After a long sleep and strong coffee I think my brain is ready to start recalling the weekend.
Did I say I love the French language? Did I say I have started speaking? My ears and tongue are getting used to this brilliant sound and are slowly reproducing it.
So. Friday. I had learnt we were going to spent the weekend near Grenoble, on the French Alps. The village was called Autrans. A car full of baggage - including camping gear - three girls and a dog. His name is Panda - with a French accent Pondah - and his eyes look like Freeda's.....
I was so excited to be with my friend, the new day was warm and sunny... It was just perfect!
The driving was great, the mountains green and shiny... Cows and horses grazing in the vast pastures below the forest, rivers flowing down... It was all so beautiful!
We had lunch at a friends house. Lunch for the French means cheese, salad and bread. I will surely gain weight if I keep eating all this wonderful food! All the people here are really hospitable and nice... I'm so lucky to have travelled here...
In the night, we would stay in an old camping site for children, now used as a DIY hotel. This meant we had to cook and clean up after ourselves. It was so cute to see all the little cupboards and little toilettes!
In the afternoon, everybody arrived with booze and food. Friday night was for the youngsters, parents would arrive the next day. Barbeque and a big fire. The sun went to sleep, the moon shone bright above us. A two day party was starting and everybody was in a cheerful mood!
I have already praised Clio in my Skyros posts and I have to admit that most of her friends are just like her. Witty, playful, handsome, motivated, funny....
We had a great night until sleep came upon us... And then the boys started the pranks and I was really glad they did not know me that well!
To be continued....
New year was approaching. I needed to get away. Not to escape, just change my scenery for a few days. My best friend G. has a house on the mountain. The village is built under mount Parnassus.
I wanted this journey to be my first outward journey alone, without my dad. He did offer to come with me, but I felt confident enough to do it alone. Got in the car and off I went. I drove off the highway, climbed a mountain, went down from the mountain and then a plain land before I started to ascend again. All the time I was driving, feeling grateful I could see this winter scenery... It was sunny and warm and the colours of winter sweet and rusty. I was feeling a deep sensation of gratitude. Gratitude for allowing myself to drive. Gratitude for this golden vehicle which took me where I needed to go. Gratitude for my beloved friend who invited me. Gratitude for myself, being brave enough to drive on unknown territory. Gratitude for Freeda who slept peacefully in the back of the car during the journey. Gratitude for all the choices I have made in life.
The smell of burnt wood and the bare trees. New Year was approaching. The pages of the new year are still empty and bare. Are we gonna fill them with all the things that matter? Are the pages gonna be filled with the love and gratitude? The laughs and the tears? We will see.
On the first day of the year it was time to come back home. It was a rainy, foggy day. Driving again. Scared, but determined to get back home safely. I told myself there is no need to be scared. I can just be grateful again! I got my driver's licence last February - not even a year ago - and I have already travelled to Athens, Skyros and now the mountain! I'm so proud of myself! It was indeed misty and foggy on the way back. But mr Ray Charles was singing his wonderful songs, giving me a safety sensation.