Sunday 15 April 2007

Close to paradise

From Rakitni we traveled to the south of Istria, Kroatia, and visited the Eco Art Centar EIA,
which is located close to the village Bale. We arrived around sunset and we were immediately amazed by the place. You can really see how much energy and care they have put in here. Next day we had a walk in the forest behind the place, which is like a fairytale, with flowers, low trees, big white stones and cliffs. The people from the centar, Igor and Lilly, call it a holy place. In the forest one can find a natural formed stone circle, surrounded by older oak trees, where they also do meditations. Nice to have these miraculous places so close to your home!

Gaya had a lot of encounters with the animals, with the ducks and the chickens, which we got fresh eggs from; the old, blind donkey, who shouted us goodbye when we left; and the ill sheep and her lambs. The sheep was doing not well and couldn’t give milk to her lambs, and the lambs where fed with bottle. Cecilia and Gaya had a special moment feeding them, just before the lambs where brought away to be with other sheep on an ecological farm close by.

It was interesting to see how they made their house and living, with solar panels, catching rain for water, building an outside shower on solar power, etc. During our time there we helped with arranging a volunteer sleeping place, Cecilia painted a road sign for the centar, and Frans picked stones from the land and fixed a part of the road with it.

Just when we were to go we realized our time here was way too short and we wished we could have stayed longer and work and learn more here. But it was also great to be able to visit so short, and still be able to help with things. We would like to go back and then stay for a longer time here!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

wat een geweldige foto van Gaya en Cécilia met de lammetjes. Wat een wijs mensje hebben jullie en al weer zon stuk groter geworden. Ik verwacht dat ze zo op reis met jullie en al die indrukken weer een geweldige ontwikkelingsspurt neemt !
Ik kan me heel goed voorstellen dat het heel moeilijk was om daar niet langer te blijven gezien wat jullie daar over schrijven
En wat een leuke foto van de ezel!