Thursday 9 August 2007

BACK FROM THE CONTINENT





Channel traffic. One ferry company has 25 crossings a day!

In English: The Dover Strait,
French: Pas de Calais,
Dutch: Nauw van Kales.
Flemish: Het Kanaal.
It is the narrowest part of the English Channel. The shortest distance is from Dover in the county of Kent in England to Cap Gris Nez, the Cape near Calais in the département du Pas-de-Calais in France, the closest point between those two countries with a distance of only 33 km (20 miles).

We went through on the 26th, during the night, which has its own charm; the moon glistened on the black water, highlighting the spray and wake. We were standing on the top deck; some seagulls accompanied us gracefully and eerily.
Dotted lights all over the Channel, Ferries still crossing, boats waiting, sloops fishing, some intrepid sailors yachting, yes a very busy place!
The lights of Dover receding, those from France getting closer, a romantic experience, special, well we enjoy those things in life...
We had left our cameras in the car, for once only wanted to savour the moment and the atmosphere, without any pressure. We were on holiday, well... partly...
I just read something very appropriate: Confucius said that the secret to happiness is:

"If you find a job that you like, you'll never work a day in your life."

On our journey back, very different, we caught the SWEET light... and even more traffic!
The light was out of the ordinary, I did not want to set my camera to 'adapt' and change the way it actually was in reality, what it was doing naturally! I took it straight, overly bright, sparkling, blinding, star-effect, even some flare. To my eyes, Nature is so beautiful, so wonderfully incomparable and varied, why do we get this ‘need’ to always tamper with it, control it, and change it?

Away from the port of Calais I spotted a yacht cutting through the oily sea, the big ships in the busy lane seem to lie in wait..


Another lovely memory in the book of my life, I came home with plenty..., beauty, love, goodness, friendship and professional satisfaction.

Hope your day is plain sailing, thanx, M, (*_*)

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