”You have suffered enough and warred with yourself.
It’s time that you won.Take this sinking boat and point it home. We’ve still got time.
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice. You’ve made it now.
Falling slowly sing your melody. I’ll sing along.”
I arrive at Juliette’s place, le Domaine de la Loge at 10.30am, after another successful trip. How to resist to a real breakfast? I can’t say no to bread with salted butter and tea <3.
Juliette is Eric’s sister and though I don’t know her that well, I can tell:
she’s an incredibly cool person.
She lives in the countryside and tries to live in harmony with nature (environmentally friendly, basic resources). The area is beautiful, and the company even better!
So, the plan is staying for a few days helping her around, in exchange for food and accommodation.
Day 1.
During the first day we start tidying up one of the rooms where some work will be done in a few days, so we have to empty it! And it’s not such an easy task… Specially when she wants to keep everything! Zero waste in this house!
We work on making a fence for the goats as well…
… till the last light in the sky fades.
By the end of the day, we turn on the wifi and after 10 minutes I realize that it’s enough for me. I’ve checked all I have to check. All the rest is irrelevant. So we spend the last hours tidying up somewhat more and then… we go out.
The Geminid meteor shower is taking place today and tomorrow night, and no moon will be interfering, so we should be able to see some shooting stars!
Since we are in the countryside, there’s no artificial light around and we can see so many stars! It’s the first time I see the stars since I’m back in Europe and yes, it feels weird. I managed to get used to the Southern Cross and the new shapes the sky offered, and now the Ursa Major/Big Dipper and Cassiopeia look weird, like old friends from a time when we were very different. But I’m the only one who has changed, I guess.
Unfortunately, no shooting stars are to be seen today, at least no common ones. The sky is a light show and all we see is like little stars turning on and off, and move as if they were coming towards us. It’s kind of confusing, as if somebody was testing all the light bulbs in the sky to check if they are working. It was beautiful :).
Day 2.
Next day starts with luxury. A warm shower welcomes the morning and makes me feel full of energy. I collect wood from the henhouse and keep tyding up together with Juliette. It’s another sunny day and I am very happy to be in the nature. Plus, the food is always delicious and the more I get to know Juliette, the more I enjoy her company. In the afternoon we remove some stones from the earth next to the swimming pool, since she’s renovating it all! She’s working on her house and guesthouse, one of her dreams. Swimming pool + basement in progress (after 20 years abandoned)…
In the afternoon we go to some friends of Juliette.
They are hunters and have killed a wild boar. Now they are distributing the meat. We go to pick it up and well… I’m a vegetarian. It feels very weird to be there while they are cutting the meat. I could clearly see that was an animal and the blood all around… BUT, for some reason I can’t explain, I found it beautiful. The way the butcher cut every piece carefully was almost like art to my eyes. I was happy to have seen it and to feel it that way. I guess some years ago I would have criticized it strongly.
It was a subtle way of feeling that I’ve grown, and I believe in a good direction. Even though, this doesn’t mean I get excited about the idea of killing animals or opening them up on the table. It’s all a matter of the point of view, and that day I decided to look at it with new eyes.
At night we sit outside again and this time yes, we do see shooting stars. I see more of them than I’ve seen in my whole life! We try to take some pictures but well… in the end the best option is to make a mental picture and to enjoy the moment.
(Which means we failed to take good pictures 😛 )
Day 3.
Homemade bread with salted butter. I just can’t get tired of it!
Today’s highlight is the quince tasting, which Juliette has (of course) made herself. There’s lots of tastes: with lemon, speculoos spices… But all delicious!
Martina, a friend of hers, joins us later and we share a great dinner: crêpes with creative filling! All you want to add, you add it; that’s the way I like it!
My general impression here? People don’t use their phones that much. I don’t know if it’s because it’s the countryside, or because they don’t see each other that often, but in general people are living their life with their animals (chickens, dogs/cats, horses…), which keeps them busy, and when they meet up they don’t need to check their Facebook or Whatsapp every hour. They enjoy. Or maybe I’m just with the right people at the right place.
In any case, I like it :).
Day 4.
I join Juliette in her morning Pilate course. I have trouble saying ‘no’ to new things :). I prefer saying ”I didn’t like it” rather than ”I didn’t try it”. And I actually liked it ;). Just felt it next day… !
The room is almost empty and… Oh, wait a minute, what is that?
A PIANO?! Yes, under all those things I find a piano and I wish I had found it before. It’s the instrument that I learnt to play in the first place, about 9 years ago. It’s as well the instrument I had trouble to carry around while travelling, and that’s why, ladies and gentleman, I learnt how to play the guitar! It’s kind of easier to move around with it, right? 😉
And with no neighbours in a few km around, it’s a pleasure to play piano at midnight <3.
Day 5.
We collect some wood for the fireplace, go to tai chi (though it was just a relaxing session) and eat more awesome food. How am I ever going to leave this place? 😛
When we come back from the tai chi course, arrive home and stop in the parking, Juliette, about the turn the engine off, inhalates strongly for a second, showing surprise and excitement. Her car just reached 200.000km :).
We celebrate at night with a bottle of wine, not only for that, but for the great days we have spent together and the job done!
We only go to bed at 2.30am…
After 5 amazing days, I can only say a huge thank you to Juliette, for being such a lovely person and to infect me with your enthusiasm.
It’s time for me to hit the road again, and I do it with a huge smile, just like my wonderful host :).
See you soon!
Worth the surprise 