The Painful Walk

Who knows me... knows that I am a pessimist. I wrote about this in my bio a long time ago, so there should be no misunderstandings. Although I like optimism. But I have been optimistic so many times, only to find out later that I was wrong. Good thing I didn't bet on that, or I would be much poorer now than I am...

Not long ago, it was common to hope that the new year would be better than the previous one. However, over the last two years, I have become less confident, as each new year has brought surprises that were not very pleasant, especially concerning health.

Somewhat expected, after crossing the threshold of seventy years, I stubbornly refused to believe in this unfavorable development at the beginning of the year, but every time, there was something.

Ever since I can remember, I have taken pride in my ability to walk long distances. When I was in the military, I enjoyed running long distances and enduring marches of tens of kilometers.

Walking is one of my greatest pleasures, and I like to consider myself a professional stroller because I always manage to turn any trip into a walk!

That's where the pain comes from. I imagined, like any respectable pessimist, that I would face all kinds of misfortunes in life, and I honestly believed quite intensely that I would die after turning 70. Fortunately, most of those predictions turned out to be false; I didn't even die in the year I turned 70, I passed 71, and still nothing...

I never imagined or feared that I would have problems walking, let alone be forced to significantly reduce my walks.

Well, that has happened. I still move, but sometimes better, sometimes worse, and with pain. Hence the name 'The Painful Walk'!

It is very cruel to be deprived of those abilities upon which your passions depend. I think of Beethoven, perhaps the greatest composer so far, who went deaf. When he wrote Symphony No. 9, he was completely deaf. Of course, he heard the music in his head, but what cruelty and disappointment it must have been not to be able to listen to it in a concert hall.

Another unfortunate example I know of, and of course there are many more in the world I haven't heard of, is that of a painter—one of the greatest painters in Romania, a classical artist.

Stefan Luchian, who, towards the (premature) end of his life, became partially paralyzed and could no longer hold a brush in his hand. His loved ones tied the brush to his hand so he could still paint, and thus still enjoy, however little, his great passion.

Source

I've been thinking about this now, in keeping with the tradition of the pessimist, about how difficult it is for me to walk now. I must admit I exaggerate a little; it's not that bad, but now I can only take short walks, which are accompanied by pain in my thigh and spine.

That was my introduction to today's blog dedicated to walks. I might have messed things up: I wrote a very long introduction that will be followed by a shorter body, and I don’t even realize if I’ll have room for a conclusion.

Sibiu, step by step

All these problems added together have left room for something good, which saves this year of mine from being called disappointing.
Two trips, full of short walks. The first in Bulgaria, at the Black Sea and the second in Sibiu, one of the most interesting cities in Romania.

I will try to tell about Sibiu in short blogs, just like my walks. The walks were short for two main reasons, the pain and the heat. Sometimes the heat relieves the pain, but that was not the case on this trip.

I traveled by train, because I can't drive my car long distances now. It's 320 km from Bucharest to Sibiu.

As I said, Sibiu is a very popular city for tourists from all over the world for two main reasons, I think. These are the Old Town or the historical center, which is in the middle of the city and covers an area of 75 hectares. This is one of the best preserved medieval areas in Romania. I saw houses built shortly after 1200 that are still inhabited!

We lived in the middle of the center and every street nearby was where we did most of our walking.

The Orthodox Cathedral in Sibiu is a few hundred meters away, so it was the first place we visited.

The height of the towers and the narrow space around the cathedral prevented me from completely framing this monumental construction.

It wasn't until we got a little further away that we could see the towers better.

The narrow and empty streets, devoid of passers-by, especially because of the stifling heat, where we took repeated walks, for pleasure or out of necessity.

What I like very much in Sibiu and that doesn't exist in Bucharest are the interior courtyards. Almost all buildings have such courtyards.

In this building and courtyard we found a restaurant. "Jules".
It was an end of the short walk, a place to rest in the coolness given by the vegetation and the thick walls.

Just as I have regained the pleasure of walking, I hope I will also regain the pleasure of writing about them.

I always start with photos when I want to write a blog. Photos remind me of places, events, and feelings that turn into words.

A wise saying goes that an image is worth a thousand words.

Everything depends on the beholder.

Make a point of looking around and up to see what you can find to get shots of that; otherwise, you may miss it.

_{This is one of the recommendations made by @tattoodjay for those who prefer walking and are used to sharing impressions and photos in his community, Wednesday Walk, every Wednesday, like this one today.}