First, thank you to Ana Linares Gil, for her tip about this tremendous woman traveler of the fourth century. Researchers think Egeria was the early travel correspondent’s name, from Galaecia (Galicia, Spain). She wrote letters to friends in a convent in the years 381 to 384. In the 1800s, the historian Gian Francesco Gamurrini found a manuscript copy in an Italian library in Latin of her letters detailing her pilgrimage to religious sites in Egypt, Mesopotamia and Palestine.

Several points blow my mind:

1. Egeria was a woman who could read and write in the 4th century.
2. Egeria traveled to Constantinople 1641 years ago.
3. Egeria traveled for several years (wealthy, or a nun?)
4. Egeria rode a camel/horse/donkey or walked for 6023 km/3743 mi!

Which point surprised you the most?

What an inspiring person Egeria was! These are her details I could glean from the web. I plan to visit the UW…