Off the Road
Author | : Jack Hitt |
Publisher | : Simon and Schuster |
Total Pages | : 275 |
Release | : 2005-03-01 |
ISBN-10 | : 9780743279703 |
ISBN-13 | : 0743279700 |
Rating | : 4/5 (700 Downloads) |
Download or read book Off the Road written by Jack Hitt and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2005-03-01 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Jack Hitt set out to walk the 500 miles from France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, he submitted to the rigorous traditions of Europe's oldest form of packaged tour, a pilgrimage that has been walked by millions in the history of Christendom. Off the Road is an unforgettable exploration of the sites that people believe God once touched: the strange fortress said to contain the real secret Adam learned when he bit into the apple; the sites associated with the murderous monks known as the Knights Templar; and the places housing relics ranging from a vial of the Virgin Mary's milk to a sheet of Saint Bartholomew's skin. Along the way, Jack Hitt finds himself persevering by day and bunking down by night with an unlikely and colorful cast of fellow pilgrims -- a Flemish film crew, a drunken gypsy, a draconian Belgian air force officer, a man who speaks no languages, a one-legged pilgrim, and a Welsh family with a mule. In the day-to-day grind of walking under a hot Spanish sun, Jack Hitt and his cohorts not only find occasional good meals and dry shelter but they also stumble upon some fresh ideas about old-time zealotry and modern belief. Off the Road is an engaging and witty travel memoir of an offbeat journey through history that turns into a provocative rethinking of the past.