Walking Guide to the Camino de Santiago History Culture Architecture

Book excerpt: A practical guide to walking the Camino de Santiago/Camino Franc©♭s with information about pilgrim accommodation and services plus lots of background information about the history, culture and architecture of the places you will pass through.This guide grew out of the caminoguide.net free community-based guide to the Camino which is kept up-to-date with the help of feedback from pilgrims past and present.Fully revised in 2012 this is the most up-to-date and reliable English-language guide to accommodation and services on the Camino. It covers St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela and Finisterre.This new edition, published in January 2014, has been updated with the latest information about accommodation and services.The guide includes:The Route: distances between places with pilgrim accommodation, descriptions of difficult points along the route.Maps: route maps showing the Camino in rural areas and large-scale maps of the major cities and towns showing the location of Pilgrim Hostels and other facilities.Accommodation: up-to-date and accurate information about pilgrim accommodation, the facilities provided and prices.Services: information about services (shops, restaurants, tourist information, internet, etc.) plus the dates of local festivals.Sights: historical and architectural information about the sights you'll see along the Camino.History: a brief history of the towns and villages along the Camino, describing significant events and people and any legends associated with the Camino.Gastronomy: descriptions of the traditional dishes to watch out for in the different regions and recommendations on where to try them.Placenames: the meanings and origins of the names of villages and towns.