Monday, September 24, 2012

Another Enchanting Moment

This time in Burgos. 
A bunch of pilgrims were congregated at outdoor seating for this one bar in the city's main square, presided over by the impressive florid gothic cathedral.  Sofia and I had wandered our way over, following Flo and Noah, a girl from Israel.  The Dutch pilgrims were there, along with Paul and Decklyn (a duo we've been playing trail tag with), and so we sat and watched everyone ordering more beers and getting louder and happier by the minute.  Sofia was talking to Paul, but I was feeling quiet so kept a bit to myself.  Then I had to pee (a very common occurence for me on the Camino), so I went to the bathroom in the bar.  When I was done, I took my time wandering back outside.
Then it happened.
Standing in the doorway of the bar, I was suddenly enthralled with the enormous sensation that was filling my ears.  The cathedral bells were ringing.  No, they weren't just ringing; they were rolling in majestic peals of sound.  The bells themselves weren't just swinging back and forth, they were tumbling in complete circles, around themselves, over and over.  The notes were pitching, piping, rumbling in a cacophony that at one moment clanged in dissonance and the next pushed forward with a determined melody.  There was one deep note reverberating through it all; I could feel it in my ribcage. 
I stood in the doorway and gaped.  The cathedral was right in front of me, huge, imposing, and suddenly alive.  I walked closer, hoping that no one would see me.  Louder and louder.  I felt like I was being called to something.  Every moment the bells were making a different sound, but there was a rhythm and a pattern to it;  now clanging, now bounding upwards, now organized into definite music. 
I listened and listened as the bells went on and on, wondering somewhere underneath what I was listening for.  If those bells were magic, I would have turned around and found myself in the city square of medieval Burgos.  I even peeked over my shoulder once, just in case the magic was waiting for me. 
In the end, the bells tapered off, and I walked back to my group.  Sofia was wondering where I was.  One of the girls was complaining about the sound of the bells.  I felt like I was the only one who heard them, after all.

No comments:

Post a Comment