à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Camino de Santiago
It Takes a Village (to get a man) to Take a Shower
At one albergue in El Burgo Ranero, a village in the meseta, a hand-printed sign urged Pilgrims to shower before going to bed. Each albergue has its rules (no smoking, quiet hours, etc.) but this was a first. “Do people really need to be reminded?” I asked the volunteer hospitalera, a woman from Toronto. Who … Continue reading
How Much Can I Eat?
The Camino is about walking. And food. Without food, there is no fuel for walking. Looking over my daily expenses, the overwhelming majority is food and drink. The price of a bed and a hot shower, by comparison, is relatively low. When I was walking with the Italian teenager, we agreed that trying to save … Continue reading
Of Cathedrals, Then and Now
Spain is filled with cathedrals. Some are on the Camino. For many Pilgrims, they are a welcome (visual) relief from the vast stretches of vineyards, olive groves and farmland. For others, they are a source of spiritual inspiration or comfort; some attend the Pilgrim Mass. And yet for others, the cathedrals are something to avoid. … Continue reading
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
Limping Along, Together
At this moment, I´m somewhere in the middle of Spain’s meseta, a vast area of gently rolling farmland, in varied shades of yellow, gold, green and brown. Compared to the first and final thirds of the Camino, it is relatively flat. For some, the lack of ups and downs is boring, a section worth skipping … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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