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We were thrilled when author George Mahood posted an enthusiastic shout-out for Reg’s book – Camino Sunrise: Walking With My Shadows on his Facebook page. You can read George’s kind words by clicking the above link.
George has published a handful of books himself, based on his own entertaining and often outrageous adventures. I hope you’ll check them out. Happy reading!
We are excited to see that Reg’s book, Camino Sunrise: Walking With My Shadows has popped onto the Amazon Best Seller list at #40 in the Hiking and Walking category.
A great big Thank You to all who have read, reviewed and supported his efforts!
Runner-up:
Greetings!
I am excited to announce that Camino Sunrise: Walking With My Shadows is now available on Amazon.
I hope you will read my book. I have been told that reviews—even brief ones–can place a book on the radar of more potential readers. If you choose the paperback edition, Sue’s illustrations will be in black and white. They are in color on the Kindle app if you have a color device.
If you are inclined to share this note with enough other people, Oprah is ready to add Camino Sunrise to her book club list. I should attach a “Ha!” to that, I suppose.
Camino Sunrise: Walking With My Shadows
By Reginald Spittle
Cover and illustrations by Susan Spittle
“Loved this inspiring and bravely honest book by a fellow pilgrim. The story of Reg’s journey inward while walking with his wife, Sue, on the Camino de Santiago, was a joy to read. Highly recommend!” –Judy
Reg blazed another trail through the tall grass and thistle today, our last day of walking through the countryside. Tomorrow we’ll aim our boots towards Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City, a ten mile walk that will officially complete our journey.
After our marathon day yesterday, we spent a leisurely morning, enjoying the hospitality of the folks at 3 Archi Hotel.
Our day was a short one, just over 6 miles to our next stop in Arrone. We took one last look back toward the mountains we had scaled yesterday, thankful for our flat, low altitude stroll along the river.
Just after our lunch stop, we met this gentleman, a Pilgrim from Luxembourg. Traveling alone, he was eager to stop for a chat and told us he was on his way north to Assisi. Rather than carrying his belongings, he had a unique towing system, his cart strapped to his belt. Reg and I wondered how he’d fare on the mountain pass.
Yesterday afternoon we arrived at our hotel in Trevi so incredibly soaking wet that the owner simply handed us our key. No passports, no check-in, no formalities. Plenty of time for that after showers and hot tea!
We awoke to more rain this morning and grudgingly donned our rain gear as we set out to cross the invisible halfway point on our trail to Rome. By days end, our feet will have taken us 141 miles with 43,742 feet of elevation change throughout our twelve days on the trail.
As the skies cleared, our waterproofs instantly morphed into personal saunas. While Reg changed his clothes trailside, I fashioned my rain pants into a pair capris and we again set off toward our destination – the ancient city of Spoleto.
We’d walked a few hundred yards when Reg suddenly stopped and said, “Oh no! My glasses!”
Sure enough, they were not on his nose where they belonged. A quick about face and we retraced our steps.
How lucky he was that we chose the bike trail route, and that we had it mostly to ourselves…and that his glasses didn’t go flying into the tall grass or we might still be looking for them!
The charming hilltop town of Spello stands guard over acres and acres of olive trees that the Angelini family (pictured above) is passionate about. We would also learn of their passion for wine.
Yesterday our path took us through the olive groves on our way to what would be a delightful and educational dinner at Enoteca Properzio, located in the heart of Spello. Based on the recommendation of a fellow English-speaking tourist, we sat ourselves down at a table outside.
Questions about wine quickly brought the owner’s son to our table, and gosh, what a charmer he was! Oozing enthusiasm, he explained that he had recently returned from three months in the U.S. where he’d been wine tasting. His English was quite good and he was very knowledgeable about local wines and the olive oil the family makes. Then his father came over to shake our hands. Before we knew what was happening, we each had a glass of local white wine and a mouthwatering plate of bruschetta in front of us, dripping with their best olive oil. We were beginning to feel like family!
When I suggested a photo, Mr. Angelini broke into a smile, grabbed my hand as we ran to the front of the store where we all posed for what will be a special memory for us.
The Way of St. Francis led us into Assisi yesterday, our ninth day of walking. We’ve covered 109 miles and endured 37,046 feet of elevation change. While the above photo appears to show a pleasant downhill stroll, in reality our day began and ended with steep climbs. All a distant memory today as we enjoy the sites of this beautiful city.
There’s no doubt this is a difficult Pilgrimage, filled with highs and lows of all kinds. Yesterday we arrived at our hotel so wiped out that we couldn’t help but question the wisdom of walking The Way of St. Francis.
So, what keeps us going? Mornings like this one! When I asked at our hotel breakfast if it would be okay to take a photo, everyone jumped up, eager to pose and to get photos of their own. Instant camaraderie! We even got a blessing of sorts from the nun who was sharing our table. That just might come in handy in the days to come.
We met this adventurous Canadian couple at dinner several nights ago and have seen them on the trail several times over the last few days. They are incredibly fast walkers, but slowed down long enough this morning to join our breakfast club.
Vito is another strong walker who calls Milan home. As we ate our lunch trailside yesterday, he came striding around bend, stopping to chat for a moment. We were able to wish him a “Buon Cammino” this morning as he set a fast pace out of town.
Tonight we find ourselves in the beautiful town of Assisi. More about that later!
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