Author(s): Noel Braun

Travel

Noel Braun yearns to walk the Camino, the ancient pilgrimage route that leads across France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Since the suicide of Maris, his beloved wife of forty-two years, he has struggled to find himself. But is it pure madness? He's an old bloke. At seventy-seven-years, he should be sensible, act his age and relax in a rocking chair. Can his body and spirit withstand the demands? Can he leave family and friends behind? Noel believes this is a journey he MUST undertake. It's a compulsion, a spiritual quest of self-discovery, an urgent need to commune with the world around and beyond him. When Noel begins his journey, he discovers it's not just the rigorous demands of the physical world he must answer. The territory of the heart and soul has its own challenges, which have him searching for spiritual and emotional insights. His travels are interwoven with accounts of the many engaging characters he meets. In time he realises he himself is one of the Camino's characters. The Day Was Made for Walking merges the spiritual with the physical, the ancient with the contemporary. It is a memoir, but also a glimpse into history and a travel guide. About the Author Noel Braun commenced his working career as a country school teacher, then moved into a corporate career, which took him from Melbourne to Perth and Sydney. He has had a lifelong passion for writing and wrote the first words of his novels nearly forty years ago. After a busy career and raising a family of four, he has found the time in retirement to fulfil his long-held ambition and see his work in print. Noel has published two novels: Friend and Philosopher and Whistler Street. He has also published a memoir, No Way to Behave at a Funeral, which describes his journey following the death by suicide of his wife Maris. He is working on other manuscripts and on developing a new career in writing. Noel lives on Sydney's northern beaches. He is a keen walker and enjoys getting out in the national parks surrounding his home.