As It Truly Is Journal

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
— Virginia Woolf

June 6, 2025

What does Noli make me feel?

Cold white wine, a seaside brewery, and the endless coast already make everything beautiful. At night, when you lie awake with your soul exposed, you can hear the waves crashing gently against the shore.

The season here has only just begun. And why only just? Because this tourist town has not fully awakened yet. Breakfast alone can feel a little dull. Of course, if all you want is sweet pastries and carbohydrates, you can always find something at the buffet. But if, like me, you pay attention to what you eat, mornings can become a little difficult.

Dinner, however, is delicious. Most evenings there is fish on the menu, which I absolutely adore.

Right now, an elderly man is walking past me. Despite the difficulty in his steps, there is something elegant about him. You can see many elderly Italians here, especially in these tiny villages. Watching the little bits of Spanish I’ve tried so hard to learn suddenly become useful here and there fills me with quiet joy.

As my dear husband says, enjoying a holiday does not require cutting yourself off from the world completely. How could a vacation be peaceful otherwise?

A holiday should feel like the old little door you notice while sitting on a hotel terrace. It should smell of basil. And basil is everywhere here. The scent is so rich and beautiful that it reminds me of my childhood, of my grandmother. Perhaps the only thing that can truly pull memories out of the past is the smell of basil.

Now I’m looking down at Noli from above. In front of me stand several towers. Especially in the past, these towers were symbols of wealth and power. Stretching beneath them is a long sandy beach.

Today the sea is calm. A few families are swimming. And just now, I happened to come across a school trip, I think. Probably a history lesson. The students are trying very hard to listen, though clearly struggling. Their teacher, however, tells the story with great excitement.

Meanwhile, a soft wind brushes across my face. Suddenly it grows restless for a moment, then settles again into silence. I close my eyes.

Earlier, at La Crêpe, I finally gave in after avoiding desserts for so long. Encouraged by some friends, I chose a few tiny pastries displayed behind the glass counter. They were prepared with such care, so delicate and delicious, that they almost seemed to invite me closer.

We have reached the end of Noli.

“Let’s learn a little Italian,” I said.
“Anche io,” meaning “me too.”
Or perhaps, “también.”

Isn’t the faint smell of rain in the morning air wonderful while having breakfast?

There is little left before our next stop. Today, I hope to greet both the sun and the sea there.

And if I were to describe what I felt yesterday…

It was as though eating in an old monastery laid a deep calmness over me last night. Without realizing it, I surrendered to the magic of that moment and wished it could last until the end of the meal. I thought perhaps I could remain asleep inside that feeling forever afterward.

Sometimes, to feel alive again, one must return to old sensations… to old selves.