We left the farm yesterday morning and headed north. We have tickets for the Vieilles Charrues Music Festival in Carhaix this weekend, so we set off to explore the Brittany region.
Country roads led us to the beach town of Chatelaillon-Plage, where we had a Cuban lunch on the beach, and then by 6pm, we made it to our hotel in Quimper, a near-beach city in Brittany. We didn’t realize that the hotel was an hour away from the festival until we arrived, so we decided to spend the evening exploring Quimper - to have a nice dinner of crepes and cider, and then seek out a fireworks show nearby.
We landed in Benodet for the 11pm Bastille Day fireworks show, and walked a kilometer or two to the beach, where we were able to snuggle up on our little blanket on the sand, pour ourselves a glass of 2006 St. Emilion wine, and offer up our “ooh, ahh” for the display of whites, pinks and greens. We made it back to our hotel after 12:30, climbed into bed, and snuggled our way to sleep.
We had a beautiful day. Relaxed. Happy. Safe.
And then, when I woke up this morning, I was greeted by a handful of calls, texts and emails from friends, asking if we were safe, if we were in Nice. We then learned that in a similar fireworks display on the other side of the country last night, an armored van killed at least 80 people, including children, in what has now been labeled a terrorist attack.
I certainly don’t mean to be doom and gloom on this blog. Andrew and I are having the perfect honeymoon for us. We are learning so much about ourselves and our family unit. We are growing together. But I can’t help but mourn this morning for those families shocked by last night’s horror. This could have just as easily happened at our beach last night. My heart is with those families.
And the lesson I am taking from the violence that surrounds us this summer? After Orlando and Dallas and Istanbul and now Nice? We are living during dangerous times. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. And all I can do is love. I feel safety in the love I share with Andrew. I send love across the pond to my family and friends.
I’m shaken, but in love, I feel safe.
