Travel to faraway lands is inherently mysterious. I just arrived from a 10-day European adventure, not with my usual travel partner (husband Mark), but with a few friends – old and new – as we became a merry band of innocents.

Mystery with the language, the weather, the lay of the land – each day we faced something new and exciting. Some of us had been to some of these places before, and thus we shared what we knew and what we didn’t know along the way. We enriched each other’s experiences.

My friend and colleague, Dawn Summers, recently sent excerpts from Mark Twain’s 1869 travel book, The Innocents Abroad. The words rang true for me:

“Just in this one matter lies the main character of life in Europe – of comfort.  In America, we hurry – which is well; but when the day’s work is done, we go on thinking of losses and gains, we plan for the morrow, we even carry our business cares to bed with us, and toss and worry over them when we ought to be restoring our racked bodies and brains with sleep….

”I do envy these Europeans the comfort they take. When the work of the day is done, they forget it. …They are appreciative of life and its manifold blessings. …We bestow thoughtful care upon inanimate objects, but none of it upon ourselves. What a robust people, what a nation of thinkers we might be, if we would only lay ourselves on the self occasionally…!

“…The change that has come over our little [travel] party is surprising. Day by day we lose some of our restlessness and absorb some of the spirit of quietude and demeanor of the people. We grow wise apace. We begin to comprehend what life is for.”

I enjoy big-city energy, but I am drawn to quieter places, where I can feel my body and mind unfold within more subtle rhythms of living. 

As Dawn will be joining us for the October retreat, I look forward to learning from her experience as I offer up what I know about this little corner of Portugal. Perhaps it is calling to you too. 👀

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October is the perfect time for an escape. We have such an amazing trip planned. I can’t wait to share this beautiful place with you.