It was disorienting to re-emerge after having been in self-isolation for 14 days, during the span of which our horizon was limited to the vineyard-sprawled hill in our backyard atop which lies the little church dedicated to Sankt Jakob. Except for one afternoon when we had wandered through the wines and perched ourselves at a point from where we could glimpse the town of Tramin and the neighbouring Kalterer See, we had responsibly confined ourselves indoors until the very end.

The day we were slated to leave our tiny but cosy rented apartment at the Ferienhof Franzelin farmhouse, I saw for the first time this summer, a patch of Lavender in full bloom. I looked out into the valley like a virgin visitor to the Alps. There was a newness to the experience of guiltlessly inhabiting the outdoors that was disorienting. We took our time loading the car and marvelled at every little thing we saw on our three-minute drive home. It was exhilarating. We had finally arrived where we were meant to be.