The one with the kefir
Lilac Route in Valladolid, 06/06 - 09/06
Hola from the lilac team in Castilla y León!
Having finally activated our interrail passes, and having spent some hours on a train, we arrived at our stop with AEGEE-Valladolid. Luckily, our host Noemí met us at the train station, and brought us straight to her gorgeous apartment in Burgos. After a quick trip to the grocery store, Ewa and I made the most delicious gnocchi Europe on Track has ever seen, while Dimitris opted for a more Greek style of pasta. Noemí offered us some homemade kefir water to drink with our meal – I had never heard of such a drink, but enjoyed it all the same. We later found out that she has a degree in fermented drinks, no wonder it was so delicious…
After this reviving meal, our host kindly brought us on a tour of Burgos old town, where we saw the stunning Cathedral, a lot of quaint shops and many Camino de Santiago signs, merchandise items and monuments. Having walked the camino myself, I had lots of questions for Noemí who described the huge numbers of pilgrims who pass through the city every year. Considering that all of our previous stops had been coastal locations, our stay in the historic pilgrim city of Burgos was a welcome change. Our tour of Burgos old town ended with not one, not two, but three desserts. Between churros, chevalier, and even red velvet cake, our first night couldn’t have gone any better.
The next morning, while scavenging the streets of Burgos for some breakfast, we started talking about public transport in the city. Noemí explained that though there is a decent bus system in the city, it’s been rather disrupted by the fact that in April of this year, a fire at the municipal bus depot burned 39 of the city’s 75 urban buses. To deal with the disastrous effects of the fire, a number of buses have been loaned from Madrid, and other cities. Thankfully, such loans allow Burgos’ transport infrastructure to continue to operate in a sustainable fashion.
In the afternoon, after several hours of collective and silent typing on our laptops, we hiked up to the Castillo de Burgos (Burgos Castle). Though the castle itself was closed to visitors, it offered a great viewing point of the city. On our way there, we also saw a lot of people dressed in traditional clothing. And, later in the day, we were lucky enough to stumble across the Burgos Gigantillos and Gigantones (essentially; the Burgos Giants). These huge figures are made out of papier-mâché and represent a wide range of characters from both traditional and global cultures. They’re only showcased on special occasions – in this case it was following the celebration of Corpus Christi. And so, in just one afternoon, Burgos had provided us with a very rich cultural and historical immersion.
We also got the chance to visit Noemí’s family home, which has its own private orchard. From cherry trees to worm farms, tomato plants to water wells, this orchard had a lot to offer. It was really relaxing to sit in the garden under the setting sun and take the time to appreciate the nature that surrounded us. Though our Europe on Track project focuses mostly on eco-anxiety, it’s also important to remember just how calming the environment around us can be, and also to take the time to appreciate small-scale environmental practices. I think we all felt and appreciated the healing powers of nature in that moment.
The next day, we woke up bright and early to travel to Valladolid. Despite being hosted by AEGEE-Valladolid, we spent most of our time in Burgos. But it wasn’t a problem; if anything, we were happy to get a chance to see both cities instead of just one. Despite some mild stress caused by the city’s parking measures and rules surrounding the low emissions zones, we finally found a suitable parking spot. The low emissions zones, initially introduced as eco-friendly measures to improve urban air quality, have come under a lot of scrutiny for the high fines they charge if zones are breached. We also felt slightly ambiguous towards these zones, knowing they were good for the environment but not exactly practical for the local people.That said, we took a quick tour of the city, particularly enjoying the unfinished cathedral, and then it was time for our workshops.
First up was our workshop; How to talk about climate without preaching. It was our second time conducting this workshop, yet we hadn’t done it since Antalya, which felt like a lifetime ago. We therefore made an extra effort to go through the workshop beforehand. At the beginning, the participants seemed a little bit shy, but they soon started to open up, especially during the climate conversation roleplay. One participant even raised the question of how to talk with people who believe in flat earth theories. We debated this topic for quite some time, before deciding that perhaps it was better to start having climate conversations with people who might listen to you, rather than with those who absolutely won’t listen to you. All in all, it was an enjoyable workshop, which was followed by an even more enjoyable coffee break. Noemí and Hector (also from AEGEE-Valladolid) had prepared a wonderful table of drinks and snacks including, yes, you guessed it, kefir cake. We were starting to notice a trend…
Over the coffee break, we got a chance to chat with some of the participants, making everyone even more comfortable with each other in time for our second workshop; Storytelling: From fear to collective imagination. During this workshop, the participants were surprised by a video from Tuvalu’s Foreign Minister in which he calls for governments to take action on the climate crisis. Moving on, the participants got super creative, telling their own stories through drawings, videos and short improvisations. In general, the participants explained how they enjoyed this workshop, as it inspired them to approach the climate crisis with renewed positivity. Even storytelling is a useful tool in combatting climate change. As a team, we were proud of this workshop, as we had reworked some of its contents and felt that the new version went smoothly. Somehow, it was again time for a coffee break, this time with even more great snacks and chats.
Pleased with our workshops, we had a sound night’s sleep before once again heading to the train station. Waiting on the platform, I sipped my supermarket branded kefir, perhaps a new obsession for some members of the lilac route… Very sweetly, Noemí came to our train platform to say goodbye. But it wasn’t really a goodbye, only a ‘see you later’, as we all hoped our paths would cross again.
Written by: Sheenagh Rowland
(and the Lilac team)