My enchanting commute through Loire Valley

In August 2015 my boyfriend and I moved to Nantes after having lived for three years in the Hague. Neither one of us could understand a word of what people said (actually, it was just me), so coming back to France felt quite refreshing. I can hear you think,  3 years and she didn’t learn any Dutch? Well it wasn’t a lack of trying, I actually followed an optional class at university when I arrived. But even with academic support, I found that language extremely difficult to grasp. I remember my first attempt to speak it: I was out with my friends and ordered a beer in dutch. Two minutes later the waitress came back with a green tea. That’s how bad my pronunciation was. After that it felt more efficient to just stick with English.

It’s been 6 month now, time flies so quickly… I’m finalising an internship in Angers, but as I live in Nantes, I have an hour commute to get there. And this is where I am writing you from, the 8:47 train, heading towards Saumur.  I just wanted to share some of the pictures I took of the Loire Valley countryside, which definitely makes the commute more bearable.

Living in a city, as I always have, tends to really disconnect you with the essential, our inherent roots that we all share. I can tell you that the Parisian metro scene during peak hour is no picnic.

I don’t know about you but when I start stressing out, thinking of simple things such as laying down on the grass is incredibly soothing (better to actually do it I agree, but grass is becoming a rare find in the urban jungle). And this is what this commute does to me: I stare as far as my eyes can see into the green valleys and hills, mixing in the blue horizon. I watch quietly how the sun  gently shines on this peaceful setting.

I hope these few shots reflect on the simple beauty and essence that this region offers. What about you, is there a favourite place to let your mind wander?