Plage de la Chambre d'Amour

I arrived from my home country of Germany at the end of August to have the time of my life as an Erasmus student, ready to finally live up to my expectations. I already spent two months in my new home in southern France when I felt the sudden urge to  flee from my beloved Pau, the capital city of the Pyrenees. I was eager to discover new places in the country I fell in love with, wishing to taste the seaside. I decided to go with my favourite person on this planet, a dedicated young Frenchmen who truly turned my life upside down. Little did I know that I was about to create a memory I will tell my grandchildren about - fifteen minutes of delightful realisation that felt like eternity.  He came, picked me up, and took me away as the Pyrenees reduced in size behind my back, moving towards salty air. Joyful anticipation made my stomach leap while current nostalgia causes hopeless heaviness in my heart, seeking for something that only exists in my memory. 
French language and culture became less and less common as we moved closer to the South-Western coast. White houses with red, green or even blue highlights appeared, signs in a language that resembled like nothing I used to know. The Basque Country and its isolated existence made me travel to another universe while only being one hour away from home. That’s when I finally arrived. A beach called "Plage de la Chambre d'Amour" in Anglet, a small town in the French Basque Country - and this place is just as fancy as it's name.

The sun started moving towards the water surface as it changed its colour from a blonde shade into a dark fire. Surfers fought with the rising walls of water, mastering them while I walked hand in hand him, leaving our footprints of devotion in the sand.  Surrounded by cliffs the ocean tried to swallow. Rushed on their highest peak to watch the sun kiss the water. There I was, in his arms, in a lonesome sport above all occurrences around us. This was when I experienced one of the most magnificent and eye-opening moments of my yet young life which picture has burnt itself into my mind, making it my favourite place. For this reason, I’d like to share this picturesque experience and the emotions it triggers within me to this day.
Whenever I think about this almost lifeless cliff that surrounded the beach, I almost feel sick to the stomach as sadness fills up my heart. I get itchy feet while perceiving stiches to my soul in the very same moment. Longing for a treasured distant place reminds me of a beloved person who already passed away.
There we were, watching the fading sky when darkness took over it. Clouds turned pink when the last sunlight enclosed them, creating flying rubies that dissolved into the dark. When the sun was about to drown, the waves’ aggressiveness rose and challenged the surfers that now only resembled black spots in the sea. He held me tight, not allowing the wind to take me away from him. The sky lost its tangerine shine when the last daylight disappeared beneath the icy waters. It became harder and harder to differentiate between the night sky and the ocean that started eating up the beach. Just thinking to myself and the beauty of life, getting offered a deeply satisfying view with the person I love the most to this day. Left impressed by the nature’s role play as it was telling me it’s daily good night story. 
I came to realise that a magical moment can happen whenever and wherever. It’s the attitude towards the event and place that makes it unforgettable. This might be an everyday experience and site to many of us. Splendid moments do not need to be exceptional; they need to move something within us. In the end, the story we keep repeating over and over again is the one that our need for inner satisfaction was seeking for. 
I could have picked to talk about the trip to Ibiza and it's remote calas and clubs of "madness"… or when I climbed the pic-du-midi. I went to various cities, bars, parties and made friends for a lifetime that provoke inexpressible emotions within me.
And yet, this is my personal favourite. We tend to forget to appreciate and notice the beauty of unknown places, allowing them to overwhelm us, telling us their story. Today, I cannot recall these memories without feeling sad as I come to realise I will never be able to revive this very event in this very place. Now, 8 months after my time as an Erasmus student had come to an end, I still stick to this experience as it brought up emotions in me I never felt before.