Magical water lilies and their surroundings.

--- >Every green space filled with nature makes me feel like I am walking in my own garden, a magical garden. ---  --- There was a time when I had my own private garden at home, and it was so big that I didn't need anything else to be in nature. The city might have been grey, but in my little space I had everything: trees, flowers, fruit, bushes, grass and my beloved kittens. That was where I spent my moments of relaxation. ---     --- Life changes, and by my own choice, I crossed the ocean a few years ago and found gardens, parks, forests, the sea, and much more. Places where I can stroll, walk without fear, even in places where there are no other people, lonely and often gloomy, and I am not afraid. Strolling through gardens specially designed for that purpose is so enjoyable. I close my eyes for a moment and when I open them, I imagine that it is my own park, that the people passing by are visitors and I can explore it in its entirety. I always tell my mother that I know she had a large garden, but now she has the freedom to visit many others, sit on a bench, read a book or just enjoy the air, the breeze and nature completely. ---     --- When these gardens also offer me botanical varieties from different parts of the world, I can not only walk around but also learn about them, touch them, discover their texture, their smell, their colours, as if, thanks to this garden, the world had been brought before me for me to discover. --- ||| |-|-| |||  ||| |-|-| --- That's what happened to me on this walk among different species of trees, shrubs, varieties of pines, and with every step I was able to learn from numerous signs that informed me about the species, their place of origin, names, and various other information. ---    --- A walk along paths with benches where you can sit and contemplate the beauty of the place on a cloudy but beautiful day, somewhat hot, but overall very pleasant. There are even some places to eat, to have a picnic. ---    --- I really enjoy having lunch in nature; it is very relaxing, and I believe that even the food tastes better. I prefer that to being cooped up in my house, perhaps because I always seek to avoid routine, I seek new things, and eating under a tree is the best there is. Many people say it is uncomfortable, but I find it wonderful and enjoy such beautiful and simple things. ---     --- I even like to walk and watch the sun's rays filter through the pine branches and shine on my face, staying there for a moment to enjoy it. I like these silent walks, breathing deeply, filling my lungs with oxygen, like meditating, but without going beyond walking. ---     --- I also like to observe my surroundings to discover new places I can go to at that very moment or as an excuse to return for more experiences. This usually happens to me: on the other side of a park, I see something that catches my attention and I return days later to see what it was. Or, if it's very close, I go immediately. I like to explore everything, and now I can do it. Actually, when I was younger, I didn't even know I liked it, but I've discovered it. It's like an addiction to investigating, travelling, walking, learning more, and that feeling of discovering new natural spaces fascinates me. ---   --- This place had a favourite spot for me, where I stayed for a long time. If a space has water, a waterfall, the sea, a river, a lagoon or simply a pond, it really attracts me. ---   --- And then there were the water lilies, although I always called them lotus flowers, one of my many favourite flowers, which grow in water and symbolise serenity, balance and peace. Not only that, but there were white and pink ones, which made it the perfect place: water, flowers and the colour pink, what more could I ask for? >The clouds were subtly reflected in the water and for a moment time stood still, I just stood there admiring the beauty of a magical place. Thank you very much for joining me on this Wednesday walk. Best wishes, see you soon. Amonet. --- --- >All photographs are my own.