English
There are a lot of beautiful and wonderful places all over the world, and every living soul on this planet must have a place he/she would love to return to at least for a moment. And such places do differ with people; as for me, I am deeply keen of nature, mountains especially. The place that I was and am quite astounded with is located on the very border with Canada in the region of San Juan Islands, some 100 miles from Seattle, WA, and is called the Orcas Island. Quite interesting is the name of the island, and it actually stands for itself – there are a lot of orcas in the waters of Eastsound (I was lucky to come across couple of them while travelling with a ferry).
When you come to the island, the first thing you notice is how green the whole place is. I mean, that part of the U.S is incredibly green comparing it to other states, but the Orcas Island does differ with its pure, rich with oxygen air, crystal blue (when it is not raining) sky, with view so picturesque you want to stay and never leave the place.
The house we were staying in was located on the top of the hill at the very edge of the island, so, that when you look straight ahead, all of the neighbor islands become visible, with vast waters surrounding them, and stretching for miles. The whole island is full of tall pine trees that make the air so clean, you will think you have never truly breathed before. The island’s nature fully reveals itself early in the morning (especially during the sunrise); when you wake up and go outside, first thing you will see is fog, as it is quite foggy there. But later, as it starts to dissolve, the vast shapes of the nearby islands with their hilltops start to come into view; then whole islands become visible, with water all around them. At the daytime the temperature rises, and you might be able to enjoy the time being outside, if you are lucky enough not to get caught up in the rain. But we did actually catch the rain in one of days spent there, and quite frankly it was even more beautiful for me, as I just love to see Mother Nature in action. Sitting on the front porch, looking into the deep and watching the storm slowly coming towards you, with lightning and thunder seen and heard somewhere far, but so close, is an amazing feeling that leaves you breathless.
During daytime it is quite nice to simply wander around the forest, and to be able to feel all the might of those huge old pine trees. Here and there you can see some animals that despite the disturbance carry on with their activities. In the evening, when the sun goes down another view becomes revealed, the view that can be seen only in the highlands or in the mountains. As this place is higher above the sea level than most of our cities, stars here are bigger and brighter, so that during a clear night you can take your sleeping bag, and watch this night theater till the morning comes.
Such is my favorite and the most beautiful place and those days will stay in my memory for the time to come. And when I have a slight chance to go there, I use that chance, admiring the breathtaking beauty of the place as if for the first time.
