What do they say -- a rainbow at the end of the storm? Something corny like that? Well, I have found my rainbow! And whatever terrible things the taxi man had to say,I have fallen head over heels for Brugge and want to bring everyone I love to this magical place! It has been described as a fairy tale land, and that is indeed true. Every winding street has something magical to reveal.
Wandering, I have decided, is a spiritual practice and it is all I have done for the past four days. My legs have carried me thousands of kilometers in every direction and my soul has been touched by beauty and goodness in an unprecedented way. Besides the obvious charm of the main square, with its towering Belfry at the center (the Belfry who's bells ring "Ode To Joy" among other tunes, every hour of the day) and besides the fries with mayo (you mustn't picture Best Foods here, the mayo is more along the lines of whipped cream), and besides the Belgian waffles with warm, chocolate sauce, chocolate boutiques on every corner, countless quaint cafes and brasseries -- besides all that, Brugge has magical secrets tucked away in the alley ways and corners of her streets, if only you are willing to find them. That is, if only you are willing to wander. And when you do find them, these hidden courtyard gardens, these sprawling, impossibly green parks with proud, white swans floating in the middle of ponds, these medieval churches and basilicas...you happen into the other new spiritual practice I have discovered: lingering. You lay your body across a bench and stare at the lime green and amber leaves blowing gently overhead; you photograph swans for hours behind a fountain, capturing an unexpected rainbow in the scene; you kneel on the bench in the basilica and rest your weary soul beneath the somber but beautiful Madonna. What would happen if we wandered more in our lives? What might we find? What if we lingered longer in a place, rather than moving on in a rush to the next thing? What might we discover? I wonder about this...and how it might translate to my life at home.
And finally, the third spiritual practice -- exploring. Yesterday, even though I was convinc
ed I was too tired and too apprehensive for it, I nonetheless forced myself to rent a bicycle and ride into the Belgian country side. "It's only 400 kilometers, Madam," my charming, English hotel owner informed me. Having no idea what 400 kilometers is, I set out on my bicycle for the medieval village of Damme. The ride itself, along the canal, was so peaceful, with tall trees lining the trail, and the stems of lush, green grasses and wildflowers tickling my bear legs on either side. My skirt blew in the breeze, I pedaled with wild abandon, happy tears falling down my warm, cheeks. Fiddlesticks with Lisa Arrington's "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," played in my headphones and I sang my lung out, not knowing and never caring how I sounded. I pedaled past wandering sheep, and cows lingering in their pastures. I pedaled over bridge after bridge, passing adorable cottages surrounded by hydrangeas of a purple I've never seen before...until I arrived, much sooner than expected, in Damme. As you may guess, I spent my day wandering in the village -- discovering a magical church, yards of roosters and sheep, windmills and an all-book flea market -- all places in which I lingered.
- The journey to and from Damme was not only beautiful from beginning to end, but positively liberating. If this is what happens whenever we are willing to find our boldness, wherever it may be hiding, and explore something new, I need to do it more often. My friends, I wish you the blessings of wandering, lingering and exploring, wherever you find yourselves today.
The last image reminded me of a scene in several movies I've seen...The path that follows the canal with trees high overhead dappling the path... And swans...oh me...
ReplyDeleteTo wander off the beaten path is to truly travel. It's not the nick-nacks, or the lines to see places in a book (though one should see those too), it's the places that beckon you.