[Stoat]

If I were to go there I would probably want to stay....permanently :-)

[Stoat]

Ping :-)

[JennysCool]

It's that sound of not much at all, a fall breeze over a still pond, a car on a gravel road, frogs.

Hate to tell the reporter, but that ain't quiet!

[Red Boots]

Retreat packages vary, but the point is usually similar. Retreats are meant to be different from a vacation, which these days can be more exhausting than daily life. At a retreat, the idea is to do a little personal work, even if that means working at just being still and enjoying the quiet.

I went to a 5 day silent retreat - it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. No talking, no TV, no radio, and 3 hour long prayer sessions each day. That said, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[ELS]

bttt

[Tax-chick]

My idea of perfection ...

I had a friend in Tulsa who spent several years as a novice at Conception. He eventually decided he didn’t have a religious vocation, but he’d had a great time there.

[Kolokotronis]

"If I were to go there I would probably want to stay....permanently :-)"

Monasteries have that effect on many people.

Here's a picture of the Monastery of +John the Forerunner near my maternal village in Greece. Its a long walk up and down to get there, but always worth it!