Ever since my return to Motovun, the Mirna valley gets covered with dense clouds early in the morning. Their surface is flat and fluffy. Looking down from the top of the Motovun hill, the clouds look like a sea covered with light foam. The top of the Brkac hill to the southeast looks like an island with a few houses along its coast. The sea of clouds is soothing to the eye. And to the soul. It enhances the feeling of isolation and separation from the rest of the world. By noon, the clouds slowly dissipate, as does the bliss of otherworldliness. The beauty of the valley compensates for the loss of the sea, but not entirely. The next morning beckons with new delights ever again. But the sea of clouds is forever safe and sound in the mind’s eye.