On the second week of the war, I met Audrey and Thierry who were volunteering in a Humanitarian center collectiong aid for Ukraine. They were just about to leave to Poland to transport the humanitarian help and told they might drive several Ukrainian refugees (though I prefer calling them temporary evacuated people) to the European Union. This is the short story of how my best friend with her family ended up in Toulouse. This is not the end though, as their kindness stretched beyond these actions, which were already more than enough. They invited all of us at their country house in Haute-Garonne not far from Toulouse for a weekend that was supposed to clear our minds and get some fresh air. We accepted.

That was a true bliss. Far from the war and civilization, far from the internet connection, far from everything. There was only sun and beauty of the nature, good company and tasty food. It’s weird to say, but despite the war, despite the atrocities, I felt happy. It was an excellent festive birthday.

We could have easily spent three days just chilling on the grass, letting the time crawl from breakfast to early lunch, which would turn into dinner and repeat. Still we managed to stay active! On the first day we made a long walk from Ganties (the village in question) to Montespan to see the castle that Louis XIV gave to his favorite. 7 km of walk through green hills and meadows to improve the birthday cake digestion.

I hate living in the timeline where every day something happens for the first time since the WWII. I really do. I just try to keep in mind that everything passes by and in a historical perspective, this won’t last too long. My task for these weeks (months?) is to preserve my sanity and fill them with something else than scrolling. This weekend in the mountains is a perfect memory to keep us warm in the most horrible moments.