Solvitur ambulando is a supposed quote by Sant Agustí, also known as Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis. It means ‘it is resolved by walking’. In other words, ideas come to us by walking. Walking is not just a physical exercise but also a stimulant to the creative mind, possibly even a prerequisite to the creative process.

I went for an incredible walk the other day with my family and some friends, on a stretch that we had meant to walk for ages but so far hadn’t. We went from the Santuari de la Mare de Déu de Sant Salvador to the Castell de Santueri, both in the extended region of Felanitx (see map).

The walk is not too strenuous; it extends to a length of perhaps 5 km and a duration of about 2 hours. We took two cars and left one at the Santueri castle, taking the other car to the Felanitx monastery from where we started walking. If you only have one car, please double the time and distance indicated, as you will have to walk there and back.

As I live in Felanitx, I imagined that I knew the area pretty well. I have done a fair amount of ambulating in the vicinity over the last 20 years or so. But believe it or not, we got utterly and seriously lost (o. k., we had been warned that the track is not marked at all, and at times is overgrown and can easily be missed). The thing is, however, that we did not mind at all. We did not find the proper path and must have taken a half a dozen wrong turnings, but in the end we got to our destination, following our instincts and yes, we found our way back to our car. It did not matter to us that we did not find the direct route because what mattered more was the natural beauty of the scene and the fun of being out and about, and in good company. And what if there is a proper way. As long as you get from A to B, I don’t think that it matters which way you go. A detour might be as pleasant and as stimulating as any which way.

It certainly animated our brain cells trying to figure out where we were at which point. The fun of the exercise was not at all diminished.

Saying that, we would want to go back there sometime soon, and try again if we can to find the track shown on this map.

The photo was taken near Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: January 6th, 2009. The time was 14:35:09.