A journey towards Corsica in body and thought!

It is the end of season and I am delighted to be on the Ferry on my way to Corsica with Gigi, my faithful companion. We started the journey on Saturday morning, and we are very happy together. Have I written the book last week? Well you can guess my answer: NO. However my trip to Corsica is mainly for the purpose of writing. I haven’t been to Corsica for a long time. I remember that my first blog was about Corsica and how the writing process started, last February. Tomorrow I will find my beloved old desk and will start writing.

But today I will write a little about this journey with Gigi and all the thoughts that have been floating in my mind and around my head.

Being on the boat is a wonderful feeling. I remember in my student years in Turkey, I used to take the ferry everyday, crossing from the Asian side to the European one, and it felt that it was a suspended time and space. It was what it was, the boat moving and me staying, wonderful sensation. I always used this time to look into the sea, daydream, or to have some romantic time with my then boyfriend.. really early in the morning at 7:30, while the city was awakening into its habitual chaos.

Now my suspended time on this huge ferry will be about 4,5 hours… Perfect time to write a blog :) The view is always wonderful, endless shades of blue, sunshine and mild Italian winter (15 degrees). As it is the afternoon, we will enjoy the sunset from the boat and will arrive at the island in the dark. 

How was this journey then? 

We started off by loading the car and making our first stop in our forest in Chuchle. We had a long walk, Gigi was happy as always and I had the time to create the perfect emptiness in my mind so that I could drive. I love long distance driving. Usually I have nice music to listen to or even audio books. I had chosen two books and I have listened to each one of them for some time but this time I was in a very comfortable emptiness. Gigi was very quiet and calm and we drove through Austria until we reached our first destination: Nötsch im Gailtal. It was a remarkable drive through the mountains once we left the highway. Coming down from the heights we entered a fog so dense that I was literally driving through nothingness. 

We finally found the hotel, which was open and empty, our key was waiting for us, and we went to the room, Gigi got her dinner and we went out for a walk and I had dinner and we walked again. Apart from the dinner everything else was enveloped into a density of fog, so mysterious and soothing. We must have walked through all the streets, crossing through fields…every house had a lantern with a candle burning by the doorstep, it was beautiful.

A slight interruption due to weather conditions: the strom started and the ship was rocking so much that I had to stop writing and escaped with Gigi to the deck, where we maintained a certain status quo without vomiting. The rest of the evening was a continuation of Corsican storm: strong winds, rain and the adventure of reaching the house, in complete darkness. But we managed.

Continuation of the blog today Tuesday: Since yesterday morning we have been trying to settle in with Gigi, and we managed. The weather is still dramatic and so is the sea, but it didn’t prevent us from taking a long walk on the beach of Ampuglia, and then also admire the high waves clashing onto the shore in Erbalunga. Now home, with the fire warming the house and I can finally go back to my initial idea for the blog. 

In the evening of the first day of our journey towards Corsica, my dear Verka, a friend and our production manager (you’ll find her on our webpages, as she is the one who helps us with the Czech administration and many more things) wrote me a very deep message questioning our inability and ability to listen deeply to our loved ones. To be able to listen and stay within oneself and not be carried away by what happens in us due to what we hear. 

She mentioned that sometimes it is difficult to remain in the listening and at the same time be in the acceptance of its impact on us. 

She inspired me with this thought, because I often have similar trains of thought. It happens to me sometimes when I hear my daughter say something and it touches me so deeply, that unconsciously a reaction starts in me, and I miss the chance to listen to her, instead stay with what I hear and let my reaction manifest itself. This is such a missed chance in allowing the delicate bonds to develop between mother and daughter, I know it and yet it happens. And it is a very conscious work of the mind and the heart to recognize the reaction and stay in a loving listening mode and put oneself aside for a while. 

All evening, after reading Verka’s message I was thinking about these questions. And finally I somehow fell asleep with Gigi next to me.

Sunday morning (hope this going back and forth in time is not too confusing for you) we went out immediately and walked intuitively and found ourselves in a lovely forest path along a stream. Some parts were frozen and the moose was smelling, a magical walk.

After a long walk we decided to continue our journey, that is I decided and Gigi gave in with one biscuit. 

Verka’s thoughts were still in my mind, how was I going to answer? Do I have an answer? The first thing that came to my mind was: this is actually a whole chapter in the book! 

The “listening” in Somatic Dialogue is one of the crucial abilities, one of the main aims is to refine our ability to consciously listen to what is happening in ourselves, during action/movement and in the world around us.

It seems that we are somehow deeply afraid or refraining ourselves from staying in the listening mode and allowing the meaning to find a place in us. It seems that we are so trained to immediately react or come up with a counter thought, an answer, a defense or simply being carried away by what we hear and enthusiastically commenting on it.

When I go into my inability to just listen I feel that this staying in the listening without reacting feels like an inertia, some kind of mental death, or nothingness…and therefore it is difficult to find the peace in this nothingness and just listen. It is a discipline really. 

Well, then, coming back to the physical journey: After the magical walk in the frozen forest we hit the road, passing through frozen white landscapes with fog and the sun shining through it... And Philip Glass playing in the car… Just amazing. I am sure were he accompanying me he would have composed a new piece, it was such a delight to the eyes. I was fully there, listening to the music, feeling the car’s engine and taking in the beautiful scenery while gently sliding on the streets.

The next destination was Mantova, the renaissance city of Lombardia. This time I didn't search on the internet but followed my intuition. Driving through a street I saw a restaurant and, being hungry, immediately parked the car. We walked with Gigi for a while and then entered the restaurant. It was one of the most satisfying culinary experiences of my life. A 4 course degustation menu took me from one taste to another, while Gigi was patiently sleeping behind my chair. We of course had to honour the food by taking a long walk along the river, admiring the beauty of the city and the light of the afternoon.

After Mantova we drove straight down to Livorno, to arrive at the Grand Hotel Palazzo, a once great, now shabby and beautifully decadent  ex-5-star hotel.  We got an upgrade (Gigi is a star) and had an amazing suite facing the sea. A wonderful evening walk along the promenade by the sea, a Vermut with orange in a plastic cup, a cigarette in the mild wind, some gnocchi with seabass….an ideal evening in Livorno.

After a long sleep we woke up to the view: blue sky, beautiful sea! Gigi seduced me to go out and the long walk ended with a swim in the sea (that is Gigi not me).

Well, then we were on the boat. the rest you know.

And here I am on my first day in Corsica, sitting at my beloved desk, listening to music, with the background generously filled with the sound of the torrent that passes in front of the house, so loud, so strong, it makes you listen to it at least a couple times a day. My days of writing have started… I hope to advance the book. I found my first pile of notes, a year ago when I first started writing. I have no idea how it will go on but it will somehow. I hope to be supported by the raw energy of nature here, big waves, strong winds… This morning while walking on the beach and admiring Gigi running to the water, I let myself be cleansed by the strong wind, not cold, not warm, but steadily bold and insisting… I find the wind very inspiring. 

I’ll see in one week’s time, how much and what I have written, dear reader. And in the meantime I wish you peaceful days, as the season suggests. Here in Corsica they say : Pace a Salute!

With love from Pietracorbara!

B