When I arrived on Reunion Island end of August last year, it was not the climate, not the heat, not the vegetation nor the infrastructure that gave me a hard time. It was the sunset.
This picture was taken yesterday at a quarter to six, when I came out of the supermarket. It is a spectacular view from La Montagne, only a 10 minutes’ drive away from my house. By the time I got home, the sunset was over and in the few minutes it took me to put the groceries in the kitchen, it was pitch dark. It is as if they switch of the light. No light pollution in this part of the Indian Ocean.
When I was a child, my mother used to take me on her lap to watch the sunset together. These were precious moments sitting in the dusk, watching the light disappear out of the day. I felt secure in my mother’s arms, and the shadows of the trees, houses and cars in the neighbourhood were less frightening.
The short days on La Montagne feel even shorter compared to the long summer days we are used to in Belgium. And the super short sunsets don’t make it any easier. I have shifted my days to an early start, enabling me to make the most out of the sun hours. But I only feel at ease and peace with my environment since I watched the sunset from our terrace, waited till it was pitch dark. I felt the trees, bushes and our garden furniture more than I could see them, I shared this moment with the birds, frogs and lizards who found a shelter for the night.
Dusk is short here, but very intimate.
This picture was taken yesterday at a quarter to six, when I came out of the supermarket. It is a spectacular view from La Montagne, only a 10 minutes’ drive away from my house. By the time I got home, the sunset was over and in the few minutes it took me to put the groceries in the kitchen, it was pitch dark. It is as if they switch of the light. No light pollution in this part of the Indian Ocean.
When I was a child, my mother used to take me on her lap to watch the sunset together. These were precious moments sitting in the dusk, watching the light disappear out of the day. I felt secure in my mother’s arms, and the shadows of the trees, houses and cars in the neighbourhood were less frightening.
The short days on La Montagne feel even shorter compared to the long summer days we are used to in Belgium. And the super short sunsets don’t make it any easier. I have shifted my days to an early start, enabling me to make the most out of the sun hours. But I only feel at ease and peace with my environment since I watched the sunset from our terrace, waited till it was pitch dark. I felt the trees, bushes and our garden furniture more than I could see them, I shared this moment with the birds, frogs and lizards who found a shelter for the night.
Dusk is short here, but very intimate.
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