à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Budapest
Budapest Then and Now: A Photo Essay
In an era when anyone can take a decent picture, even of themselves, with just one hand using a smartphone, it’s hard to recall a time when we needed a camera, film and two hands to capture a scene. Then, we decided in advance the number of exposures, the sensitivity to light we wanted and … Continue reading
How Feldenkrais Functional Integration is Like Fine Dining (and vice versa)
If Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons are akin to wine tasting, then a Functional Integration session is comparable to fine dining: memorable and worth it. A few weeks into my Budapest visit, a friend from long ago treated me to a multi-course tasting menu at a long established restaurant. The variety and subtlety of flavors … Continue reading
Feldenkrais Lessons in Reversibility and Lightness with Csilla Perényi
Before returning to Budapest for the first time in 22 years, I knew I wanted to attend an Awareness Through Movement lesson taught by Csilla Perényi, one of three Feldenkrais practitioners in Hungary. I’d “met” her through Facebook where she transmitted an infectious enthusiasm. I arrived on a Tuesday, the day she teaches group classes, but … Continue reading
Of Chanukah and Darkness within the Light
During the holidays, Budapest is aglow with dazzling lights. The glittering silhouettes of bridges, illuminated landmarks and twinkling decorations on streets and buildings create a magical if not mesmerizing cityscape. Despite the high wattage public splendor, dead bulbs seem to be haunting me like Scrooge’s ghosts. Earlier I described the rather laborious attempt of a … Continue reading
In Budapest, Finding Treasure Amid the Trash
Thanks to the location of my quirky Budapest rental, I had a front row seat to one of the more fascinating shows in town: lomtalanítás, which I’ll translate as “get rid of junk” day. The city offers one day of free haulage annually for its 23 districts, staggering them across the calendar. I had not … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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