A moderate wind blows, birds are chirping, and the sky turns red and violet. Dark clouds pass along the horizon, gradually dissolving. The birds’ chirping mingles with the rushing of the sea, which lies no more than 200 meters from our accommodation. A breathtakingly beautiful spectacle that touches me deeply.

Before we set out, we hesitate briefly. We keep checking the weather forecast, which predicts rain soon. We don’t want to start in the rain, so we wait. But the waiting is in vain – nothing comes except the whistling of the wind. And so our decision is made: We go.

Today we take the other direction. We start at a brisk pace, walking the short distance along the road to one of the many parking lots, where we enter the dunes and turn toward the beach, the Plage de Treompan. We’re not alone at this early hour. In the distance, people can be seen now and then, alone or in pairs, mostly with their dogs. We don’t come close to anyone, not even close enough to exchange greetings.

This vastness. This space. This tranquility. The rocks. The waves. The sand. I’m in paradise. We leave the beach at its end, where rocks and stones displace the sand, and continue on the GR34 until we reach the Plage d’Erleac’h. A short footpath, but not an easy one due to the strong wind. As soon as we reach the beach, the wind dies down. The dunes protect us.

This beach is bigger and wider. When we walk separately for a while and I look over to her, she appears so small, almost tiny considering the enormous space before us. This is exactly what I need. I know it because I feel so completely different here than in a city, no matter how small it might be.

This vastness calms my soul. I become a different person. The world behind the dunes no longer matters. There is only here and now. Is happiness the right word for this? I doubt it. There is no single word for this state and this experience. Being here is all I need.