à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Camino de Santiago
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
Yesterday, Erased
When I arrived at the albergue in Najera this afternoon, the hospitalero (host) asked me where I had come from. It took me a few seconds to remember that I had walked 16.5 kilometers from Navarrete, a small village in the wine making region La Rioja. Even though each day I record my starting and … Continue reading
My Camera as Spiritual Teacher
Yesterday, while walking alongside terracotta rolling hills, bright blue sky above bulging with huge pillowy clouds, my camera stopped working. The fully extended zoom lens was stuck there, as if it had taken too much Viagra and couldn´t change its shape. I pushed various buttons, trying to get it to budge, but no luck. My … 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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