Côtes-d'Armor (Bretagne, France)
In front of me in the distance is the horizon, where I can't make out where the sea ends and the cloud-covered sky begins. A strong wind whistles around my ears, I pull up the hood of my outdoor jacket and it immediately becomes noticeably quieter. The whistling is replaced by a humming sound that comes from the flapping material of the jacket. I can barely hear the wind, but I can feel it.
I sit motionless on a rock. It is cold, but also soft, covered in moss. It is quiet inside me. No thoughts. No stirring feelings. Nothing but the soothing emptiness and a gentle calm. Staring at the horizon has calmed me down. But also the sea, the clouds, the rocks, the barren landscape, the singing of the seagulls and the sound of the water lapping against the shore, wave after wave.
In this eternal moment when time stands still, I know that I am in the right place. I feel I have arrived on this rugged, breathtakingly beautiful coast in Brittany. We are on a walk that I put together myself the day before. And once again we come to the GR34, this wonderful long trail. The place: Saint-Briac-sur-Mer. A quiet, charming village. The distance we cover: 11 kilometers. It takes us 4 hours. Hours of enjoyment.
It's the second day in a row that we've been walking. The day before, we were near Dinan and walked the Green Trail. This starts at the Château de Dinan and leads us down to the Abbaye Saint-Magloire de Léhon. From there along the La Rance, through a small wooded area up a hill, down it and back up to the town of Dinan. There through a park to the old town and back to the château. In the end, we cover 12 kilometers in 4 hours.
Most of the route here in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer runs along the sea, past large, imposing-looking villas on the hills close to the sea. Often with large window fronts or terraces that open onto the sea. Usually hidden behind trees, hedges or fences. Preserving privacy and yet with an openness that reveals their beauty. "Look here", they call out to us, "here we stand, enthroned above you and outlasting the ages".
In a splendor and dignity that is only matched by the surrounding nature and landscape. Rugged cliffs plunging steeply into the sea, which has retreated by the time we are here. Majestic trees towering into the sky, from which an indescribably deep calm emanates. Peace. Grounding. Vastness. There is an abundance of all this here.
It all seems timeless and is so elegant and beautiful that it leaves me speechless. In another time, I would envy the people who live here and dream myself into their lives. Not on this day and not at this time. Here I am just being here, happy to be able to experience all this. Christmas by the sea, how much more beautiful can it get?
Further along the path, it gets more beautiful. The sea is greener, the waves higher and the beaches wider. The world opens up a little more. Even more of the vastness, deeper into the tranquillity. Sublimity. Surfers ride the waves breaking on the shore, a dog runs excitedly along the beach, its paws just dipping gently into the water. Families and couples stroll along the smooth golden-brown beach or meet us on the narrow path that is often just a step away from the cliff.
We wander, taking it all in, barely able to contain our happiness. This is the life I never even dreamed of. But here and now I am living it. I feel nothing but deep gratitude.
In front of me in the distance is the horizon, where I can't make out where the sea ends and the cloud-covered sky begins. A strong wind whistles around my ears, I pull up the hood of my outdoor jacket and it immediately becomes noticeably quieter. The whistling is replaced by a humming sound that comes from the flapping material of the jacket. I can barely hear the wind, but I can feel it.
I sit motionless on a rock. It is cold, but also soft, covered in moss. It is quiet inside me. No thoughts. No stirring feelings. Nothing but the soothing emptiness and a gentle calm. Staring at the horizon has calmed me down. But also the sea, the clouds, the rocks, the barren landscape, the singing of the seagulls and the sound of the water lapping against the shore, wave after wave.
In this eternal moment when time stands still, I know that I am in the right place. I feel I have arrived on this rugged, breathtakingly beautiful coast in Brittany. We are on a walk that I put together myself the day before. And once again we come to the GR34, this wonderful long trail. The place: Saint-Briac-sur-Mer. A quiet, charming village. The distance we cover: 11 kilometers. It takes us 4 hours. Hours of enjoyment.
It's the second day in a row that we've been walking. The day before, we were near Dinan and walked the Green Trail. This starts at the Château de Dinan and leads us down to the Abbaye Saint-Magloire de Léhon. From there along the La Rance, through a small wooded area up a hill, down it and back up to the town of Dinan. There through a park to the old town and back to the château. In the end, we cover 12 kilometers in 4 hours.
Most of the route here in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer runs along the sea, past large, imposing-looking villas on the hills close to the sea. Often with large window fronts or terraces that open onto the sea. Usually hidden behind trees, hedges or fences. Preserving privacy and yet with an openness that reveals their beauty. "Look here", they call out to us, "here we stand, enthroned above you and outlasting the ages".
In a splendor and dignity that is only matched by the surrounding nature and landscape. Rugged cliffs plunging steeply into the sea, which has retreated by the time we are here. Majestic trees towering into the sky, from which an indescribably deep calm emanates. Peace. Grounding. Vastness. There is an abundance of all this here.
It all seems timeless and is so elegant and beautiful that it leaves me speechless. In another time, I would envy the people who live here and dream myself into their lives. Not on this day and not at this time. Here I am just being here, happy to be able to experience all this. Christmas by the sea, how much more beautiful can it get?
Further along the path, it gets more beautiful. The sea is greener, the waves higher and the beaches wider. The world opens up a little more. Even more of the vastness, deeper into the tranquillity. Sublimity. Surfers ride the waves breaking on the shore, a dog runs excitedly along the beach, its paws just dipping gently into the water. Families and couples stroll along the smooth golden-brown beach or meet us on the narrow path that is often just a step away from the cliff.
We wander, taking it all in, barely able to contain our happiness. This is the life I never even dreamed of. But here and now I am living it. I feel nothing but deep gratitude.