Summer hadn’t arrived yet on that long-ago walk I’d almost forgotten, but for some reason I remembered it today.
It was still cold, and I set off on a solitary walk through the city streets, more specifically in the north of the city. The days weren’t that long and the sun set earlier, but I walked at a leisurely pace.
A stroll along a path full of flowers under a blue sky, though there were a few clouds that looked like snowflakes. As I walked that long route, I thought about how the city is surrounded by mountains in a semi-circle. They aren’t very high, but high enough to create the city’s microclimate. And today, as I write these lines, I’m grateful that there haven’t been any fires here on the scale of those this beautiful country is currently suffering.
I’ve seen the smoke reach the city, and if it gets this far, it means that behind those mountains you can see, the situation is very sad, far too sad. And once again, I’m grateful to be here, to have chosen this city that I’ve learnt to love and which acts as a protective shield. It shields us from the high temperatures, the most extreme ones, and it never freezes here. Together with the sea, it creates the best climate I could ever have dreamed of.
And as I walked, I reflected, and I’m doing so now too. Walks always make me think deeply, especially the ones I take on my own, free from any external distractions.
As I walked, I came to a main road; I wasn’t worried about the streets or their names. Since moving to this country, I’ve developed a very good sense of direction, it’s like a form of self-defence that kicked in when I had no one but my cat, Cata.
And it was on this walk that I discovered this marvel, which looked spectacular as the sunset began to appear after such a long walk. I reached this church from the pavement opposite, and as there was no crossing nearby, I had to walk quite a long way to get closer. The sun was sinking lower and lower.
I carried on walking and there was no crossing, but instead I came across a bridge that made me hesitate, because when these bridges span major roads, I get a bit of vertigo crossing them; it makes me feel a bit dizzy, perhaps it isn’t real, but that’s how it feels.
It was a walk that presented me with a challenge if I wanted to reach the other side, how similar walks are to life itself; to reach your goal, you sometimes have to face your own fears.
I climbed the stairs bit by bit, always keeping my eyes fixed on a single point; I knew that was what I had to do, and when I reached the top, that bridge I’d been a bit afraid of gave me something incredible: views of the whole area, and they were beautiful, with the sun setting; I couldn’t take my eyes off it because it was hiding behind the church.
When I reached the top of the bridge, I felt dizzy, but I carried on walking, using the church, which looked beautiful, as my focal point, something to distract me from the number of cars passing beneath me. I think it’s that movement that makes me feel unwell. On bridges where there are no cars, I’m fine.
Keeping my eyes fixed on the setting sun and the church’s bell tower, I managed to cross the bridge, go down the stairs and complete the challenge. I was also able, even though there wasn’t much natural light left, to get a good close-up view of the beautiful church; it was closed, but I could admire it from the outside.
But to my surprise, when I stood in front of it, the sun was still shining on it and the light was there. Now I find myself thinking once again that it’s just like life itself: when we overcome obstacles and everything seems shrouded in gloom, the light is still there for us. We just need to trust that that light is there, even if we can’t see it, and in that way better appreciate the path we’ve travelled.
Look at the beauty of the church’s façade, with the sun exactly where it should be, low in the sky, but shining directly on the entrance, and what a marvellous entrance it is.
I liked stepping back and taking photos of it amongst the trees, which were still a bit bare or had few leaves; it gave it a nostalgic and beautiful air. Now everything seems brighter; perhaps it’s because the few rays of sunshine were reflecting off the white walls. Absolutely beautiful.
Thank you for joining me on this Wednesday walk. Warm regards to you all. See you soon.
Amonet.
All photographs are my own.
