Paulo Coelho · 1987 · overland

Paulo Coelho's 1987 account of his own Camino. Seeking a lost sword and a way back into his spiritual order, Coelho sets out with his guide Petrus to walk the medieval Road of Santiago - from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port over the Pyrenees into Spain, then five hundred miles west through Pamplona, Burgos and Leon to the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela, wrestling demons and himself along the way.

1. 1
   Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

   At this small town on the French side of the Pyrenees, Coelho is given his pilgrim's staff and scallop shell and set on the ancient Road to Santiago by his stern guide, Petrus, to recover the sword that marks his rank.

2. 2
   Pamplona

   Crossing the high passes of the Pyrenees by Roncesvalles into Spain, the pair descend into Navarre, Petrus teaching Coelho strange exercises and practices meant to open him to the wisdom of the ordinary road.

3. 3
   Burgos

   Across the wine country and onto the vast, sun-struck meseta, Coelho wrestles with exhaustion, doubt and, at one point, a demon in the form of a dog - each trial a lesson in the good fight Petrus keeps urging on him.

4. 4
   Leon

   Through Leon and the long plains of the west, the journey turns inward; the sword itself begins to matter less than what the walking has slowly taught Coelho about fear, love and his own life.

5. 5
   Santiago de Compostela

   At last, over the green hills of Galicia, Coelho reaches the great cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and the end of the Road - his sword found, and with it a plainer, harder truth than any magic he had sought.