For Maryanna Gabriel, the unexpected death of her artistic mother would change everything in her life. More than just overcoming this loss, she felt that she needed answers, not from others, but from within herself.
Leaving her forest home on Salt Spring Island, Gabriel travels to Europe and begins her life-altering trek from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, to Santiago, Spain. From a bomb scare in Paris, to strangers with messages, to a fellowship of fun that allows her to lighten up and let go, this is her walk into the mystery of the mother-daughter relationship and the chaos it instilled.
At times meditative yet punctuated with humour, the story takes place in a compelling European tableau where legends of saints and miracles abide. The rich history, art, and architecture of the Camino entwines with her backstory and incorporates the legends of the greats who walked it long ago. As she interacts with the landmarks and characters met along the way, the physical hardship cracks open the last of her resistance only to bring her face to face with what she most needs to know.
Walking the Camino documents one woman’s dramatic search for self-reconnection and renewal in life’s many transitions. It also tells of the transformative power of pilgrimage and the healing power it yields.
