:: A Fond Recollection

  Madeleine Marentette, Founder of Grail Springs Retreat and Spa

I have to admit I like to be surrounded by beautiful spaces and beautiful things. 

I owe this obsession to my wonderful grandparents. As a child I was very fortunate to spend many summer and winter holidays with them in Germany.  In their hand-built country cabin there was no running water nor electricity.  So with just a wood stove to keep us warm at night, my brother and I would love to bury ourselves under the best feather-down covers.

My grandfather tended the most incredible garden.  Using a sickle he would clear a magical maze through the deep overgrown grasses and sunflowers where we would play hide and seek for hours.  In the evenings he would light his collection of Chinese paper lanterns, hang them from the trees and as he sang lullabies we drifted off to sleep.  I was woken early each morning and sent off with a few coins and an old dented tin container to fetch fresh milk from the local farm. Built in the 12th century, the farm was an enormous structure which had it’s own mill.  It was a fairytale place for me.  The house had four stories and was decorated in traditional Bavarian style, not a straight floor or wall in the place, the passageways were narrow, and the stairwells were steep. My favourite part was the unmistakable odour of manure mixed with the aroma of freshly baked bread. It was, in my mind, the most magical place on earth.  One particular summer, I had the thrill of a lifetime, when I was choosen to ride on horseback with one of the farmer’s sons in a medieval parade.  He was dressed like a prince, and I truly felt like a princess as we rode through the ancient medieval village. I was awestruck!

My grandfather, a cultured man with a love for nature, was very artistic and loved to paint in traditional folk art style of Bavaria. We spent our days going on many adventures, picking blueberries, exploring deep in the forests, and I remember feeling a bit like Hansel and Gretel. We climbed mountains and hillsides to reach castles, hidden monasteries with secret passageways and hiding places. Viewing ancient manuscripts, hearing mythical legends and stories of invasions, my mind was captivated and my imagination soared.  My grandmother, one of the kindest and gentlest souls I have ever known, was a true lady.  I remember how proud I was of her, always dressed very fashionably and winning ‘best dressed woman’ several years in a row in the small village in which they finally retired.  

They were both very active healthy individuals and raised four daughters.  A love of travel took them at vacation time to Baden Baden and other famous mineral spas.  Although both were diagnosed in their early thirties with heart conditions, but lived into their late 80’s.  The last time I saw them was in the mid 90’s and it was at this time that I was first developing the concept for Grail Springs.  They told me that they attributed their health and longevity to their trips to these mineral spas. Choosing the name for Grail Springs was easy and instantaneous.  For me, the cup represented a beautiful symbol of the true human condition.  As we all try to seek peace, hope to find love and drink all we can from our life experiences; we hope for achievement, of triumph over our trials and tribulations.  To me it’s about healing, restoration and most of all, it’s a story about love.   

Though they passed away several years ago, I have the fondest memories of my time with my grandparents.  There is no doubt that the incredible life experiences they gave me influenced my life choices.  The design and manifestation of what you see today as Grails Springs Health Spa, a destination for transformation, designed for those who seek knowledge, education and renewed health, I owe to them. 

Later in life I followed my passion and became an Interior Designer, wanting ultimately to create beautiful and moving spaces for clients and friends.  In my late twenties, as a result of becoming acutely ill and not finding any resolve through traditional medicine, I went back to my roots. My mother found a German Herbologist who brought me back from this disabling skin disease.  My interest in holistic healing and spiritual realities became heightened.  Soon I began to study meditation and light self analysis.

Today I thank Joachim and Herta Wolf for the creative process in which I thrive.  They nurtured my healthy curiosity of history, myths and legends of old, art and different cultures and for an appreciation for healthy living. The ability to see the beauty that moves the human spirit, that I so love and nurture whenever I can, I owe entirely to my wonderful inspirational grandparents. - Edited by A. Kocsi