Speaker 1: Hello everyone, it's Lucy here. We have an exciting new
addition to this podcast. As well as our Friday stories,
we will also be having an episode every Wednesday where
we will all go on a relaxing adventure together. The
wonderful thing about our minds is we can travel to
anywhere in the world we like. We can still experience
the warm sun, the gentle ocean tides, and the beautiful
nature that so many places can offer us. There's no
need to travel physically because we can travel there in
our minds and forget about a knee, worries or issues
that we may be having in our everyday lives. We
will play this journey meditation twice, so if you choose,
you can experience the trip again. So sit back, close
your eyes, relax, take a deep breath in and out
nice and slowly, and let us take you on a
lovely journey.
Speaker 2: There is a small island off the western coast of
France called Belle eel Amire. It is a beautiful, rocky
island where the weather is cool. As I describe it
to you, you're going to get cozy and come fee
in your bed and allow yourself to drift off to sleep.
So make sure you have your favorite pillow and snuggle
up in just a position you like. You're riding the
ferry from the mainland. It's only about a twenty five
minute ride. You've decided to take a seat on the
bow of the boat so that you can watch the
island you are traveling too slowly become larger as the
ferry grows closer. The weather is cool, but not too cold,
and there's a steady headwind on the bow of the
boat as it skims across the sea. There are some
metal benches for people to sit in, but you decide
to stand at the railing of the boat so that
you can see the water rushing past below. You look
down at the water and you hear the sounds of
the ocean lapping at the side of the ferry boat.
The wind is slightly salty and refreshing, catching your clothes
and making them dance on your body. The hum of
the engines is loud yet calming. There are people sitting
on the benches talking in French as they watch the
very same scene as you. A few kids are enjoying
the ride more than anyone else, pointing and smiling during
the entire ride. The ferry engine slow down because it
is coming into port. The captain maneuvers the boat perfectly,
docking with precision. Several workers get off the boat before
it even comes to a full stop, grabbing all sorts
of ropes to tie it securely, and boys to act
as a buffer between the dock and the ferry. A
small bridge extands off the side of the boat to
allow for passengers to exit, and a large ramp on
the end of the boat slowly lowers to allow for
the cars it carried across the bay to drive off.
The whole process of unloading everything goes so smoothly and
there is no rushing and no waiting in line. You
can hear some seabirds flying overhead as you entered a
beautiful village. Four story buildings lined the seaside, colored in
whites and creams, with some painted light pink and yellow.
The rooftops are a matching gray, and you can see
each building has a few chimneys for when the weather
turns cold. Some buildings have very small balcony, only big
enough to hold a few potted plants, and the shutters
on the windows vary from mint green to leaf green,
and some are shades of dark pink.
Speaker 1: This is a.
Speaker 2: Beautiful little town, bustling with the energy of its people.
This village is situated in a cove so that it
is protected from the sea. You turn to look out
into the turquoise water and across the marina full of
small boats. You see the sprawling nature of the island.
Golden and green hues of tall grasses stretch across the
rocky shore. You can make out some old wartime buildings
that have turned to ruins and see small windows that
the soldiers could peek out to see enemy ships approaching.
The buildings protected the soldiers yet allowed enough access to
fire their weapons out of the small rectangle windows. Nature
has since taken over these structures, grasses growing high around
them and vines clinging to the walls. Strong cedar trees
thrive on this island, as well as a few other
varieties of shorter trees. The trees cannot grow very tall
here because of the highways coming off the bay. You
begin to walk through the village and there are bicycles
lining the streets, along with some scooters and small motorcycles.
There are various places to dine that have large awnings
to seat many people outside. The tables and chairs at
these establishments are placed as closely together as they can get,
allowing for a maximum number of customers. Some shops you
pass by are filled the brim with one of a
kind paintings flashing their beauty through the windows, enticing people
to enter the gallery and buy one to take home.
You are enjoying the simple geometric shapes of the architecture,
and how so many windows are open, letting the fresh
air in. Some of the open windows have white curtains
dancing in the wind. As you pass by a busy
crep shop, you can smell the aroma of chocolate and
the batter of the creps cooking on the skillet. People
are delightfully eating their creps and you can see them
stuffed with various kinds of delicious ingredients. You will stop
by a later to have a crep or two, but
for now you want to walk along the nature footpaths
nearby to begin exploring this beautiful island. As you walk
away from the village, there are several footpaths through the
tall grasses that lead to various nature areas, rooms or
beautiful secluded coves with turquoise waters and sandy beaches. You
decide to take the path that leads to the cliff
side to see the beautiful sights of the wind sweep
off shore jagged rock formations towering from sea below that
Claude Monet painted many years ago. You walk along the
beige colored footpath that so many footsteps before you have
walked and noticed the low growing plant life Surrounding you
are colors of sage, greens, smoothed rocks. Eight of steps
taking you up the cliff side, and as you climb
you can see the cobalt blue horizon of the bay
peaks over the hillside in front of you. You are
careful with your step because a fall from this cliff
to the sea below would surely be the end of you.
