Movie A Walk in the Woods

'Wild' for the older audience I read somewhere.

(Since first published more on music and an interview with Redford and Nolte were added)

In 1998 (travel) writer Bil Bryson wrote 'A walk in the woods'. He and his friend Katz walked about 800 miles (1300km) of the Appalachian Trail (2180 miles). People not walking the full trail is usual btw.

Already in 2005 Robert Redford announced his intention to work on this book. Redford on the project:

"It'll be fun. I don't know when I've read a book that I laughed so loud. Also, it's a chance to take a look at the country... The backdrop is pretty terrific, if you stop to think of all the visuals that are possible as they go along that trail." (Cinematical.com)

And after summer of 2015 the light and humorous movie will hit the theaters. Robert Redford is one of the producers and playing Bryson. Nick Nolte takes Katz's role.

Bryson was 44 when he walked the trail, Redford and Nolte are in their seventies.
If 'Wild' invited younger people to walk the trails or the camino, 'A Walk in the Woods' will perhaps attract the older youth, at least to the cinema!

Out: Sept 19 in Belgium, Sept 2 in USA, Sept 11 in UK and Nov 19 in the Netherlands.
(Looks like the Dutch date will shift into december)

Musical featurette
(4"46')

Interview by Andrew Freud

(10"55')

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The IMDB info for this movie here (rating 8.1!)

The trailer on Youtube here.

Imagineering Mecca

The city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia is the major pilgrimage town for Muslims, doing the annual Hajj. The continues and growing pilgrimage has a great impact on the city and changes it sights and skyline.

The Guardian published an article on plans for building the largest hotel in the world, 10.000 rooms.

(Screen webpage The Guardian, taken May 27, 2015)

Next to the Grand Mosque the Abraj al-Bait clocktower was built, one of the largest buildings in the world and featuring the largest clock.

(Photo: Wikimedia commons, Fadi El Benni)

The western part of the city features the Jabal Omar project, a complex that should accomodate 100.000 people.
A new city arises, the old one gone.


See the article in The Guardian, May 22, 2015 here.
Another article on the mega architecture in The Guardian of Oct 23, 2012 here.
See additional report on birthplace of the Prophet (pbuh) here. 

Northern Spain Camino's on Unesco World Heritage List

The process took many years. But finally several Camino's in Northern Spain enter Unesco's World Heritage List.
Other sites as the old city of Santiago de Compostela or the wall surrounded city of Lugo (along the Camino Primitivo) are already on this heritage list. As is the Camino Frances, and we know it's success.

"Las diferentes rutas del Camino de Santiago propuestas para su inscripción en la Lista del Patrimonio Mundial cuentan con una longitud global de 1.498,91 kilómetros. La distribución por itinerarios es la siguiente:Camino Primitivo: 311,31 kilómetros ; Camino de la Costa: 936,28 kilómetros ; Camino Interior: 196 kilómetros ; Camino Lebaniego: 55,32 kilómetros"
(La Nueva Espana, 6/5/2015)

A mere formality is the acceptance of the proposition of Icomos (International Council on Monuments and sites) by Unesco, this summer in Bonn.

The Camino Lebaniego is a lesser known camino. The major place on that camino is the Convent of Santo Toribio de Liebana. They celibrate their Holy Year in 2017.

Website Camino Lebaniego

The efforts of the Asturian government pays off, touristic succes is expected.

Link to the article in La Nueva Espana

Link to the camino Lebaniego

L'Allée des Alyscamps

Recently the painting L'Allée des Alyscamps by Vincent van Gogh was auctioned in New York. The new Asian owner was prepared to pay 66,3 million dollar (about 59 million Euro). The landscape painting dates from 1888.
Alychamps is a necropolis near the centre of Arles. Originally Roman along the Via Aurelia, but in use untill late medieaval times.
It's interesting to see how the painting compares to a photo from about the same period. And then compare the place to how it looks in our days. So that's what I tried to find out.

left L'Allée des Alyscamps by Vincent van Gogh (Wikimedia commons), right present Alyscamps (Wikipedia Hawobo)

The following photo of the L'Allée des Sarcophages des Alyscamps was taken between 1859 and 1910.

L'Allée des Sarcophages des Alyscamps (Wikimedia commons, Bibliothèque de Toulouse, domaine public)

With growing pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela it became more important. It's the starting point for the Via Tolosana, one of the four main routes to Santiago de Compostela in France as mentioned in Aimeric Picaud's Codex Calixtinus (Via Aegidia).

Via Tolosana