English countryside

My first ever visit to english countryside - village is called Stansfield and its in Suffolk area, train goes towards Cambridge.

What can I say - this is all like a dream. The way people live here, the way they keep their grass and everything around me is completely unreal, in Croatia (and Balkans in general) we simply don't have this kind of aesthetic like people here. It really looks like another planet and I have been traveling around. It has nothing to do with material things, money and possibility of building things up & higher but with a taste, simplicity and joy of making your little corner of the world as pretty as possible.

First, as opposite to where I am from, its not about the size of the house. Croatians like to build and build and its almost always never ending work of building more floors than a garage than balcony than another floor than christmas tree at the top while its clear & obvious that house would never be finished and finally it would be sold, while family probably lived in the dark ground floor with everything else empty above. Here, houses are mostly small and have magical atmosphere about them. My friend's cottage is 300 years old and previous occupant was a local witch who had runes on the ceiling.Of course he had refurnished everything (from the local antique shop) and filled the cottage with books, music and paintings that reflect his taste. Once you enter this unassuming, almost invisible little house (hidden behind Walnut Tree so the house actually got a name "Walnut Tree") it feels like entering Beatrix Potter story or Bilbo Baggins little Hobbit house: the main focus is unbelievably small but sweet living room with a huge fireplace and tiny dining room at the back. Cutest sleeping rooms upstairs. The most delightful little garden at the back (where I am writing this right now) with the sun always shining from the fields and petite corner in a shade. Pigeons are nestling above me head. Happy spider spinning his net. Snails crawling all over the place. Everything is in perfect order but small and nicely suited to nature that surrounds it. Nothing modern visible - if people have any electronic gadgets, they are hidden well, everything looks old, rustic and ancient.

This morning we drove to a local village - Clare - which was again the eye opening experience as locals really live nice and relaxed here. Houses are pretty. Streets quiet and picturesque. Church is ancient and stunning. I had great fun exploring local gift shop, bookshop and wonderful coffee in local coffee shop while reading "The Times". Antique shop has four floors and I could honestly move in, it looks like the most interesting museum where you can actually buy things. (I am surprised my friend resisted temptation not to fill his house with simply everything from here) The whole day is such a joy and happiness that I could just lie down and die here. I really wonder why people even bother with living in big places like London because this is really Heaven.

On the other hand, it feels me with sadness that I can never fully explain to my croatian friends how beautiful and magical this kind of country life can be - they don't really appreciate old houses or the beauty of simplicity and first thing they would think of would be where to do barbeque, park the car and build a garage. A person needs to have an eye for the details and beauty (not necessary always the money) to arrange the living place with love, tenderness and care. I was standing in front of the altar in a local church today and from the bottom of my heart thanked God for a perfect day.