Work is a pleasure, but at the limit of possibilities it is good when you are 20. When you are over 30, the body can no longer be deceived by promises of a brighter future. He needs to reboot. Real, with a change of picture, tasty and healthy food and pleasant procedures.
The body requires care and rest, the only way it can be an ally in the game called life. Otherwise, this very life will not give. I received hints of this a year and a half ago in the form of constant colds and other minor troubles. I recognized the signals – who, if not me, who has been working closely with psychologists for three years, should know body language.
I started practicing meditation to replenish resources. I planned my vacation in advance. In 2018, I visited five countries, though only for a week, but the inveterate workaholic had to start somewhere. Start – started, but broke. The “holy” time for every hard worker is the end of the year, when you close your “tails”, plan future projects and run, run, run. There is no time for rest.
Every day the body signaled: “We need to rest.” I deliberately ignored these signals. When my back ached, I asked: “Be patient, we’ll figure it out and go to rest, for real.” This is how they promise a child to buy a dog when he: goes to school, finishes first grade, second, third … And this child does not see a dog in the end. So my body endured everything, endured …
When the New Year came and the promised vacation did not happen due to urgent meetings, the body said “enough” and filled me with all sorts of unpleasant sensations. “Starting a detox program, and no work. If you can, go somewhere, you need to recuperate, ”the family doctor, my good friend, told me, and immediately prescribed a diet and droppers to restore the nervous system.
Pretty little problem: you go, have a rest, but you need droppers every day. Where to go, so that this place does not resemble a boarding house, but at the same time provides the necessary food and, most importantly, medical services. Europe fell away immediately: it was necessary quickly, inexpensively, and in order to receive a referral from a good doctor, I didn’t want to bother with translations at all.
After spending several hours searching and not finding a suitable option, I decided: I will stay in Moscow, I will walk, meditate, sleep and eat. But life decided otherwise and threw an invitation to the park hotel in Belgorod. But even here my mind resisted.
– Thanks for the invitation. I can’t, I have a course of IVs scheduled.
— If you have a referral, we can arrange it. There is a clinic on the territory of the park hotel. We can also call a specialist in any field if you need it.
– It’s necessary, but it’s so far to go to you.
– By plane – a little over an hour, we will meet you at the airport.
A few more tedious questions from my troubled mind and he gave up. Let’s go! But I have only three days – Friday and the weekend. The hotel employees assured that even two days would be enough for them to reboot. Well, of course! I have tormented my body and mind for so long that even a month is not enough here to recover. And as you can guess, I was wrong.
Little Europe 700 km from Moscow
Surprises began as soon as I got off the plane. A regional airport in most cities in Russia – fear and hatred: one-story Soviet-style buildings and tumbleweeds on the luggage belt. But no. In Belgorod, a new terminal building was rebuilt a few years ago, inferior to Moscow only in size. Glass and metal vaults, clean, light. Luggage received at lightning speed.
The Riviera driver was waiting for me at the exit. He politely escorted me to the “transfer”, which turned out to be a Porsche Cayenne. This is how all guests of the park hotel are greeted. “The owner of the hotel, he was also involved in the construction of the airport, travels a lot,” the driver told me. – He really wants Belgorod to become as pleasant a place for vacationers as any of the European cities. And this rest should begin with the gangway of the plane.
At that very moment, I imagined how in the evening I could sit here, wrapped in a blanket, and read a cozy book while it was snowing outside the window.
About half an hour, and we drove up to the cast-iron carved gate, behind which five one-story red brick houses were lined up, reminiscent of townhouses in the suburbs of Amsterdam. In a European way so far it turns out.
At the reception, I am met by friendly staff, but this friendliness is not intrusive and cloying, as is often the case, but calm, with dignity. Next to the reception is a seating area: a record player, elite strong alcohol, a glass table, leather sofas and armchairs, floor lamps, all this under the daylight that penetrates through the panoramic windows. At that very moment, I imagined how in the evening I could sit here, wrapped in a blanket, and read a cozy book while it was snowing outside the window.
But the mind immediately stopped this picture and began to act out of habit, bombarding the manager with questions: opening hours of the spa, the pool is always available, and the clinic … The manager smiled knowingly (businessmen, business people and inveterate workaholics, like me, are frequent guests here) and offered to take her to the room, promising to answer all questions along the way.
