So Long Santiago

So Long Santiago Rebecca Conrow-Bayles winter '25 la concha

In this poem, Rebecca Conrow-Bayles recognizes that in bidding farewell so soon after arriving in the city long-sought by pilgrims, that her Camino continues for as long as the journey takes.

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Unwind Camino Time

Slow Is Beautiful Charles Limbach winter '25 la concha.

In these song lyrics set to the tune of Glen Campbell’s “Gentle on My Mind,” Robert Bain writes of the pilgrim’s journey after spiraling inward toward a destination, back outward on a return journey home as we unwind from Camino time.

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Book Review: An Atheist on Pilgrimage

Book Review An Athiest on Pilgrimage winter '25 la concha.

Jerald Stroebele reviews Leonard Vance’s An Atheist on Pilgrimage: Tales of Humanity from the Camino de Santiago. Stroebele calls it a “beautifully written, entertaining, and informative” memoir about a man’s adventures along the Caminos Via Serrana, Via de la Plata and Sanabrés. The details an observant Vance provides might also make this an ersatz guidebook to these lesser-traveled Camino routes.

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My Friend’s Camino Gift to Me

Camino Gift TRyng winter '25 la concha

Two friends embark on a Camino together. When one abruptly ends his Camino and heads home, the other feels hurt and confused but forges ahead on a solo journey. When the solo pilgrim returns home and reconnects with his friend, he learns the surprisingly generous reason behind his friend’s rash decision.

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Time as Currency: How Do You Spend Yours?

mira el presente Brantley Fry winter '25 la concha

On Camino, a busy executive, community leader, friend, wife, and mom, who devoutly worshiped at the altar of busy-ness, receives the gift of clarity about time. Back home, she now gives reverence to the blank spaces on her calendar and is more intentional about how she spends that most precious resource—time.

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Transcending Generations

transcending generations John Beichert winter '25 la concha

Shortly after the death of his father, with whom he had a complicated relationship, a man embarks on Camino with his own son. Along the way, they engage in heartfelt conversations and experience a deepening connection founded on mutual respect and affection, helping him find a new appreciation for the nature of father-son relationships.

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The People Provide

A Ribadiso Welcome Service volunteer discovers that it isn’t the Camino that provides, as the timeworn saying goes, but rather it’s the people we encounter along the way who make the real magic of the Camino.

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Autumn 2024: Adding to Your Pack

La Concha Fall 2024 Adding to Your Pack, with snail image.

The Autumn 2024 issue of La Concha, a magazine published by American Pilgrims on the Camino with news, pilgrim stories, poetry, and more on the theme of “Adding to Your Pack.”

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