Corona over, war in Ukraine - a Spanish speleologist has not noticed any of this. She spent 500 days in self-imposed isolation in a cave in Granada, about 70 meters deep, regularly having to stop by a video-monitored security zone, where food was left for her by her team, otherwise she lived in a tent. The researchers wanted to find out how complete isolation affects a person and what neurological changes may occur.

Johanna Dürrholz

Editor in the "Germany and the World" section.

  • Follow I follow

Beatriz Flamini says: She had a great time. "Excellent" is what she called her experience right after the ascent, "not to be surpassed". In the above-ground world, Flamini is now (rightly) celebrated, even envied by some for her experiences. The lucky one!, it is said, not aware of all the misery of this world. And it is perhaps true that there are worse things than missing war in Europe, daily news about murder, manslaughter, rape. Reliably repeating verbal lapses by some people in public, who then apologize publicly (or not). Rows and rows of discussions about things that you can still say or not. And then there is war.

Flamini's experiment also seems to appeal to many people because it seems almost poetic. Francis of Assisi is said to have regularly retired to a cave to pray. St. Thecla is also said to have spent the rest of her life in a cave, over which a church was later built. And Grenouille, the perfume-loving and woman-murdering protagonist of "Perfume", spends seven years in a cave whose solitude he appreciates and in which he finally discovers his own lack of smell.

60 books read and poems written

Flamini also had enough time to think in her cave (although fortunately she had different thoughts than Grenouille). According to her own statements, she has read about 60 books and has also written stories and poems.

Maybe that's where our longing for isolation comes from? Not only don't want to notice anything, but also to have nothing (mobile phone, TV, tablet) with which you could notice something or distract yourself with a lot of more or less catchable stuff. Just no appointments and no internet – it seems to be the dream of many people to live under the stone. And this is where the isolation of various corona lockdowns, which was not self-chosen, was not particularly long ago. Finally time to write stories and read books! This would also work without the cave – but it takes a little more self-discipline. However, no more than for the undertaking to live underground for 500 days.