The sound of the mighty ocean presents itself as a
deep roar and low hissing and splashing sounds. Waves have
been crashing and carving this landscape for thousands of years.
You make it to the exact view that Monet once
perched his canvas. It is spectacular. A dozen jagged rocks
are congregating into sea, growing from large at the base
to more treacherous and narrower at their tops. No two
are the same. They almost look like dancers striking a
pose in the bay. From your vantage point, you are
so high above sea level that you are somewhat looking
down on these magnificent structures. Their tops do not even
cross the horizon line where the ocean meets the sky.
The only plant life that can grow on these rocks
acts as a dark green blanket covering the lower half.
Because the sea below is frothing with energy and the
winds are demanding, this is not an ocean that you
can swim in. The waves are viciously splashing against the
cliffs and rocks, turning the turquoise water white with bubbles.
You watch the sunset turn the ocean pink and the
sky violet. Find a soft place to sit and soak
up this moment into your memories forever. The sunset is
grown to darkness and it's time for you to make
your way to your hotel. You give one last glance
at this beautiful scene and thank it for blessing your mind.
As you walk back along the footpath you came in on,
the sounds of the ocean gently fade away until all
you can hear are your eager footsteps, taking you to
where you will get a good night's sleep. The sky
is turning light orange where the sun is escaping, and
dark blue as night draws in. The footpath winds and turns,
leading to a narrow road that is also a beige
in gray color. There's a gravel road that can only
fit one car at a time. You pass by houses
in the countryside, and they are all white with gray rooftops.
There are large protective white doors that cover over the
doors and windows of these summer homes to protect them
from any strong winds that hid the island. Most of
these houses are closed up, but you see some are
lived in by locals. As you walk down this road,
magnificent seed or trees line your path. There are grapes
growing in rows behind someone's home. You see roses blooming
in all sorts of colors. The scenery in the distance
is rolling hills dotted with white houses that are all
closed up and protected awaiting their family's return. You're making
your way back to the marina and the streets become paved.
The small cars on the island park paralleled so closely
to one another it's hard to figure out how they
get that way, or how they can even pull out.
There are few more blocks to go before your hotel,
and you are enjoying every moment of this walk. The
sky is dark, but the moon is almost full, illuminating
everything with its cool glow. You begin to pass by
a tall rock wall on your left that looks like
it was hand built many years ago. It's about ten
feet high and you can't tell what's on the other side,
but you can see that a little further in front
of you. The wall becomes shorter as you make it
to the point where the wall dips into your height.
You can see that this wall surrounds a large graveyard,
and all you can see is hundreds of white crosses
filling your vision. Only a few of the crosses are
stone colored. You come to the closed wroth iron gate
to this graveyard and peer through to the other side.
You take in the stillness of this site and see
the moonlight blanketing the tombs. It's time to keep moving
towards your hotel. You haven't been there yet, so you
don't know exactly what to expect. A warm glow emits
from a building that is drawing closer, and there are
red awings over the windows and a small sign that
reads Lotel de Belle. This is your hotel, and you
are so ready to rest after this long and beautiful day.
The old door is painted creamy green. The windows panes
in the door are old and look like the surface
of water. You grasp the brass handle and it is
cool in your hand. The door opens effortlessly, welcoming you
like it does welcome many others. There's a french man
who greets you with monjou and gets your information. He
hands you a gold key and tells you that your
room is on the third floor, facing the ocean. You
don't have anything but your backpack with you, so you
make your way up the stairs that seemed like they
were built for a very small person. Three flights up
and you come to your room, number eleven. The old
key slides into the lock, and you open the door
to a beautifully made bed with crisp white sheets and
more pillows than any one could need. There is no television,
just two or eight lamps with shades that matched the
green of the front door, sitting atop matching bedside tables
hadn't built from wood. You put your things down and
make your way to the small restroom It's perfectly clean,
and it's only big enough to fit you. The shower
is welcoming, but you had rather saved for the morning.
Gaze into the mirror before getting into bed to see
your happy face and how grateful you are to be here.
Make your way to the bed and turn the covers back.
