I’ve been exploring Madrid, Spain the past few days. Tomorrow we take the bus to O’Cebreirio Pass, to begin our Camino journey.

Madrid is a beautiful city. Rich in history, interesting architecture, winding cobblestone streets, expansive plazas, two and a half million residents (the third largest city in Europe according to our tapas guide), a multitude of international tourists with backpacks and ball caps and 18,000 restaurants.

Did you know one restaurant sold 9,000 calamari sandwiches in a day?

It’s just overwhelming.

I am slightly claustrophobic in the middle of a big city, even though it fascinates and distracts me.

But today I found an oasis in the heart of Madrid.

The Real Jardin Botanico. Twenty acres of magnificent nature, situated on the banks of River Manzanares. The garden began as the collection of King Ferdinand VI in 1794. Thank you very much!

As I stepped into the garden, my nervous system relaxed, breath and heart rate slowed.

My writing group practiced watercolor painting as we sat under a canopy of trees. We will add watercolor sketches to our travel journals we’ll keep in our backpacks to capture moments along the Camino.

As we painted, the sunlight filtered through the leaves. The trees’ branches sprawled a dark design across the bright blue sky.

Silent. Peaceful. Grounding.

We walked through the dahlia garden on our way out, famous for their rainbow of colors and gigantic ringed petals. Their beauty inspired the Spanish to bring them back from Mexico to their home country centuries ago.

On my last day in a Madrid, I found a garden. I found silence, nature and beauty in a big old marvelous city.