Church and Gardens

To find peace of mind, or quiet in the head and heart, some people, like my Dad, go to church.

I go to nature.

I need gardens. I need to plant things, have my hands in dirt, breathe in its smell. What happens to my body when I am with trees and plants could be how some people feel when they pray. I feel outside the physical, even though I am most among it. I completely relax, like I do when I hear Spanish, or now, Czech. It’s quiet in green places, and somewhere along the line of my life, I have come to need more and more quiet. With my mouth closed, I can listen, and my hand moves easier to write.

While we were in Prague, we visited the city’s Botanical Gardens (another great suggestion from our friend, Laurel). They were lovely. From the ponds with blooming lily pads and big koi, to the geological section that featured ancient, fossilized rocks, to the herb garden where an elderly woman helped herself to some of the edibles, to the huge, old growth trees we rested under, this place was a haven. We were there for a few hours, emptying our heads, relieved to get a break from the busy energy of the city. When we left, we felt revitalized.

As we got closer to the stop where we would pick up the tram to go back, we noticed a church on a nearby corner. Prague is famous for its churches, but this was Sunday, so I expected all of them to be crowded. This one was somewhat vacant inside, however, and the doors were open. It looked cool and inviting, so we went in.

Benjamin immediately started taking pictures, and I looked for Mary Magdalen. Ha! To those readers who know me, it’s no surprise. I look for her everywhere. Of course I found her, and I posed under her statue as Benjamin took a photo.

Then, I went into a little side chapel decorated as if it were a grotto. I like grottos because they have a nature focus, and they are meant to be private.

Covered in lilies, it smelled sweet and perfume-y. The water fountain sounded relaxing too. There was a statue of the Virgin Mary and a statue of a little girl with an expression of discovery on her face. I thought this was an apparition setting, and it was–Bernadette and our Lady of Lourdes. I stayed in there while Benjamin took more pictures throughout the rest of the church. I should mention that this was the church of St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits…how funny that the most teaching/educational branch of Catholicism would be the church that we would find.

The Botanical Gardens and St. Ignatius Church provided a nice, peaceful day in Prague.