My interest in Spain began the first time we went there on vacation, which must have been in 1976. I went with my parents and my two younger brothers to a bungalow park near Estepona (Andalusia). Franco was no longer alive by then, yet his influence was still ubiquitous.

Since then, my fascination with Spain has only grown. From the 1980s onwards, I have spent (almost) every year on holiday there. Another field of interest for me is history, in particular the history of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. And when combined with Spain, this naturally leads to Isabel la Católica.

In 2012, I decided to turn a long‑held dream into reality: a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. At that time, I chose the Camino del Norte, starting in Irún and following the northern coast of Spain through San Sebastián, Bilbao, Santander, and Ribadeo, before finally reaching Santiago de Compostela. This experience, together with my growing dissatisfaction with my job as a market researcher, led me to arrive in Santiago three more times.

When I lost my job, I suddenly had oceans of time and could devote myself to what truly interested me: the life of Isabel. During my stays in Spain, I combined walking the Caminos with visiting places that played a role in her life: from her birthplace Madrigal de las Altas Torres, via Arévalo, where she grew up, to Medina del Campo, where she died, along with many other places that were significant in her history.