Two more island days to come.
It’s like a retreat, being here at the ocean, with the sun, with this feeling of summer, and with the through the mountains and the countryside. And with time. And more time. Time to reflect, to read, to just be. That’s the best of all: this feeling of freedom, of open days.
Gift from the Sea
Since last week, i am reading Anne Morrow Lindbergh's island book again. It's a book i revisit every other year. A slim paperback, 120 pages, but it holds so many reflections. The English title of it is: "Gift from the Sea". It was first published in 1955. It stands the test of time with ease. Actually, it is a book about time, about the seasons of our lives. I just looked for a quote, and arrived at this NPR page with a brief bio, and with excerpts, like this one that gives an idea of the island gift
"Perhaps this is the most important thing for me to take back from beach-living: simply the memory that each cycle of the tide is valid; each cycle of the wave is valid; each cycle of a relationship is valid." (link + all excerpts: Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Long-Lasting 'Gift')
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Literary Mallorca
The other book is a collection of literary walks and drives in Mallorca, with quotes and notes included. i knew that Miro lived here, and that Chopin was here for a winter, together with George Sand. but there are so many other authors and artists who visited the island, for a season, or for longer. Getrude Stein was here, and Anais Nin. Agatha Christie and Peter Ustinov. Ava Gardner and Anthony Burgess... and in time, the authors and artists and the places they visited turned into myths and story settings themselves. here's one of the tales: Deia and the Graves Myths.
There also is a darker side to this theme: in the years between 1930 and 1945, Mallorca also was a place of exile.
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Island photos
Some photos from the days here are up in my photo blog:
h20, fav, clouds, dia, gates...
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