à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Camino de Santiago
Cutting (out) the Cheese
I’m not the only one who over packed for the Camino; most of the others are also Americans who, determined to resolve every possible problem on their own, schlepped a lot of stuff. One older fellow I walked with for a few kilometers confessed to pitching three guidebooks and a bag of food into the forest … Continue reading
The Other Side of Fear, the Other Side of the Pyrenees
I crossed the Pyrenees today, a part of the Camino that sounded exotic if not slightly dangerous and was one of the reasons I chose to start my walk in southern France, rather than in Spain. Our highest point was approximately 4,000´ which, though considerably more elevated than the surrounding area, and above the mist shrouded villages below, is … Continue reading
Notes from a Liminal Space, II
Three days ago, when I landed in Boston after a few nights of little sleep, the move of my apartment into storage, and a bad case of the monthlies, I was so depleted that the thought of simply flying to Spain seemed physically impossible, especially since I hadn´t finished packing and I didn´t have all … Continue reading
The Many Flavors of Fear
As a young girl, I marveled at Baskin Robbins and its 31 flavors, a vast universe compared to the standard chocolate, strawberry and vanilla, or, if we were being fancy, pistachio. At one point bubble gum was my favorite, although I couldn’t figure out how to keep from swallowing the gum along with the ice … Continue reading
Notes from a Liminal Space
Even though my body is still in Denver, I feel like I’m in a netherworld, between what was and what will be when I return from the Camino. It’s a wide openness I once feared but am now learning to inhabit. Suspending an identity is equally freeing and disconcerting. Yom Kippur, which ended tonight, amplified … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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