Savoring the Camino de Santiago: It's the Pilgrimage, Not the Hike is the first book by author Julie Gianelloni Connor. The book focus on the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage trail that began around 820 AD. A resurrection of interest in the Camino since the 1970s has meant that more than 300,000 individuals are nowadays undertaking the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela each year. The author made the pilgrimage in 2016 via the French route from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, a journey of some 500 miles. Her book incorporates a blog and travel journal she kept during that pilgrimage. The book is also a memoir, with Ms. Connor explaining how and why she decided to make the pilgrimage.
Savoring the Camino is also a practical guide to the Camino for those interested in it. While the prevailing culture of the Camino is to walk the route, Ms. Connor believes that walking is not the only way to undertake the route. Taking buses, taxis, or even driving are also valid ways to experience the Camino, in her opinion. She advocates for pilgrims to slow down and savor the pilgrimage by stopping in churches, cathedrals, museums, and interesting towns and cities along the route. Not everyone experiences spiritual or personal growth through the act of walking; Ms. Connor urges pilgrims to take the trip in the manner that will most connect them with their spiritual, religious, and transcendent well springs.
After completing the pilgrimage, the author journeyed on to Madrid and Toledo, and there are chapters in the book covering those visits. Ms. Connor also recounts activities following the journey related to the Camino, such as writing an open letter to relevant governmental authorities in Spain and hosting a thank-you dinner in Houston for those who helped her plan and organize her pilgrimage.
The book also includes a useful chapter on resources as well as an index.
Sprache
Produkt-Hinweis
Broschur/Paperback
Klebebindung
Illustrationen
Maße
Höhe: 216 mm
Breite: 140 mm
Dicke: 15 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-951331-01-6 (9781951331016)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Julie Gianelloni Connor started out thinking she would be a writer, detoured into the U.S. Foreign Service, and after retirement returned to a writing career. She is the author of an award-winning book, "Savoring the Camino de Santiago," and the owner and editor of Bayou City Press in Houston, TX, which focuses on writing about travel, Houston, history, and international affairs.
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Julie finished prep school at The Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts, before heading to Houston for Rice University. Her undergraduate B.A. in English and history was followed by an M.A. in creative writing from the University of Houston. She also studied journalism at Louisiana State University, during which time she interned at the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate.
Among her jobs in her 20s, Julie taught English as a Foreign Language in Lisbon (Portugal), Barcelona (Spain), and Wimberly (England); was a Teaching Fellow at the University of Houston; and worked in the private sector for a law firm and an audio company.
In 1981 Julie began her diplomatic career with the U.S. Information Agency, principally working overseas at embassies on press, cultural, and exchange issues. In 1999 USIA was absorbed into the U.S. Department of State, and Julie continued her diplomatic career there until her retirement. During a 33-year career, Julie rose to the senior Foreign Service while serving overseas nine different times in seven different countries: Israel (twice), Paraguay, Guatemala, Indonesia, Colombia (twice), Malaysia, and Chile. She worked in fields as diverse as anti-narcotics, nuclear nonproliferation, and women's issues.
Julie received an M.S. in National Security Strategy from the National War College in Washington, DC., in 1995, and served as the Diplomat-in-Residence at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin from 2012-2014.
She was the recipient of numerous awards from USIA and the Department of State, including four Superior Honor Awards and USIA's Equal Employment Opportunity Award. She was a co-founder and the first president of Executive Women at State (EW@S), an organization begun to promote the advancement of women at the Department of State.
Julie's book, Savoring the "Camino de Santiago: It's the Pilgrimage, Not the Hike," won a silver medal in the annual eLit contest as well as an award for its cover. She also has a blog that complements her book, https://www.CaminoforBoomers.com.
In addition to her book, Julie is a short story writer, and her short stories have appeared in three anthologies. A world traveler, Julie's travel columns appear on her websites.
Julie's company, Bayou City Press, publishes columns by various authors on its website, https://BayouCityPress.com, and sponsors activities such as a travel book club and an international film club.
As an undergraduate at Rice, Julie worked at both the "Journal of Southern History" and the "Austrian History Yearbook." While in the Foreign Service, she served on the editorial board for the "Foreign Service Journal." She now is a member of the editorial team for "La Concha," the magazine of American Pilgrims on the Camino (APOC).
She is active in the Houston writing and publishing community and is a member of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), the Nonfiction Authors Association, Houston Writers Guild, WriteSpace, Houston Independent Writers, and Houston Writers at Rice Village.
Julie has one son, James, and two cats, Halloween and Mimi.
