. So much for progress, fast tranposration and modern technology . . .

Mullins was a BBC Broadcaster and he did a superb job on the writing about the pilgrimage. Unfortunately the book itself is out of print. The publishers might bring out a reprint and then I will order two copies from Amazon. Extracts from the book can be found under the travel section of the Telegraph Online Newspaper look under Yahoo for this newspaper. There is also quite a bit of useful information on the pilgrimage to santiago under the Travel section of the Telegraph Online.

I enjoyed this book very much. The author has a wonderful eye for detail and communicates a deep appreciation of architectural detail of the numerous churches that played such an important part in the experience of the pilgrimage. I did have initial reservations about the role of the car in his journey, but his descriptions of the road won me all the same. I particularly liked his quotes from and responses to earlier writers. He has a keen sense of the historical setting and impact of the polgrimage, which I found fascinating.

Sometimes by car, sometimes on foot, Mullins makes his way from Paris to Santiago de Compostella in the early 1970s. From church to church, carving to carving, he traces Christian architecture as it flows south, during the time of the early pilgrimages. In the course of this, he imparts a fair amount of European history.

This is not a quick and easy read, but I found myself compelled to read each night, till I reached the end. Then, in later weeks as it sat by my chair, again I found myself picking it up and randomly reading passages. I expect that pattern to continue for months to come. As I read it, images from our walk are refreshed. I realize that those monsters eating people carved on the cathedral at León are not just one designer's diabolical vision of evil, but a continuation of a theme starting in France - the depiction of heaven on one side, and the tortures of the dammed on the other side.

Mullins has managed to put enough of his travels into this book so that this is not just a dry rendition of facts - more like a journey of discovery. If you are contemplating walking the Camino de Santiago, particularly if you are thinking of walking some of the routes in France, don't neglect reading this book.

Having cycled sections in France and Spain of the El Camino, and having read, Mullin's book before and after sets the context of this review. Mr. Mullin's brings both a joy and liveliness to the art, architecture and history of the El Camino that is conveyed in parts with both a serious attitude and often a playful tone. His dialogue with past authors is delightful. Like others, I have returned to this book a number of times. For the cyclist I would pair this work with Bettina Selby's on the Camino. I would even go so far as to suggest bringing both in your panniers for the delight of reviewing their adventures of a day with your own. It is a pity this book is out of print, but used copies, though getting more expensive ( I got mine for a few dollars a number of years ago) are still in circulation. As this book becomes more difficult to get I expect the price will rise. So grab one now.