It's been a few weeks since posting in this blog and for that I apologize. Between preparing Christmas presentations for class and hopping into BlaBla cars on weekends, time between my last posting and the current one has entered a tunnel of evaporating velocity. Last weekend my friend Lieven and I spent a few days in a rain soaked Madrid to stay with an Argentinian Couchsurfing friend. During our short yet condensed trip we hopped a morning bus to wander around the medieval gem also known as Toledo. This small yet beautiful city is a blending of Jewish, Christian & Arabic cultures and picturesque rolling green hills can be seen from all corners of its sturdy castle walls. We connected with Jesús, a really nice guy from Bolivia, and he showed us the highlights of Toledo which for me was the Alcázar, a looming symbol of the Spanish Civil War. Jesús and his family knew Lieven through Couchsurfing and we shared a delicious Vegan inspired dinner as they reconnected for the first time in years. While back in Madrid we took a day long personal walking tour through Parque del Retiro, Puerto del Sol, then ended with free entries into the museums El Prado and La Reina Victoria. The Spanish capital city is a massive yet magical place to visit and thanks to the fantastic metro system it's fairly easy to navigate. Thanks to Couchsurfing we were able to see this part of Spain on a shoestring budget and for that I am very thankful.
At this exact moment I am taking a seat on a faded brown park bench watching scores of casually paced walkers crossing in various directions in El Jardín de Floridablanca. Taking a seat only minutes ago there has already been a steady progression of pedestrians continuing the rhythm of their daily pattern and watching them go by is quite peaceful. Some are dressed in fancy business attire, others have their backpacks hanging loose on their shoulders, others are prepping for a jog and striding with seemingly un-natural leg motions.
With my cell phone on airplane mode the past few minutes of complete disconnection from the realm of electronic social clouds ignites calming internal streams that are rooting around me like those of the massive ficus trees that line the park's central stone passageway. Built in the 19th century and occupying a large rectangle shaped territory within Murcia's El Carmen neighborhood, El Jardín de Floridablanca is easily my favorite place to relax in the city. Separated by El Rio Segura (the river that dissects the city) from the hustle of downtown Murcia this meeting point for locals is still close enough to feel a heartbeat away from its pulsing energy.
Besides the great people watching this sanctuary is nice because under the spreading fingers of ficus branches I am completely shielded from the sun. The benches that form a synchronized stitching pattern along the lining of the park's main walkway are also surprisingly comfortable. Along the oposite entryway of the park scores of children can be seen playing in confusingly shaped structures with their parents looking onward in casual fashion.
A slight breeze sends scores of ficus leaves skidding towards an Eastern sprawl along the pavement. Somewhere motors from cars can be heard buzzing in accordance to stop lights.
Besides the rays of tall standing sunshine another important thing is being shielded by the ballooning green vegetation of the ficus trees: My identity. Sitting on this park bench there exists a temporary and necessary internal oasis. No one in this park knows who I am, why I'm in Spain, and what path in life I have chosen. However it's also impossible to guess who the unknown park explorers are either. Maybe the person that just crossed my path is studying to become a lawyer. The woman on her cell phone might be a local television personality or maybe a criminal seeking refuge from pursuing authorites. No matter our life stories and the countless decisions we have made to reach this precise moment in life, everything has been left on the outside sidewalk as we now share at least one visible mutual interest: this park and its soft falling ficus leaves.
Once we leave the protection of it's steal fences & non-attention grabbing monuments to people I've never heard of we will return to everything that we used to know.
As two legged human beings start to look more like waving dots along pathway its my cue to leave and continue to whatever it was I was doing.
Maybe the unknown park walkers will see me sitting on that same bench again one day in the future. Maybe they won't.
At least we will always have the ficus trees.
It's time to put on my jacket.
At this exact moment I am taking a seat on a faded brown park bench watching scores of casually paced walkers crossing in various directions in El Jardín de Floridablanca. Taking a seat only minutes ago there has already been a steady progression of pedestrians continuing the rhythm of their daily pattern and watching them go by is quite peaceful. Some are dressed in fancy business attire, others have their backpacks hanging loose on their shoulders, others are prepping for a jog and striding with seemingly un-natural leg motions.
With my cell phone on airplane mode the past few minutes of complete disconnection from the realm of electronic social clouds ignites calming internal streams that are rooting around me like those of the massive ficus trees that line the park's central stone passageway. Built in the 19th century and occupying a large rectangle shaped territory within Murcia's El Carmen neighborhood, El Jardín de Floridablanca is easily my favorite place to relax in the city. Separated by El Rio Segura (the river that dissects the city) from the hustle of downtown Murcia this meeting point for locals is still close enough to feel a heartbeat away from its pulsing energy.
Besides the great people watching this sanctuary is nice because under the spreading fingers of ficus branches I am completely shielded from the sun. The benches that form a synchronized stitching pattern along the lining of the park's main walkway are also surprisingly comfortable. Along the oposite entryway of the park scores of children can be seen playing in confusingly shaped structures with their parents looking onward in casual fashion.
A slight breeze sends scores of ficus leaves skidding towards an Eastern sprawl along the pavement. Somewhere motors from cars can be heard buzzing in accordance to stop lights.
Besides the rays of tall standing sunshine another important thing is being shielded by the ballooning green vegetation of the ficus trees: My identity. Sitting on this park bench there exists a temporary and necessary internal oasis. No one in this park knows who I am, why I'm in Spain, and what path in life I have chosen. However it's also impossible to guess who the unknown park explorers are either. Maybe the person that just crossed my path is studying to become a lawyer. The woman on her cell phone might be a local television personality or maybe a criminal seeking refuge from pursuing authorites. No matter our life stories and the countless decisions we have made to reach this precise moment in life, everything has been left on the outside sidewalk as we now share at least one visible mutual interest: this park and its soft falling ficus leaves.
Once we leave the protection of it's steal fences & non-attention grabbing monuments to people I've never heard of we will return to everything that we used to know.
As two legged human beings start to look more like waving dots along pathway its my cue to leave and continue to whatever it was I was doing.
Maybe the unknown park walkers will see me sitting on that same bench again one day in the future. Maybe they won't.
At least we will always have the ficus trees.
It's time to put on my jacket.
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