A new chapter

-In Montolieu

As the days in Montenegro came to an end the garden showed signs of rebirth- spring was in the air. Car rental returned followed by a beautiful hike from Tivat Airport to Kotor, complete with a spotting of a tortoise on the path- until this point it had merely been a myth described over dinners with new friends, but I was happy to see the creature in the wild.

Between deep cleaning, bags getting packed, and “see you later’s” I continued with my walking meditation listening- still (and for a second time)- to the words from Thich Nhat Hanh and I thought about Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood. I thought about the curiosity, discipline, and privilege required to entertain these constructs and felt grateful to have a safe space to examine my own relationship with these concepts. Then- it was time for a break, time to get back indoors and finish packing for the next chapter…all the while feeling grateful and in awe of the beauty to be found on the hikes in Montenegro.

After a soft landing in Montpellier with an opportunity to catch up with an old friend (and make a new one) walks through the city center offered a serving of French architecture, a short trip to Arles which highlighted Vincent Van Gogh’s inspiration, and lunch in Beziers, where Pierre-Paul Riquet (the engineer of the Canal Du Midi is from) its time for a longer stay, a new beginning- this time in Southern France in the quaint town of Montolieu- Population ~836.

Montolieu- Known as “The Village of Books” and situated on the edge of a deep ravine in the Occitania region in the department of Aude- before this trip I didn’t even know the vocabulary used to categorize different parts of the country. I have taken for granted the ease in which I can understand the breakdown of town, suburb, city, county, and state. Living abroad…there are so many things to learn and it can be challenging. Image, trying to figure out which butter, out of the 20 options, has salt not to mention the rules of the road and what the road signs mean. It can be exhausting sometimes- every home has new smells and creeks to get used to- Every place, every encounter- something to teach about the world, about people, about myself.

Xoxo~Rose