The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing. Marcus Aurelius The time has come to say goodbye to naturism and hello to clothes and convention. Its ten oclock in

The only journey is the one within. Rainer Maria Rilke On my last day here among the Lotus Eaters at La Jenny, Ive taken myself to the beach. I have a makeshift picnic with me, leftovers and some bread, and a bottle of wine. Its good to breath the sea

A day without laughter is a day wasted. Charlie Chaplin There is a German woman staying in the chalet just across the way from mine. We waved to each other in a cheery way as I moved in. She is alone it turns out, and we chatted briefly as I unloaded

Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope. Epictetus The very lovely people at reception give me a map. With 756 chalets on site, Im sure I would struggle to find my new home without it. The setting is quite

The past is never dead. Its not even past. William Faulkner,Requiem for a Nun Im standing on the jetty at Arcachon, waiting for the ferry that will take me and the bike and a dozen other passenge

No one saves us but ourselves. We ourselves must walk the path. Buddha The sky is copper-bronze, and the sun a burnished shield of cadmium orange. Streaks of thin black cirrus clouds are black silhouettes, as if painted on a Greek vase. Homer, it seems

be the dawn and dusk of a world in constant flux embrace becoming! Haiku I said my goodbyes to Landes almost as soon as I set off this morning, and though only a dotted line on the map, a new dpartement makes it feel like Im ma

The only way to have a friend is to be one. Ralph Waldo Emerson I am on my way to see one of the natural wonders of Europe, its biggest sand dune, and a jewel in the crown of the Gironde region; Grande Dune du Pilat, sixty million cubic metres of sand,

In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, dont wobble. Yun-men, 9th century Chinese Chan master There is no doubt any longer. As I ride, the smell of smoke is quite distinct in the air, the result of the recent fires, particularly aroun

What cannot be cured, must be endured. Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy My nightly ablutions always involve a walk in my PJs past my fellow campers, bearing wash kit and towel, to a communal concrete building that is generally uninviting. The was