A Path of Promises

Mathilde and Édouard Cortès walked the 6000km between Paris and Jerusalem. An incredible human adventure, both physically and spiritually.

17th June 2007, on the steps of Notre-Dame de Paris, Mathilde and Edouard begin their journey… on foot. A honeymoon unlike any other, their crazy dream is to bring together France and Israel/Palestine. They plan to cross thirteen countries on foot, starting with France, through Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia (Kosovo), Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. Mythically named stopovers : Paris, Vezelay, Trieste, Mostar, Istanbul, Alep, Damascus, Jerusalem.

Voluntarily assuming a state of destitution for the journey, as well as seeking a spiritual experience, Mathilde and Edouard choose to beg for food and shelter along the way. In the manner of medieval pilgrims, they travel without a penny in their pockets, without a credit card. Their bags are light, between 4 and 7 kilos, to allow their thoughts to fly.

On the road, living of what people generously choose to give them, which is sometimes very little, the young couple push their limits to reach their goal. The tale of the eight months’ worth of encounters, of solitude, often of hunger, sometimes fear, makes for an extraordinary human adventure, on the way to meeting other people.