DAY FIVE

A stay in tranquility

Waking up at Camellia Inn

I saw the dawn first through my eyelids – the pale blue with tinges of pink that make you first turn away from the window and then back towards it, simultaneously wanting to stay wrapped in this comforter forever and desperate to greet the day.

The sunlight, squeezing itself through a crack in the storm-blue curtains, beckoned me with its warmth - or maybe it was the warmth cast by the crackling electric fireplace in the corner. A perfect early morning wake-up, just in time to zip to the foyer and grab our coffee tray, hot and ready for cream.

Careful to be quiet in the early morning hours, we bound down the back stairs and up again into the dining room. The morning sun poured in through the ceiling-high windows, filling the space with a golden glow that perfectly complemented the golden roast we shared on the couch. A cheers; a smile; we found a home away from home.