à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Hiking
On the Transformative Power of Blue Boots
Almost a year ago, an image of sleek, cobalt blue leather boots gleamed like a jewel at the top of my Facebook feed. The bright, monochrome booties, made by the Spanish company Camper, cheered me instantly, no small feat considering I had been experiencing throbbing shoulder pain and mounting despair for the preceding two months. … Continue reading
Barcelona, the StairMaster of My Dreams
Barcelona feels as if it’s at least three cities combined into one. The steep hills with rolling streets and views to the sparking Mediterranean remind me of San Francisco. The downtown with its wide boulevards, plazas and ornate architecture echoes Budapest. The beachfront area’s gleaming hotels and contemporary buildings hint of Miami. I began my … Continue reading
Dispatch from Barcelona “Base Camp”
The films of Pedro Almodovar captivated me when I was younger, especially “Women on a Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”. The actresses he hired for that movie did not have traditional looks. One, whose name I can’t recall, had a slightly bent nose, a narrow face, and huge asymmetrical red lips. I remember being enthralled … Continue reading
When the Shoe Fits (a Man and is Vetoed by a Woman)
After finding a pair of Merrell lace ups for $20 in the clearance section of a quality shoe store, I periodically drop in to see if I might get lucky again. While those Merrells fit nicely, they are too flimsy for longer walks. The other evening I returned to look for something more substantial for my sensitive feet, which recently expanded half a size, making my already … Continue reading
Awareness Through Meandering: Walking in the Woods, Differently
How many times can you visit a place without getting bored? I used to be a checklist kind of gal. If I visited an area once, I wanted to move onto the next. When I was an avid hiker, I didn’t want to repeat trails or summits when there were others I hadn’t climbed. Nor did I want to … Continue reading
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