The sheets are softer than you imagined they would be,
and this bed is very comfortable. Laying down and completely
relaxing your body. You are surrounded by white pillows. You
gaze out the windows of your room and you can
see the moonlight glimmering on the surface of the ocean,
like the way diamonds shimmer in the light. Allow your
eyes to gently close, now looking forward to the day ahead.
Good night, and sleep wonderfully. There is a small island
off the western coast of France called Belle yell O Maire.
It is a beautiful, rocky island where the weather is cool.
As I describe it to you, you're going to get
cozy and come fee in your bed and allow yourself
to drift off to sleep. So make sure you have
your favorite pillow and snuggle up in just a position
you like. You're riding the ferry from the mainland. It's
only about a twenty five minute ride. You've decided to
take a seat on the bow of the boat so
that you can watch the island you are traveling too
slowly become larger as the ferry grows closer. The weather
is cool, but not too cold, and there's a steady
headwind on the bow of the boat as it skims
across the sea. There are some metal benches for people
to sit in, but you decide to stand at the
railing of the boat so that you can see the
water rushing past below. You look down at the water
and hear the sounds of the ocean lapping at the
side of the ferry boat. The wind is slightly salty
and refreshing, catching your clothes and making them dance on
your body. The hum of the engines is loud, yet calming.
There are people sitting on the benches talking in French
as they watch the very same scene as you. A
few kids are enjoying the ride more than anyone else,
pointing and smiling during the entire ride. The ferry engines
slow down because it is coming into port. The captain
maneuvers the boat perfectly, docking with precision Several workers get
off the boat before it even comes to a full stop,
grabbing all sorts of ropes to tie it securely, and
boys to act as a buffer between the dock and
the ferry. A small bridge extands off the side of
the boat to allow for passengers to exit, and a
large ramp on the end of the boat slowly lowers
to allow for the cars it carried across the bay
to drive off. The whole process of unloading everything goes
so smoothly, and there is no rushing and no waiting
in line. You can hear some seaboards flying overhead as
you entered. A beautiful village. Four story buildings line the seaside,
colored in whites and creams, with some painted light pink
and yellow. The rooftops are a matching gray, and you
can see each building has a few chimneys for when
the weather turns cold. Some buildings have very small balconies,
only big enough to hold a few potted plants, and
the shutters on the windows vary from mint green to
leaf green, and some are shades of dark pink. This
is a beautiful little town, bustling with the energy of
its people. This village is situated in a cove so
that it is protected from the sea. You turn to
look out into the turquoise water and across the marina
full of small boats. You see the sprawling nature of
the island. Golden and green hues of tall grasses stretch
across the rocky shore. You can make out some old
wartime buildings that have turned to ruins and see small
windows that the soldiers could peek out to see enemy
ships approaching. The buildings protected the soldiers yet allowed enough
access to fire their weapons out of the small rectangle windows.
Nature has since taken over these structures, grasses growing high
around them and vines clinging to the walls. Strong cedar
trees thrive on this island, as well as a few
other varieties of shorter trees. The trees cannot grow very
tall here because of the high winds coming off the bay.
You begin to walk through the village and there are
bicycles lining the streets, along with some scooters and small motorcycles.
There are various places to dine that have large awnings
to see many people outside. The tables and at These
establishments are placed as closely together as they can get,
allowing for a maximum number of customers. Some shops you
pass by are filled to the brim with one of
the kind paintings flashing their beauty through the windows, enticing
people to enter the gallery and buy one to take home.
You are enjoying the simple geometric shapes of the architecture
and how so many windows are open, letting the fresh
air in. Some of the open windows have white curtains
dancing in the wind. As you pass by a busy
crept sh you can smell the aroma of chocolate and
the batter of the creps cooking on the skillet. People
are delightfully eating their craps and you can see them
stuffed with various kinds of delicious ingredients. You will stop
vi later to have a crep or two, but for
now you want to walk along the nature footpaths nearby
to begin exploring this beautiful island. As you walk away
from the village, there are several footpaths through the tall
grasses that lead to various nature areas, rooms, or beautiful
secluded coves with turquoise waters and sandy beaches. You decide
to take the path that lead to the cliff side
to see the beautiful sides of the wind sweep offshore,
jagged rock formations, tirering from sea below that Claude Monet
painted many years ago. You walk along the beige colored
footpath that so many footsteps before you have walked and
noticed the low growing plant life Surrounding you are colors
of sage, greens, smoothed rocks. Eighta steps taking you up
the cliff side, and as you climb you can see
the cobalt blue horizon of the bay peaks over the
hillside in front of you. You are careful with your
step because the fall from this cliff to the sea below,
which surely be the end of you. The sound of
the mighty ocean presents itself as a deep roar and
low hissing and splashing sounds. Waves have been crashing and
carving this landscape for thousands of years. You make it
to the exact view that Monet once perched his canvas.
