A Wednesday Walk from home in Vizcaya Park

It’s been over a month since my last post. But this morning, as I was walking through my favorite park near home, it was such a beautiful day and everything looked so green in the park that I thought it deserved a post for #wednesdaywalk.

I came home three weeks ago after three months away. This time, I was anxious about returning after the earthquake three months ago; I didn’t know what I was going to find. And honestly, the day I returned was really shocking: landing and seeing the destruction in La Guaira from the plane. It’s as if a nuclear bomb had gone off. Everything there looks desolate and destroyed. But in Caracas, although there are areas where the damage is quite evident, the city seems to have regained its rhythm.

I’m really grateful to be home, to see family and friends. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been catching up on things and hadn’t had a chance to get back into my exercise routine at the park, but this morning I woke up determined to do it, so I headed to Vizcaya Park early.

The municipal government has been doing a great job with the park lately and has planted grass and lots of plants, so now exercising on its trails is like taking a stroll through the greenery.

It was a beautiful morning, and despite the heat, it was wonderful to go for a walk and get some exercise. Plus, at that time of the morning, the park was much quieter: there were only a few people walking and jogging, along with the groups that do their morning exercise routines.

The reading garden is, as always, very well maintained, but now they’ve also planted many shrubs around the trees and the busts honoring various writers. And I love that there are always people sitting on the benches next to the ecofriendly minilibrary, relaxing at their own pace.

The latest addition to this area of the park dedicated to literature is a bust of “Gabo” (the Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez). And I think it’s a great addition for this little green corner that pays tribute to reading.

In the mornings, the park is much less crowded, and today it felt particularly peaceful or maybe it was just that I felt at peace, enjoying nature, the light, the birdsong, and the greenery all around me.

I took my mom with me so she could enjoy some time outdoors. For the past two weeks, she’d been at a convalescent home because she’d had cataract surgery in both eyes, so today she was happy and said that everything looked different and the colors were brighter. So, after a walk at her own pace, she entertained herself by watching people exercising.

I definitely missed this place and getting back into my routine here.

In the area where the playground and the Little Prince square are located, there’s no grass yet, but you could tell they were working on it, and despite the heat and the blazing sun, you could see people working. So greenery will soon arrive in that area as well.

The sun was beating down, so after finishing my workout routine and walking a few laps around the park, I couldn’t resist the temptation to take a picture of my shadow before heading home. Grateful to have this place so close to home and eager and determined to return tomorrow.

This is my post for this week's #wednesdaywalk challenge hosted by @tattoodjay

Thank you for reading.