Twelve hours through the night -- Paris is still sleeping -- Tours at dawn...
 Glorious medieval countryside: chateaus, towers, castles, parks
 And there at last...
 The misty silhouette of Chateau de la Cloutiere carved out of the
 foggy morning sky.
 Magical garden, sleeping palace, peacocks reign...
 The Quan Yin Family in Cinderella's land!
 Entrance. Forgotten paradise, meditate on wet ground, half an hour,
 Concentration -- here at last....Drop it!

 Myriads of tents, colorful dots in the parks,
 Just one step from Finland to Portugal....There's my lane.*
 Unknown faces, familiar faces -- doesn't matter, we're all one.
 The first days are hard labor....
 Men to the left, women to the right, peaceful discipline, yellow
 vests** everywhere....
 Like a silent reminder from Master!

 Hardly said a word today.
 The taste of sweet freedom.
 Where am I, who am I, why am I? -- Who cares??!

 Meditation hall, chiseled out of the mountain;
 Cave, refuge for the bats way up there somewhere.
 Chilly fridge in the morning -- every blanket is welcomed...
 Nice and cool during the day!

 First day -- good.
 Second day -- hard.
 Third day -- better.
 Fourth day -- over already? Sad.

 Our party -- super!
 Theater, dancing, poetry, Tai-Chi, singing, laughing, music
 Will Master still make it at the last minute?
 The helicopter at Paris airport is waiting
 And the lovingly prepared villa somewhere nearby lies untouched....
 Well, next time!

 Everything went by so quickly....
 Thirst for more -- Retreat 1997 -- We'll be there!
 Plunging into the daily life at home with a lot of energy.
 High energy, high hopes, good intentions...
 And yet once again different from the way things were before.
 Thank You, Master.