It is spectacular. A dozen jagged rocks are congregating in
the sea, growing from large at the base to more
treacherous and narrower at their tops. No two are the same.
They almost look like dancers striking a pose and debay.
From your vantage point, you are so high above sea
level that you are somewhat looking down on these magnificent structures.
Their tops do not even cross the horizon line where
the ocean meets the sky. The only plant life that
can grow on these rocks acts as a dark green
blanket covering the lower half. Because the sea below is
frothing with energy and the winds are demanding, this is
not an ocean that you can swim in. The waves
are viciously splashing against the cliffs and rocks, turning the
turquoise water white with bubbles. You watch the sunset turn
the ocean pink and the sky violet. Find a soft
place to sit and soak up this moment into your
memories forever. The sunset has grown too darkness, and it's
time for you to make your way to your hotel.
You give one last glance at this beautiful scene and
thank it for blessing your mind. As you walk back
along the footpath you came in on, the sounds of
the ocean gently fade away until all you can hear
are your eager footsteps, taking you to where you will
get a good night's sleep. The sky is turning light
orange where the sun is escaping and dark blue. As
night draws in, the footpath winds and turns, leading to
a narrow road that is also a beige and gray color.
It's a gravel road that can only fit one car
at a time. You pass by houses in the countryside
and they are all white with gray rooftops. There are
large protective white doors that cover over the doors and
windows of the summer homes to protect them from any
strong winds that hid the island. Most of these houses
are closed up, but you see some aere lived in
by locals. As you walk down this road, magnificent seed
or trees line your path. There are grapes growing in
rows behind someone's home. You see roses blooming in all
sorts of colors. The scenery in the distance is rolling
hills dotted with white houses that are all closed up
and protected awaiting their family's return. You're making your way
back to the marina and the streets become paved. The
small cars on the island park paralleled so closely to
one another it's hard to figure out how they get
that way, or how they can even pull out. There
are few more blocks to go before your hotel, and
you are enjoying every moment of this walk, the sky
is dark, but the moon is almost full, illuminating everything
with its cool glow. You begin to pass by a
tall rock wall on your left that looks like it
was hand built many years ago. It's about ten feet
high and you can't tell what's on the other side,
but you can see that a little further in front
of you. The wall becomes shorter as you make it
to the point where the wall dips into your height.
You can see that this wall surrounds a large graveyard,
and all you can see is hundreds of white crosses
filling your vision. Only a few of the crosses are
stone colored. You come to the closed wroughth iron gate
to this graveyard and peer through to the other side.
You take in the stillness of this sight and see
the moonlight blanketing the tombs. It's time to keep moving
towards your hotel. You haven't been there yet, so you
don't know exactly what to expect. A warm glow emits
from a building that is drawing closer, and there are
red awings over the windows and a small sign that
reads Lotel de Belle. This is your hotel, and you
are so ready to rest after this long and beautiful day.
The old door is painted creamy green. The windows panes
in the door are old and look like the surface
of water. You grasp the brass handle and it is
cool in your hand. The door opens effortlessly, welcoming you
like it does welcome many others. There's a french man
who greets you with monjou and gets your information. He
hands you a gold key and tells you that your
room is on the third floor, facing the ocean. You
don't have anything but your backpack with you, so you
make your way up the stairs that seemed like they
were built for a very small person. Three flights up
and you come to your room, number eleven. The old
key slides into the lock, and he opened the door
to beautifully made bed with crisp white sheets and more
pillows than anyone could need. There is no television, just
two ornate lamps with shades that match the green of
the front door, sitting atop matching bedside tables hand built
from wood. You put your things down and make your
way to the small restroom. It's perfectly clean and is
only big enough to fit you. The shower is welcoming,
but you had rather saved for the morning. Gaze into
the mirror before getting into bed to see your happy
face and how grateful you are to be here. Make
your way to the bed and turn the covers back.
The sheets are softer than you imagined they would be,
and this bed is very comfortable. Laying down and completely
relaxing your body. You are surrounded by white pillows. You
gaze out the windows of your room and you can
see the moonlight glimmering on the surface of the ocean,
like the way diamonds shimmer, and the light allow your
eyes to gently close, now looking forward to the day ahead.
Good night, and sleep wonderfully.