Here it is, summer and finally, a more than well-deserved holiday. In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned that one of the most essential elements of our family holidays is that we go on holiday alone, just our family. We have never ever gone on holiday with friends or relatives. It can sure be fun for children to spend holidays with cousins, but I believe a holiday is first and foremost an opportunity for bonding between parents and children.
The video story (if you prefer to read the story, please continue below the video):
The second key element of our holidays is activity. In short, the choice of holiday destination should be such that it allows for as much exercise as possible. And last but not least, we are looking for still and solitude. We interact and communicate a lot with others throughout the year, which is why we have been spending our holidays in less crowded locations for many years.
Three years ago, we found this glamping site. The resort is located about 10 km (6+ miles) from the nearest town. It offers less than ten tents and mobile homes. The accommodation is very intimate, with the nearest neighbor several tens of meters away. At night, there is complete darkness and silence, here and there disturbed by the shy bleating of sheep and goats living freely in the surrounding bushes. Each accommodation unit has an exceptional view, which of course, comes at a price – you have to walk down a steep path to the beach and back up, with a 70-100 meter difference in altitude. But for us, this is a plus; it’s an extra jogging.
In short, our mobile home gives us exactly what we need: comfort, still, solitude, and exercise. Swimming is also quite active. Of course, no crowd is on the beach or the water, so you are mostly alone and can swim wherever you like without distractions or obstacles. We have chosen two spots, the “Statue of Mary” and the “whale skeleton,” about 200 m to the left and right of our beach, which we swim to at least twice a day.
In addition, the area is lined with hiking trails that allow me to maintain a daily walking routine comparable to the one I have at home. A little shorter, perhaps, but much more beautiful, attractive, and, above all, less crowded. I don’t usually meet anyone on the footpath, except maybe two or three cyclists on the last part, which is along the road. I can do all the same workouts I do at home, from stretching to push-ups. The only downside is the spiders that spread their webs across the path, mostly just above my head but sometimes lower down. So I carry a stick to cut the way through the spiderwebs if necessary.
I manage to burn about 2000 active calories a day. About 1000 by swimming, and about 1000 by walking and exercising. Which is a lot more than at home, but of course – back home, my job is a significant part of the daily routine.
Stay tuned!