We went to the second line. It has five more houses-buildings. Several are marked with the sign “Pretty Street”. The fairy-tale-sounding name also has a second meaning, which can be seen if the spelling rules are omitted. Behind the houses there is a beautiful view of the snow-covered lake, and around it is a pine forest. Since the resort is all-season: in winter, ice skating is organized in the park, skiing tracks are organized. In summer, right from the room, guests get to the equipped beach, where you can ride catamarans and boats. And of course, swim, because the water in the lake is the cleanest.
“The lake was created artificially,” explains manager Irina. — Spring water springs were beaten here. All water in the hotel is also from these sources, so you can safely drink water from the tap. But you will see it now.
We enter the fourth building, and here I remember the museums of modern art in Spain. Bright colors, yellow, light green, combined with natural wood. Everything is very harmonious and joyful. Each building is decorated in its own unique style. There is not a single repetitive interior item: multi-colored glass chandeliers are made to order specifically for the project of a particular building, like everything else here.
In total, the hotel has 27 rooms from deluxe to suite category, and all of them are absolutely unique. Of course, the layout of the rooms of the same categories is the same, but the design is completely different. Each has its own character. I was chosen a number, the picture in which is still in my memory: the girl on it reminds me very much of myself and that state of peace, harmony and unity with nature, which I aspire to.
Almost all interior decoration is commissioned in Europe. Everything that guests especially like can be purchased, right down to curtains and bathrobes. All buildings are equipped with “smart home” technology: the blinds in the rooms are raised and lowered at the touch of a button, a comfortable temperature can be “ordered” at the reception.
The bathrooms are equipped with an audio system that allows you to listen to music from your phone while you take a shower. The room has everything you need for a comfortable stay. Why I dragged with me endless jars for face, body, head, and so on, I don’t know. Natural cosmetics for care are available in every room.
By the way, there is also everything for guests with children: baths, cribs, high chairs, a children’s area with highly qualified specialists, and even a babysitter who will take care of the children while the parents are relaxing in the spa. In general, I ended up in paradise, which was created at the junction of the unity of technology and nature. The task of changing the image is completed. It’s time to start eating right.
Even before the opening of the hotel there was a restaurant. It is considered one of the best in Belgorod. Now chefs from Moscow are responsible for the menu. The menu of European cuisine is striking in its variety. But I had my own needs: a strict diet. I reported this, and we easily adjusted the dishes so that they were tasty and healthy for me specifically. In general, any wish of a guest here is fulfilled with lightning speed. It was only necessary to mention in passing that I liked the Riviera radio that sounds in every room, they immediately brought me a USB flash drive with a radio playlist. Now I enjoy wonderful relaxing music at home. But as you can see, I’m still a bit in a hurry and getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to the scene.
The next task is to please the body and spirit. And then spa treatments and a beauty zone came to the rescue. I started with manicures and pedicures. In Moscow, my master does a manicure in an hour, and I endure a 1,5-hour pedicure only because I can work at that time. Here I did not notice how three and a half hours flew by. This is due to the massage chair and spa treatment that accompanied all procedures.
For the next two days, I didn’t think about anything at all. I even began to walk more slowly, and there seemed to be more time. During my entire stay, I met only two guests, although the hotel was fully booked. This is the magic of this place where you can be yourself, observe, feel, fantasize and not think about anything. When I completely missed the crowds of people, I ordered a transfer to the city, it only takes 15 minutes to go. But after an hour of being in the bustle, I returned back to my little paradise to slow down a little more.
After a relaxing general massage and other spa treatments (lymphatic drainage massage, facial lifting massage, sauna, you know, I didn’t know how nice it was), I felt like I was reborn. The only area I just went to is the gym. It’s cool, big, with all the necessary bells and whistles for fitness, but, knowing my ability to rape the body, I decided that I would still do this in Moscow.
Three days later, I returned to Moscow reluctantly. I could not imagine how I would be without massage baths with panoramic windows and views of the lake or pool every day. Reluctantly, but as if reborn.
There is a line in my work schedule today. It’s called Riviera, just like a household name for the time that I devote to myself. So the girl on the phone didn’t lie then. Three days here is like a whole month of rest anywhere. It’s not so much about the procedures, but about the spirit of calm and solitude that this small but fulfilling journey has infected me with.