“This is exactly what I need” was the first thought that came to mind when I looked at the cabin. It was standing by a lake in the middle of the forest. The bed was facing the window, and you could see nothing but green behind the glass. In front of the cabin was a table and a BBQ, where you could grill the fish you caught that day. I don’t fish, but I enjoy being surrounded by life inside the water.

The host asked me if I was not afraid to be there all by myself. I was surprised by that question. What is there to be scared of? The only thing I could run into, was me – and that was precisely why I was there in the first place. Besides, I had a ferocious husky, so I’d be fine. 

Next to the cabin, a bit lower by the river, there was a platform where you could have a drink in the evening. Speaking of drinks, a bottle of Merlot was waiting for me upon my arrival, so extra points! The host even thought of a giant bone for Naya to chew on.

A bit further in the forest, you could find a hammock to rest after your afternoon fishing spree. There’s no bathroom in the cabin, but a toilet in the woods. And yes, it’s a real one. Not a hole in the ground. The Rick & Morty lovers will surely appreciate this little corner where you can do your business peacefully.

We started our day by going for a hike. Since we were in the Ardennes, I figured that whatever way we went, we’d end up in a forest. Unfortunately, I walked on a road between trees for half an hour, so I decided to go up and see from there. It didn’t go quite as planned. 

Halfway up, we came across many brambles, so I picked Naya up and carried her to the top. The little path quickly turned into a full bush, but stubborn as I am, I persisted… Until we really couldn’t go any further and had to climb back down, again with Naya in my arms because of all the brambles. 

We jumped from the steep hillside at the end, and I ended up with two legs full of scratches on the road, where we started again. After that, we just stuck to the roads and had a beautiful walk through the fields and some cute streets with lovely little houses that reminded me of the South of France.

Although I need a lot of time to herself and ask for space a lot, I hadn’t spent this much time on my own in years (except for Naya, of course, but she is part of me). There is no WiFi in the cabin; if you want 4G, you’ll have to walk at least 1km. I’ll admit to having panicked a bit at first. What if something happens at home? What if something happens to us? What if clients try to reach me? 

By the end of the day, the lack of communication with the outside world didn’t seem to bother me that much anymore. I felt at peace with myself.

Going there, I had a lot of expectations. I had planned on arriving, looking around and feeling at peace immediately. Of course, that didn’t happen right away. I was so focused on relaxing through the forest, that when that didn’t happen, I became stressed and worried about how things were not going as planned, as I wanted. I had no clue where I was going and ended up in ‘the wrong places’. 

At some point during the walk, I looked next to me and saw a bunch of bees buzzing around a flower in the field. I looked around and realised how beautiful the view was. I had only been unable to see it. I realised that this was a metaphor for life. You’re so focused on where you want to be that you become blind to what is in front of you. Sometimes the road to get somewhere isn’t the one you planned or hoped for, but if you look closely, you might realize it is beautiful in its own way and has so much to be grateful for. 

There might just be a reason why you are on this path. If you keep focusing on what you wanted but didn’t get, you miss out on many things. It forces you to readjust and be resilient. This is exactly what being successful in all aspects of life is about; being resilient. One day in solitude and already one life lesson learned…

The next day, Naya and I got up and enjoyed a lovely breakfast while listening to the sound of the trees. We sat in silence and took in the beautiful lake view. It had been a while since I was that well-rested, with no notifications screaming for attention the minute I woke up.

We went for another walk and got into the boat. It was her first boat ride, and despite all my worries – she might jump into the water, or worse, we might capsize! – everything went great. Naya was amazed by the water. I was surprised by how exhausting rowing on a still lake can be. And for a while, we just sat together in our little boat in the middle of a lake. It felt like we were the only living beings on this planet. And I felt, finally, fully at peace.

(P.s.: I will admit that I got a tiny bit scared at some point, so thank you, Naya, for accompanying me on my nightly visits to the potty.)

Also in need of a nice getaway? This is where we stayed.