Millions have walked the Camino Trail, including famous people like Martin Sheen, Shirley MacLaine and Anthony Quinn. Each and every one has had their own unique experience and inspiration from the El Camino de Santiago. 

 

One who stands out and has shared his inspiration is Paulo Coelho. Paulo Coelho is an award winning Brazilian author who is best known for his international bestselling novel The Alchemist, published in 1988 and translated into some 70 languages. 

 

 

Many believe that The Alchemist is Coelho’s first book. In fact, The Pilgrimage was his first book, a memoir of its seven hundred kilometres pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, paving the way to its second novel with the same readable prose to effectively convey the wisdom and inspiration he experienced. 

The Pilgrimage allows you to join Coelho on his journey across Spain along the road to Santiago. The book is an enchanting parable that explores the need to find one’s own path. 

 

Ultimately, we learn that the extraordinary is always found in the ordinary and simple ways of everyday people. Uplifting and compelling, this book is part adventure story, part guide to self-discovery that delivers a combination of enchantment and insight. 

 

 

This is very much what the El Camino de Santiago offers: a unique experience for each and every person who makes the pilgrimage. 

 

As Paulo Coelho said, “Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.”