Camino de Papel

Jane Blanchard’s “Women of the Way”

Miami.- Women of the Way: Embracing the Camino is a story of hiking the Camino de Santiago. Come along with the author on this incredible 500 mile journey across northern Spain. Meet women from different nations.  Discover why they chose to undertake this arduous adventure, what they learned, and why they would do it again.

Women of the Way describes Jane V. Blanchard’s 2011 pilgrimage across Spain on the Camino de Santiago. That year more than 44% of the pilgrims were women, each with a different story. As the author walked, she talked with other female pilgrims to see what motivated them to undertake this adventure. She relates their compelling stories in their own words so other woman can understand and, perhaps, become empowered to do likewise, whether it be a physical journey or one of the spirit.

The Camino de Santiago is a historical pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. Santiago de Compostela is considered by Christians to be one of the three most holy sites, after Jerusalem and Rome. In 1993, the city was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Though the Camino has been a Christian pilgrimage for more than 1000 years, it is now designated a European Cultural Itinerary. Thousands of visitors from around the world travel to Santiago de Compostela; for many of these modern-day pilgrims it is more of a vacation than a pilgrimage.

Jane V. Blanchard believes that women matter. For the last ten years, she has dedicated herself to women matters believing that the efforts of one person can make a difference. To this end, she became an officer in the National Organization for Women both on a local and state level, served on the Sarasota Commission for Women, co-founded the Human Trafficking Awareness Coalition of Sarasota, and hosted a weekly radio talk show, Women Matters.

In September and October 2011, Jane hiked the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile pilgrimage from St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France, over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles in Spain, and then westwards to Santiago de Compostella. As she walked, she talked with women from different nations. The book, Women of the Way, weaves these conversations with Jane’s journey.

This is Jane’s first non-technical book. She combines her skill as a technical writer with her passion for women and women matters.

When Jane and Dennis got married in 1974, they joked about creating a lifetime of memories to chat about when sitting in theirs rockers in old age. At 61 years old, Jane is still creating memories, experiencing life as fully as possible, and looking forward to a long future.