See, this book almost is like a sequel to Ich bin dann mal weg by Hape Kerkeling, which I have read earlier this year. I enjoyed that book too, even though I actually didn't know that Hape Kerkeling is a famous German comedian. I read it as a pure travelogue, but the fact that he was a famous comedian who was trying to be anonymous on the Camino de Santiago made the narrative rather funny. And during his trip in 2001, he got to know an Englishwoman, Anne Butterfield. They eventually became good friends, and Anne 9 years later went on to attempt the Camino de Santiago - this time by bicycle - a second time. This trip was the basis of this book. Of course, while Hape Kerkeling wasn't with him, he features a lot in the book, as he has been in close contact with Anne during the entirety of the trip.
Anne is actually a biologist, but nevertheless also has a very funny way of writing. She is inadvertently famous - courtesy of Hape Kerkeling's book. German hikers recognise her. And this triggers some funny moments. Additionally, she's a very ardent follower of the World Cup, which was on-going while she was hiking the Camino de Santiago again, in 2010.
What perhaps I didn't quite like is that I felt like there were too many mentions of Hape Kerkeling in the book. I know they are friends, but at the same time, it feels artificially inflated, almost to the point that I as the reader would wonder whether the extra mentions were there simply because Hape Kerkeling was famous and mentioning his name would allow this book to be read more as well. I imagine how it would be like if Hape Kerkeling weren't famous, and Anne would repeatedly mention this non-famous friend. A significant part of this book is flashbacks, providing the counter-perspective to Hape Kerkeling's trip from 2001. And there's just a part of me that makes me scratch my head.
The other thing that makes me wonder is the aspect about spirituality. Anne Butterfield is a biologist, but it seems at the same time she is having a hard time reconciling religion with science. She has alternative explanations about the so-called miracles and traditions in Christianity. She tries to find logical explanations to supernatural stories from the Bible. But at the same time, she tries to find spirituality in hiking the Camino. Perhaps this is the part where I get discouraged from the Camino. I just want a hike. I don't want a revelation. I don't need miracles. I just want a nice trail I can hit with my hiking boots.
Of course, hiking a very long hiking trail over the course of two months is a strenuous activity, and it takes a very different state of mind to accomplish that properly. One gets very introspective, of course, and while I cannot claim that my week-long hiking trips I have done in the past is comparable, it still provides a glimpse of what this introspection could look like. But I don't think it would push me to become spiritual. After all, it's just hormones, released as a result of fatigue. It's just similar to runner's high. No need to go to church and find God just because one is hormonal.
Overall, I must say I enjoyed this book, but I definitely wouldn't follow in her footsteps. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
See my other book reviews here.
