Vacation

Yesterday I returned from a week-long vacation. I was first for the weekend visiting friends in Bonn, Germany and then for another week in Mariawald, Heimbach, Germany. I was staying in a 600 year old monastery occupied by Trappist monks and three novices.


The monastery is pretty remote. Actually for the last couple of kilometers I had to walk a rather steep and slightly muddy path trough the woods uphill because there was no bus and a taxi would have taken 1.5h to arrive. I still arrived a little late and very sweaty.


The place itself was very beautiful. The landscape, the rooms, everything was tidy and clean and in order. Food was simple but fresh and well prepared. There was no radio, no TV, no internet, no distractions.

Most impressive were the monks. They live a really strict and ascetic life. They get up at 4am to go to the cold church and pray for 1 hour (1.5 hours on Sundays). They chant Gregorian songs, they speak Psalms and traditional prayers in German and in Latin. Throughout the day they meet 7 times in the church for the hourly prayers. They eat no meat, sleep on straw, live in a very moderately heated place, have no possessions, never leave the monastery, spend most of the day in silence. Many of them are also rather old. The impressive thing is though that these monks are genuinely happy. They are cheerful, have warm and strong voices, they see a purpose in their efforts, know exactly what they are doing. Amazing.