Isolated Ideals

We have taken the ferry to „the mainland“ once again. Leaving Dover is always exciting, since the spectacle of receding white cliffs above blue waters evokes passages from writers and poets as well as seafaring scoundrels and heroes alike. It was a blistery morning and the large vessel was struggling through the whitecaps of the Channel. In the end, the captain decided to take the shortest route across and continue along the coast of Normandy into the port of Calais. Again, we saw white cliffs, this time those on the coast of Northern France, which albeit somewhat less spectacular nevertheless are a powerful reminder that the principle of “splendid isolation” is indeed a British fabrication - after all, it all began as one continent. However, it is a fine concept that may be worth upholding.