ik ben geen hollander, maar

the netherlands. flatlands on a sea of plenty. windmills. patrice and i traveled back from hamburg together and she was so kind to put me up for two more nights, before i would travel home. every single time i come to holland, i feel i should be here more often.



so, biking alongside patrice, through dutch countryside felt like a treat, even if my buttocks got a little sore. patrice took me to the 'woods' of dronten, to an internationally renowned bio dynamic farmers school, for fruit and veg and flower picking! 

the same day, patrice showed me the hang of letter press. omg, i was impressed by the neatly organized studio. in a whimsical way, through talking, we got ourselves a catchy phrase and rolled it into existence. you will find that story here.

the next day i scooped up most of my belongings as we set off towards rotterdam, making a stop in delft. i think patrice will be doing interesting business up there the next coming months, so watch out for that star rising! we had famous apple pie at kobus koch. 

nearing the point of goodbyes, we looked up and down another seaport's high rising buildings, as dear patrice took me through town, showing her abilities as a perfect guide. i boarded the last but one train around 7 pm, already hugging many, many memories. 

on that train i got talking to a simone de beauvoir lookalike who was trafficking an hortensia plant back to paris. evidently my travel adventures were not over and the story continues, it is in fact never ending...  ☺. more holland here

7 comments:

  1. lucky you! such nice adventures. loved the visit to patrice's studio/pics. xo!

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  2. Nadeschda, Dear,
    I'll come back later, when tears are dried and I am at home (your email, the photos... so mooi!)
    xoxx Ariane

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  3. holland does look like I have to visit too. never been. and the shot of patrice in her studio, barfoot and so at home. beautiful!

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  4. This is such a rich post! What a wonderful experience. So much there, so much, and I get excited about it all! The photos, inspiration!!!! I am craving such places.

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  5. just a random thought - reading about biking through holland, "the silver skates" came to mind, and all the skating through holland in there - it's the first book I ever read, or rather had to read (a summer assignment in first grade!!!), and a book I somewhat reluctantly read to Rebecca this winter, only to find out that it was all really fictional! as in "fake" - the author (an American) had never been to the Netherlands at all! Cross-culture can be hard. As I said, random thoughts ...

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  6. Nadine, Holland looks so inviting. The people, the land and the sea. Happy days ahead. xo

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  7. mooi album van je kort verblijf in NL. Ik ben Zeeland wel fantastisch gaan vinden sinds ik daar een paar keer per jaar kom de afgelopen 2 jaar.
    Maar wij zijn al vaak gaan verblijven in NL.

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