Lakes of Covadonga · Curiosity · Where Wonder Walked Towards Me

The drive from the Basilica of Covadonga wound steadily into the mountains, disappearing into thick fog. I had heard how beautiful the lakes were, but nothing prepared me for arriving there. Clouds drifted across the hills, the water reflected the changing light, and cattle wandered freely through the landscape as though they belonged as much to the mountains as the rocks themselves.

We spent the afternoon walking together—my husband, my mother-in-law, our friend, and me. I photographed the scenery, then turned my camera toward my mother-in-law, trying to make her laugh as we wandered between the lakes. It was one of those wonderfully peaceful afternoons that asks nothing of you except to slow down and enjoy where you are.

Then everything changed.

As I concentrated on taking photographs, one of the young cows suddenly became curious. Before I realized what was happening, it was walking straight toward me, filling my viewfinder with its enormous face. For a brief moment, I forgot all about photography and instinctively ran, convinced I was about to be charged.

It wasn't. It simply stopped, looked at me with quiet curiosity, and wandered away as though nothing unusual had happened.

Later, I couldn't stop laughing. What had felt frightening in the moment became one of my favorite memories of the trip. Whenever I look at these photographs now, I don't just remember the beauty of Covadonga. I remember the laughter, the surprise, and the reminder that nature often gives us the moments we could never have planned.

Sometimes the best photographs aren't carefully composed.Sometimes they begin with curiosity.