There are some walks that seem timeless; later, when I look at the photographs, I say to myself: ‘There are places that look exactly the same as when I arrived, apart from a few small details.’ So, going for walks in certain places, especially natural ones, makes time pass in a very different way; sometimes it seems to stand still.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, many people mention it to me, that time flies by, that there isn’t enough of it, that it feels like it’s always Monday because they’ve barely seen the week go by. Today’s world is so busy, everything moves so fast, that we rarely stop to see, to look, to listen, to perceive with all our senses everything that is happening.
Everything moves very fast, but as I say, there are certain places that seem to be on another planet, even though we see them on this one. Places with a unique magic. Upon entering, it feels as though you’re breathing a very different air, rich in extra oxygen. Perhaps that is the element that manages to stop time.
What’s more, the healing effect of these places is amazing; when I walk along the paths, I feel lighter, freer, and I put that down to the fact that nature is so wise, it clears our minds, frees us from stress and allows us to think more clearly afterwards. It’s like a natural therapy centre, a space with so much vegetation, so many different species, that often you can’t even see the sun for all the plants and trees.
I always say this: the first time I went to the city’s botanical garden, my mother said, ‘This is paradise,’ and I saw the look of happiness on her face. My mission was accomplished; she’d loved the place and enjoyed exploring it.
She’s been there many times now, but she’d go a thousand times more; it’s ideal for disconnecting from the daily grind, from thoughts, from work, from everyday life, and for recharging your batteries. Even more so if I touch the plants; I always love touching the leaves, the flowers, the tree trunks, as if that interaction creates a connection and a spectacular flow of energy. I feel that recharge in my body.
Of course, that hasn’t always happened to me; only when I allowed nature to speak to me, to guide me, and simply sat in silence with it. The connection grows stronger, and every time I visit these wonderful gardens, the sensation is even more intense, making the walk magical and unique each time.
There’s something I love and I must mention it: the staircases amidst the greenery, the lush vegetation, as if they were an invitation to a space where fairies fly, an invitation to something more, to surprises, new paths and new ways of surprising me.
A comment someone left me recently mentioned that I’m always surprised by the little things, by what I see. It’s not that I’m surprised, but that I let myself be. But above all, it happens to me with nature; it’s amazing.
Amidst so much beauty, and as this botanical garden once belonged to a married couple of marquises, there was a spot specially dedicated to them with some very beautiful sculptures; I couldn’t help but photograph them. A secluded corner where echoes of the past mingled with nature in a timeless place, yet one where all possible times seemed to converge. Nature evokes those strange, inexplicable sensations.
I crossed bridges, walked along paths, saw distant buildings, terrain that rose and fell, whilst the sun’s rays were lost in some places and found in others
Signs everywhere provided information, but on this walk I focused on breathing and enjoying myself, on learning, not about history, but about my inner self and the beautiful natural world. Time here is different; it stands still.
Even sitting on a bench to admire it all without walking is not a waste of time, but time gained, time spent with oneself.
If I had to describe this garden, I’d say it’s a vast labyrinth, full of passages, some narrow, others with staircases, full of little waterfalls and small lakes, sculptures; a vast labyrinth full of magic. It even has a spot that looks like a wishing well; perhaps at that moment I thought of a wish or two.
The place is so special that I could even see a grand avenue with palm trees, street lamps, benches and flowers. I had plenty of reasons to be amazed by it all. I think the key is knowing how to look, not just walking for the sake of it, as an exercise, but the other way round: let the walk be a consequence of the desire to see and explore, to seek and to feel. Allowing ourselves to feel and experience, that must be the most important thing. A healthy mind and heart generate a healthy body; I’ve seen it for myself.
Perhaps those flowers are no longer there; as I say, time passes differently in that place. The flowers give way to more palm trees, to the radiant sun and those rays that always want to sneak in.
The lesson of walking is knowing how to look, knowing how to see the sights, and not just of nature, but of the life before us.
Thank you for joining me on this Wednesday walk; I send you my warmest regards. See you soon.
Amonet.
All photographs are my own.