à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Adventure
The Green Tea Miracle
Last night, I literally hobbled into the albergue in Ledigos, a tiny farming village. There was a better place to stay a few kilometers away, but I couldn´t go any further. Plus, the weather was starting to change. The hospitalero, with jet black hair and a thick rural accent, checked me in. “Your name?” he … Continue reading
Famous Last Words
Shortly after writing my previous post (A Tourist Demands. A Pilgrim Appreciates), I resumed the Camino after taking a day´s rest at a hostal in Burgos. I bought some warmer clothes, a fleece vest and a hooded top. And I enjoyed a room of my own: a double bed (rather than a bunk bed). A … Continue reading
Who is Setting the Pace?
I’ve asked myself this question many times since starting the Camino, actually, before I even began. To plan the trip, I consulted a guidebook and Internet forums about how long it takes to complete. Depending on whom you ask, the trek from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela can take anywhere from … Continue reading
Backpack On, Backpack Off
Boots on. Boots off. Lights on. Lights off. I have been on the Camino for just a week yet it feels much longer, perhaps because in some ways, each full day is the same. At the hostels, the lights go on at 6:30-7:00am, we repack our rucksacks, put our boots and packs back on and … Continue reading
Walk Like an Old Person to Arrive Like a Young Person
Such was the sage advice of Maribel, the bleach blonde squinty eyed proprietress of an albergue in Cizur Menor, on the outskirts of Pamplona, where I stayed a few nights ago. As each pilgrim stumbled into her courtyard, hot and weary from the journey, she asked them if their feet hurt and showed them how … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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