Côtes-d'Armor (Bretagne, France)
„Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.“ — Henry David Thoreau
„It is about here, about timeless presence, about the depth of the night, about the sacred secret that hides in boredom in silent ecstasy, about sound of nature.“ — Unknown
It's wonderfully quiet here. I'm sleeping well again and yet I still don't feel refreshed. There's just too much going on so far. Unpacking. Organising. Working. Arriving takes time, even if it's only a matter of days. But one thing happens quickly: my thoughts come to rest.
I have no desire to escape or distract myself. I can sit on the windowsill and watch the wind play with the plants in the garden. Or looking at the pigeons lined up on the rooftop. Or viewing the stars in the evening, which cover the entire sky without being disturbed by any artificial light source.
I can linger in the darkness, which is so thick that I can't see my hand in front of my eyes. And I am no longer afraid of it because there is so much peace and silence in it. I welcome the rain, even if it almost ruins my day because my trousers, shoes and socks are soaked with it. I can let myself fall. And that's wonderful.
The week passes quickly and is filled with work. We use the weekend to go to Dinan, less than 15 kilometres away from us. Dinan is a beautiful little town. I love the atmosphere. The old half-timbered and stone buildings. The many small shops with special, often local and handmade products. The galleries and studios with art by local artists. The cleanliness. The relaxed people.
Being being here is a matter of the heart. My heart beats faster and my soul is calmer than it can be anywhere else. Just the thought that we have to go back at some point crushes my chest. But we are here, we just arrived. And this is amazing. I look forward to the coming weeks and months. I look forward to every new day. To the ones where we explore the area, but also to the ones where we simply stay in our quiet accommodation.