Steps before and after lunch

Hello walkers, here I am to share with you a walk that came out suddenly. Like those things you don't expect and come out of the blue. Like numbers or familiar faces or messages from angels, which... are most likely a figment of my imagination.

But let's leave this matter of my state of mind in a corner for the moment. Walking is healing. And although I didn't walk today, I am almost doing this, while I tell you what happened on this particular outing.

Here we were still at the Hotel Palco, in the Miramar municipality of Havana. It is right next to the Cuban Convention Palace, where I often have to go to work to cover events as a photojournalist. It is better to say that the two facilities are connected.

After a while, having completed the first round of interviews, we went to freshen up and had some coffee in the hotel lobby, and this is when the idea of not using the buses to go to lunch at the Laguito, another place for events, related to the Convention Centre, came up. Actually it was a naïve idea, we thought it would be close by, a few blocks away, and it didn't even occur to us that we could admire views that we usually don't take a closer look. This is an area that we always pass through very quickly in the cars that take us to work.

But the truth is that we had to go there for lunch and then continue with our work. So we got up and started walking.

At this point, I started to stay behind, admiring everything I found along the way. They were talking about boring work stuff... I think it was time for me to disconnect.

It wasn't all shade, but the ride was enjoyable because interesting scenes were appearing and I couldn't help but capture every moment.

Note, for example, this Moskvich car, which stands out among all that greenery. It is not a very busy area. It took more than 5 minutes from seeing one car to seeing another.

See? Almost deserted.

That wall led me to an inscription.

It was then that I realised that the mansions we were beginning to see were embassy residences which are among the 120 houses in the area, some more luxurious than others, but all with great comfort, swimming pool, beautiful gardens and other attractions.

You'll have to forgive me but there was no way to see it in its full extent.

This one was definitely more noticeable.

And this one too.

This neighbourhood, known as El Laguito, came into being after a group of North Americans and Englishmen living in Cuba bought the land in 1911 to build a golf course (I'm not sure if it was 36 hectares), a Country Club House, an equestrian club, sports fields with swimming pools and a hotel for lodging.

Over time, this area expanded as more and more members joined, very wealthy people, of course, and in the 1920s construction began on the Miramar residential project, which remains today the most luxurious area in Cuba, with mansions of different architectural styles.

Some of them are not very visible from the street, but the vegetation along the way is also very enjoyable.

Sometimes I would turn around to look at the landscape behind me.

I also helped a man push a vehicle. I always have the impulse to help when I see someone who is not having a good time.

This part here was a bit steep and we were already a bit hungry, my stomach was literally rumbling.

The little buddy allowed me to take a picture of him and we said goodbye, because we were already on our way there.

It looked like someone was stretching the road. We didn't see the place appear no matter how far we walked. 😂

Until...

at last!

But here I didn't take any more photos... I just concentrated on lunch and chatting with my colleagues. The lunch was very good for the occasion. And varied. I had the choice between a beer or a soft drink... it's a managed lunch paid for by the magazine where I work, so other than that, it's the same for everyone else.

We also returned on foot. I said that as we were full we had to walk about 100 steps... or was it 10? Ten seems very little to me. I don't know, someone told me that it is a Chinese custom to walk after eating.

🙂

I took the opportunity to do my after-noon meditation, but in a very different way: walking and enjoying plants and flowers.

This required me to enter into a heightened emotion of love and gratitude. Why wouldn't I be? Everything was conspiring in my favour.

I was really having a great time and allowed myself to be like a little girl, amazed by everything I saw around me.

In the meantime, I filled my mind with situations I’d love to experience as if I were living them right then and there.

I saw the river. Sometimes, you need to be abstract because the place I envision has a river, but it likely isn’t cluttered with plastic bags and trash.

😓

show me that face, come on, Nanixxx, the emotions should be joy, love, and gratitude, not sadness, anxiety, or fear.

😄

I also heard some birds singing. They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. In this case, it doesn't apply. I let the birds in my mind fly away and go see if my dreams come true one day. In the end, it's not really that much I'm asking for.