“A Clean, Well Lighted Place” by Ernest Hemingway is a story about an older gentleman who has insomnia and a rut for visiting a certain café to escape darkness and loneliness of his existence. I also have such a refuge, but mine has a completely different use. The main character visits the café to be with people, so not to feel lonely; my refuge is an escape from the people. Ever since I can remember this place for me is the beach- not during the peak seasons when tourists flock, but rather when it is nearly empty.

I was born by the Baltic Sea where only a street separated my house from the beach. I spent a lot of time there; during the summer getting a tan and playing volleyball with my friends, and other seasons simply walking, picking seashells and feeding the birds. There is something calming and peaceful in the sound of the sea. I love the feel of the sand on my feet, the certain odor, and the wind that often brings respite from the heat. But my favorite aspect of the beach is the specific hue of the sunrise and the sunset. Those, in my opinion, are there the most beautiful colors that I have ever witnessed.

Thus, it is there where I go most often to runaway from the people and the turmoil of the city. It is a perfect place for me to escape, to relax and to recharge. There I also find inspiration and creativity; there I often reinvent myself.